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With 1,300 cameras recording 24/7 and more than 1,000 investigations to process per year, Massachusetts General Hospital’s security team was not able to keep up with the vast amounts of recorded video. Now, BriefCam Syndex Pro for fast video review, search and analysis, embedded within a Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) platform is making efficient and effective video investigation possible. Unique challenges to security Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Police, Security and Outside Services Department provides some security services to many other Partners hospitals and facilities. Following its recent digital conversion, unified on the Milestone XProtect VMS platform, MGH’s security team was able to expand camera coverage by adding new Axis network cameras directly to the existing IP network. The hospital environment presents unique challenges to security, Michelman points out “The number of investigations we were doing was taking huge amounts of time in terms of reviewing video, and that was really a waste of time,” said Bonnie Michelman, MGH Executive Director of Police, Security and Outside Services and Consultant for Partners Healthcare. The hospital environment presents unique challenges to security, Michelman points out. MGH’s 17-acre urban campus, comprising 29 contiguous and 14 separate buildings (including underground and freestanding garage facilities), is complex. The security team must also take into account not only the main location, but also dozens of satellite facilities around the Boston area. Enterprise risk management “We can’t cover all of these facilities with security staff,” said Michelman. “We need to augment heavily with very good, state-of-the-art technology that allows us to combine our intelligence, labour, policies and procedures, in order to create a better holistic approach to enterprise risk management.” Charged with creating a safe environment, MGH’s security team at the same time is challenged by the clinical team’s needs for increased efficiency through lowering length of stay and moving patients through the hospital as quickly as possible. The 24-hour Emergency Room, with its anxious, highly volatile population presents challenges of its own. In addition, patient elopement and patient wandering – unauthorised departures from the medical facility, whether intentional or unintentional – pose liability threats that can be very damaging to a hospital. Providing customer satisfaction A unified system was required to balance the video surveillance needs of a busy hospital campus A unified system was required to balance the video surveillance needs of a busy hospital campus with remote satellite locations while upholding the highest level of security possible, maintaining operational flow, and providing customer satisfaction that includes expectations of privacy. Michelman, together with MGH Senior Manager, Systems and Technology Robert Leahy, decided on the Milestone XProtect VMS platform. Camera count was increased from 400 to 1,300, and standardised with Axis network cameras connected directly to the IP network. To deal with the marked increase in video data, MGH’s team chose BriefCam Syndex Pro, a powerful set of tools intended to reduce the time and effort needed to conduct video reviews, post-event video investigation and real-time video monitoring. The BriefCam solution ties in seamlessly with the Milestone video management solution, providing efficient workflow for investigators. Presenting video metadata According to Michelman, BriefCam has already proven invaluable. A two year long ROI examination of video surveillance use at MGH has shown a progressive rise in success rates with the use of video in incident investigations. According to Michelman, BriefCam has already proven invaluable “I see BriefCam as a very important part of our toolbox of excellent practices for protecting what is a very complex environment of tangible and intangible assets,” said Michelman. BriefCam Syndex Pro’s ability to present video metadata in graphic visualisation format, such as bar graphs, pie charts and the like, has opened up new realms of possibilities to extend the role of CCTV video beyond security into organisational efficiency and more informed, data-driven decision making. Better investigative focus “In the past, there might have been things that would have been a ‘nice to do,’ but we couldn’t do it because we didn’t have resources to watch many hours of video,” said Michelman. “Now we can manage the content and we can see trends, which in turn can drive redeployment of resources, and by extension, facilitate a better investigative focus and success.” BriefCam Syndex Pro embedded within Milestone XProtect VMS platform is helping MGH in its mission to effectively and efficiently protect and safeguard the hospital community. Michelman said: “We’re happy with these products, but it’s not just about the quality of the technology, it’s about the quality of the partnership. You know, it’s easy to sell a product, but to sustain it, service it, and be there after it is in is really very critical for us.”
With 1,300 cameras recording 24/7 and more than 1,000 investigations to process per year, Massachusetts General Hospital’s security team was not able to keep up with the vast amounts of recorded video. Now, BriefCam Syndex Pro for fast video review, search and analysis, embedded within a Milestone XProtect video management software (VMS) platform is making efficient and effective video investigation possible. Existing IP network Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Police, Security and Outside Services Department provides some security services to many other Partners hospitals and facilities. Following its recent digital conversion, unified on the Milestone XProtect VMS platform, MGH’s security team was able to expand camera coverage by adding new Axis network cameras directly to the existing IP network. MGH’s security team was able to expand camera coverage by adding new Axis network cameras directly “The number of investigations we were doing was taking huge amounts of time in terms of reviewing video, and that was really a waste of time,” said Bonnie Michelman, MGH Executive Director of Police, Security and Outside Services and Consultant for Partners Healthcare. Enterprise risk management The hospital environment presents unique challenges to security, Michelman points out. MGH’s 17-acre urban campus, comprising 29 contiguous and 14 separate buildings (including underground and freestanding garage facilities), is complex. The security team must also take into account not only the main location, but also dozens of satellite facilities around the Boston area. “We can’t cover all of these facilities with security staff,” said Michelman. “We need to augment heavily with very good, state-of-the-art technology that allows us to combine our intelligence, labour, policies, and procedures, in order to create a better holistic approach to enterprise risk management.” Highly volatile population MGH’s security team at the same time is challenged by the clinical team’s need for increased efficiency Charged with creating a safe environment, MGH’s security team at the same time is challenged by the clinical team’s need for increased efficiency through lowering the length of stay and moving patients through the hospital as quickly