The following article provides an analysis of the video surveillance solution Milestone, which is the world’s number one VMS software.
The solution, divided into various XProtect licenses, offers extensive, reliable, and dynamic experience tailored to any type of business, including licenses that accommodate projects with as few as 8 cameras to unlimited cameras for large-scale projects.
Beyond its numerous functionalities, the Milestone VMS became the first major software to obtain the EuroPrise GDPR-Ready certification, proving that it meets the criteria related to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union).
In this article, we will explore the importance of GDPR certification, which not only affects the European Union but also the rest of the world.
EuroPrise GDPR-Ready
The European Union’s Data Protection Regulation, also known as GDPR, is a project approved in 2016 that protects the personal data of its citizens.
The regulation was developed primarily to control the misuse of personal data due to the massive dissemination that has occurred in recent years, driven by technological evolution and easy internet access.
As a result of this regulation, not only businesses and individuals residing in the European Union, but also any service or product that interacts with the collection, processing, and sharing of data from the bloc’s countries must provide a certain level of protection.
It was through this project that numerous websites updated their services to explicitly display their cookie policies, and major platforms like Facebook updated their data collection and management processes.
Non-compliance with data protection rules can result in penalties ranging from notifications to fines equivalent to 4% of a company’s annual revenue.
Milestone
The capture, storage, transmission, and management of data are the user’s responsibility, but software or services can provide guidelines and tools to assist users in adapting to the new regulation.
Before defining the guidelines and functionalities of Milestone, it is important to highlight that there are two levels of personal data. The first level refers to data collected directly or indirectly from an individual, such as video recordings, single images, or single video frames, combinations of personal location information, access control, etc.
These primary-level data are considered sensitive and may expose various legally protected groups, such as children.
The second level represents types of data related to user activities, such as login/logout, system and database administration, user-ID, and personal settings.
The Milestone system contains various resources designed to protect both primary and secondary data. In the R1 version of 2018, the system introduced a privacy protection feature for captured data, accessible only by the system administrator. This administrator can delegate certain functionalities to other users, but the system defaults to blocking data to prevent leaks.
Additionally, as a highly customizable system, Milestone provides tools to mask individuals’ identities in recordings, and this functionality can be integrated with other features of the VMS or third-party integrations.
Milestone continuously develops its product based on privacy and security, offering secure data export options with authentication for forensic purposes and protection through various resources, such as HTTPS protocols and encryption.
More Than System Features
Beyond the system features mentioned above, Milestone provides additional systemic functionalities based on data protection laws. Additionally, it promotes various guidelines and resources to help its customers adapt their projects to GDPR.
In this link, Milestone offers three key resources to assist its customers.
The first is the System Guide, which provides recommendations for a complete infrastructure solution based on security and data protection in VMS projects.
It also provides a comprehensive guide on GDPR and how to apply it in video surveillance projects, along with installation and management recommendations.
Finally, Milestone offers a free, online training course for end-users on all software guidelines and data protection.
Still have questions or want to quote a Milestone solution? Visit our virtual store here and we can assist you!
