Milestone unveils app platform & faster BriefCam AI

Milestone Systems has introduced a new XProtect App Platform and a redesigned BriefCam analytics engine for customers using video management and analytics systems.

The updates are designed to let users add applications and run analytics with less disruption to live surveillance operations. Both products are now available to early access customers.

Platform update

The XProtect App Platform is a new application layer for Milestone's video management software. It uses a Linux-based container architecture that runs alongside existing XProtect installations, allowing applications and services to operate separately from the core system and from one another.

This design is intended to reduce the operational risk associated with software changes. Customers can install applications and updates without restarting the full video management system, helping to avoid interruptions in environments that require continuous monitoring.

The platform is designed to support a broad range of software, including artificial intelligence tools, analytics applications and access control products. It also lets users expand existing systems rather than replace them.

The launch reflects a broader shift in the video security market. As cameras and sensors generate more footage and metadata, the challenge has moved from collecting video to finding relevant information quickly enough to support security and operational decisions.

Analytics engine

Milestone has also rebuilt the engine behind BriefCam, its video analytics product. According to in-house testing, the new version improves hardware efficiency and increases real-time processing throughput by 38%.

All processing can run on-premise, without relying on cloud infrastructure. That is likely to appeal to organisations with data residency requirements or policies that limit video from leaving their own systems.

The updated engine includes a plain-language search function designed to let investigators turn witness statements into video searches without relying solely on manual filters. It also includes tools to identify relevant moments in footage and train the software with custom categories that match an organisation's operational needs.

For users managing large, fragmented video archives, these features are intended to reduce review time and make searches less dependent on specialist operators. Milestone described the release as part of a wider effort to prepare its software stack for generative AI and more advanced analytics workloads.

“The rapid growth of AI in video security has created an urgent need for platforms that can keep pace. Together with our partners and customers, we are cocreating the next generation of our technology on our open platform foundation. The XProtect App Platform and the new BriefCam engine are two major steps forward - giving organizations the flexibility to adapt quickly and confidently, as well as powerful on-premise intelligence that doesn't compromise data sovereignty or operational control,” said Andrew Burnett, Chief Technology Officer, Milestone Systems.

Developer tools

Alongside the two product releases, Milestone is expanding the surrounding software ecosystem for customers and third-party developers. The XProtect App Platform will run applications distributed through the Milestone App Centre, which includes software from both Milestone and partner companies.

The App Centre is intended to give customers a way to browse, test and install verified applications that add functions to XProtect deployments. In practice, that could give users a simpler way to add analytics or other specialist software without altering the core video management system.

Milestone is also introducing a Developer Portal that brings together the tools and resources software partners need to build and release applications for the platform. The goal is to provide a single route for developers seeking to distribute products across Milestone's installed customer base.

This matters because software vendors in video security often face a fragmented market, where deploying and maintaining applications across many customer environments can be complex and costly. Container-based deployment and a centralised developer environment could reduce some of that burden if widely adopted.

Market context

The announcement comes as suppliers in physical security and surveillance increasingly position video systems as data platforms rather than simple recording tools. Buyers are under pressure to extract operational value from growing volumes of footage while also managing uptime, cyber risk and compliance obligations.

Milestone, based in Copenhagen and employing more than 1,500 people, has built its business around an open-platform model in video management software. That approach has long focused on allowing third-party hardware and software to connect to its systems, and the new releases suggest the company is adapting that model to a market where AI applications are becoming more central.

The XProtect App Platform and the new BriefCam engine are available now to early access customers. Milestone says the redesigned BriefCam engine delivers all processing on-premise with no cloud dependencies.