as possible. The 24-hour Emergency Room, with its anxious, highly volatile population presents challenges of its own. In addition, patient elopement and patient wandering – unauthorised departures from the medical facility, whether intentional or unintentional – pose liability threats that can be very damaging to a hospital. Remote satellite locations A unified system was required to balance the video surveillance needs of a busy hospital campus with remote satellite locations while upholding the highest level of security possible, maintaining operational flow, and providing customer satisfaction that includes expectations of privacy. The BriefCam solution ties in seamlessly with the Milestone video management solution Michelman, together with MGH Senior Manager, Systems and Technology Robert Leahy, decided on the Milestone XProtect VMS platform. The camera count was increased from 400 to 1,300, and standardised with Axis network cameras connected directly to the IP network. To deal with the marked increase in video data, MGH’s team chose BriefCam Syndex Pro, a powerful set of tools intended to reduce the time and effort needed to conduct video reviews, post-event video investigation, and real-time video monitoring. The BriefCam solution ties in seamlessly with the Milestone video management solution, providing efficient workflow for investigators. Providing efficient workflow According to Michelman, BriefCam has already proven invaluable. A two-year-long ROI examination of video surveillance use at MGH has shown a progressive rise in success rates with the use of video in incident investigations. “I see BriefCam as a very important part of our toolbox of excellent practices for protecting what is a very complex environment of tangible and intangible assets,” said Michelman. BriefCam Syndex Pro’s ability to present video metadata in graphic visualisation format, such as bar graphs, pie charts, and the like, has opened up new realms of possibilities to extend the role of CCTV video beyond security into organisational efficiency and more informed, data-driven decision making. Safeguarding hospital community Now we can manage the content and we can see trends, which in turn can drive redeployment of resources" “In the past, there might have been things that would have been a ‘nice to do,’ but we couldn’t do it because we didn’t have resources to watch many hours of video,” said Michelman. “Now we can manage the content and we can see trends, which in turn can drive redeployment of resources, and by extension, facilitate a better investigative focus and success.” BriefCam Syndex Pro embedded within Milestone XProtect VMS platform is helping MGH in its mission to effectively and efficiently protect and safeguard the hospital community. Michelman said: “We’re happy with these products, but it’s not just about the quality of the technology, it’s about the quality of the partnership. You know, it’s easy to sell a product, but to sustain it, service it, and be there after it is in is really very critical for us.”
Last year was a landmark year for Secure Logiq, defined by a thriving partnership with Milestone Systems. Together, the two companies accomplished remarkable achievements, showcasing innovation and strengthening the synergy between Secure Logiq’s industry-pioneering hardware and Milestone’s advanced XProtect software. Range of hardware solutions The year began with a strong presence at Intersec Dubai in January, where Secure Logiq joined Milestone Systems to showcase a range of hardware solutions designed specifically for Milestone XProtect. At the same event, Secure Logiq launched a new line of servers and workstations tailored for XProtect Rapid REVIEW, powered by BriefCam. These milestones set the tone for what would become a year full of collaborative success. Power of Milestone Systems Secure Logiq joined forces with Seagate Technology to highlight the power of Milestone Systems April and May saw Secure Logiq hosting its largest stand yet at The Security Event in Birmingham, featuring Milestone and other key technology partners demonstrating a live, seamless “cause and effect” integration. Additionally, Secure Logiq joined forces with Seagate Technology to highlight the power of Milestone Systems running on Secure Logiq hardware with Seagate SAN storage. Secure Logiq’s Milestone-verified servers Throughout the year, the partnership extended globally, with Secure Logiq showcasing its solutions at multiple Milestone Xperience events, including in Dubai, Istanbul and Riyadh. These appearances underscored how Secure Logiq’s Milestone-verified servers deliver reliable, efficient and seamless support for all levels of XProtect. Milestone’s Product and Supply Chain teams Secure Logiq deepened its alliance with Milestone by visiting its center in Brøndby In September, Secure Logiq deepened its collaboration with Milestone by visiting its headquarters in Brøndby, Denmark. This visit offered an opportunity to engage with Milestone’s Product and Supply Chain teams, further solidifying the relationship and paving the way for future innovation. From Intersec Saudi Arabia to Milestone’s Xperience Days, Secure Logiq demonstrated throughout the year how its solutions optimise the performance of Milestone’s software. Foundation for future success The results of this partnership have not only driven technological advancements but also strengthened the foundation for future success. Reflecting on the collaboration, Robin Hughes, Co-Founder of Secure Logiq, said: "Our collaboration with Milestone Systems has been incredible - from launching new solutions to participating in global events, 2024 was the year for powerful partnerships. We are excited to continue this journey together in 2025."
Insights & Opinions from thought leaders at BriefCam
Direct costs such as purchase price and maintenance are important elements in the total cost of ownership (TCO). However, there are others. Elements such as opportunity costs of lost revenue or hidden costs of energy consumption and environmental consequences can also impact the measure of TCO. Costs of training, integration, support, and scalability can also be examined. Considering the security industry impact of TCO, we asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: How does/should total cost of ownership (TCO) impact the decision-making process when choosing technologies for security?
While technology like cameras, alarms, and access control systems are crucial components, they are only as effective as the people who use and manage them and the systems that deploy them. When installing physical security systems, the focus should be on the holistic operation of the system rather than the functioning of individual components. However, in the end, overlooking critical factors can undermine the totality of system performance. We asked this week's Expert Panel Roundtable: What is the most overlooked factor when installing physical security systems?
College campuses are meant to be places of learning, growth, and community. Fostering such an environment requires the deployment of policies and technologies that ensure safety and security. Considering the growing role of security technology in the higher education market, we asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the new applications for security technology in the college and university markets?
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