2025 has been a defining year for Milestone Systems. With a series of new launches and innovations, the company is signalling a clear shift: video management is no longer just about recording and reviewing.
It’s about unlocking intelligence, driving efficiency, and creating future-ready platforms for security and operations
This round-up looks at the key announcements from Milestone’s 2025 product launches, highlighting the innovations that are shaping the next generation of video management. From cloud integration to AI-driven analytics and new tools for evidence management, we’ll unpack the trends behind these releases and what they signal for the future of manufacturing security and operations.
Cloud Integration Comes of Age
One of the most significant moves has been the expansion of Arcules cloud integration across XProtect Professional+, Expert, and Corporate editions. This is more than just a technical upgrade; it reflects a wider trend towards hybrid deployments.
For years, many organisations have been hesitant to fully migrate video infrastructure to the cloud due to concerns around bandwidth, cost, and control. Milestone’s approach bridges this gap, giving businesses the best of both worlds, the robustness of on-premises systems combined with the agility and scalability of the cloud.
With seamless video and alarm flow between environments, and the removal of interconnect licensing barriers, organisations can now:
• Deploy cloud selectively, where it delivers the most value.
• Scale capacity up or down without expensive infrastructure upgrades.
• Ensure business continuity by reducing reliance on a single architecture.
This hybrid model is fast becoming the new standard for enterprises balancing digital transformation with operational resilience.
Smarter Vehicle Analytics for a Smarter World
Vehicles have always been a major part of surveillance, but until now, recognition tools were often limited to basic license plate reading. With the XProtect 2025 R1 release, Milestone has significantly raised the bar.
New capabilities such as vehicle classification (car, truck, bus, motorcycle), make and model identification, colour recognition, and even angle detection provide a level of detail that turns simple plate capture into rich data intelligence.
This has practical applications across a range of industries:
• Urban environments can use the data to analyse traffic flows and plan safer, smarter cities.
• Logistics firms gain insights to streamline fleet monitoring and improve operational efficiency.
• Security teams benefit from higher accuracy in identifying suspect or unauthorised vehicles.
By making vehicles part of the wider data ecosystem, Milestone is extending VMS from passive observation to actionable intelligence for both security and operations.
Evidence Management Redefined
The launch of XProtect Evidence Manager is one of the most forward-looking changes this year. Traditionally, handling video evidence has been time-consuming and fragmented, with teams relying on physical media, clunky exports, and siloed workflows.
Evidence Manager transforms this process into a centralised, digital-first experience:
• Investigators can collate, organise, and annotate footage in one secure environment.
• Evidence can be shared license-free, streamlining collaboration across agencies or departments.
• Flexible storage options allow organisations to choose the mix of cloud and on-premises storage that best fits their compliance and retention needs.
For law enforcement, corporate investigators, and security teams, this reduces the time spent on administration and ensures more reliable chains of custody. In a world where response speed is critical, this shift could significantly change how investigations are conducted.
The Rise of AI-Powered Insights
AI is reshaping every part of technology, and video is no exception. At ISC West 2025, Milestone showcased its growing integration with BriefCam analytics, which pushes video beyond recording into the realm of real-time understanding.
With BriefCam, organisations can:
• Instantly search through hours of footage using natural filters such as clothing colour, object type, or behavioural patterns.
• Detect anomalies, such as unusual crowd movement or loitering, before incidents escalate.
• Build long-term insights into operations, from optimising retail layouts to improving manufacturing safety.
This isn’t just about making surveillance smarter, it’s about redefining what organisations can do with their video. The ability to turn millions of frames into actionable insights will play a critical role in industries striving for safer environments, stronger compliance, and greater operational efficiency.
Why This Matters
Taken together, Milestone’s 2025 launches reflect a bigger vision. Video is evolving into a core operational platform, shaping how businesses protect people, streamline processes, and prepare for the future.
• Hybrid cloud ensures scalability and resilience.
• AI-driven analytics create faster insights and proactive actions.
• Modern evidence tools reduce complexity and improve collaboration.
For long-time XProtect users, this is a call to explore the capabilities you may not yet be using, and for those considering a platform, a signal of where the industry is heading.
Want to see these advancements in action? Join our webinar!
We’ll be covering the latest updates and sharing real-world examples in our upcoming Webinar: Milestone – More Than Just Security. Join our very own Steve Dobby alongside Ben Nelson from global leader Milestone as they reveal how the latest Milestone technology delivers greater control, smarter insights, and real savings, helping your business stay secure, efficient, and ahead of the curve.
