The NVRs are available in 3 models, including the px2-300d, which includes 4TB of storage and 4 camera licenses, and 2 versions based on the px4-300d, the firm’s 4-drive network attached storage (NAS) devices. One of the models features 4TB and 8 camera licenses, while the other offers 8TB and 16 camera licenses. Each model also comes with a 1-year software update plan, enabling users to receive the latest feature updates and releases from Milestone.
“The beauty of what we’re bringing to the table is what I will call the zero configuration solution,” LenovoEMC Product Manager Bill Hansen says. “These devices, along with the Milestone Arcus solution, will boot directly into Milestone’s user interface and that application. It makes it easier for the installer.”
Other product features include motion detection, live view and playback, export of evidence, mobile application live view for iOS and Android devices and alert notifications. Additionally, for end users that have yet to migrate to IP, the NVRs support analog cameras through the addition of a 16-channel PCIe card accessory.The products are geared toward small businesses that are running four or five cameras and are seeking a simple, local storage device.
“We’re seeing a lot of growth in this market,” he says. “[A lot of small businesses] want to avoid a very high cost for hardware and software and they wanted something that can be easily managed by someone without IT experience or a dedicated security team.”
In the future, the firm hopes to start reaching customers in the education market, as many schools are looking for smaller, local storage devices that can be distributed to different sites and classrooms, Hansen says.
For many security professionals and end users, the combined brand name LenovoEMC may sound unfamiliar; however, the company has actually been around for more than 30 years under the moniker Iomega. As a division of EMC, Iomega focused on the IT market, with plans to enter the security space. In December 2012, after EMC established a joint venture with IT company Lenovo, the newly integrated firm decided to turn that goal into reality.
“We tried to get into the security market and be the storage destination for all that security information,” Hansen says. “Meanwhile, Milestone had been struggling to get into the traditional IT market. So this is a nice pairing where we could partner together and come up with a solution to help us both out.”
While the firm is not worried that the rebranding will confuse its customers, it is keeping a close watch on the competition, with Hansen noting that LenovoEMC now has to look out for traditional IT companies, as well as those in the security space. The partnership with Milestone should help the firm distinguish itself.
“Against the competitors that are more traditional for us in the NAS space, we bring that Milestone name, quality and solution to the table that they just don’t have anything close to,” Hansen explains.
“And if you look at the traditional DVR/camera space — those that have been playing in the analog market for a long time and know Milestone very well — we feel that with our network storage features we can really differentiate us.”
