Network storage solutions provider LenovoEMC officially launched a new line of network video recorders this week at ISC West. The company’s new NVRs are available in three different models and are among the first in the industry to include Milestone’s Arcus embedded video management software platform.
Arcus, which was announced late last month, is the first release from Milestone’s Incubation and Ventures business unit and is intended to take advantage of the continued migration from analog-based technology to IP in the low-complexity, low-cost security installation market.
“We are one of the first partners with (Milestone) utilizing this Arcus VMS software and we are taking their expertise and knowledge from the VMS world in security and our network storage expertise and putting them together into an NVR solution,” said Bill Hansen, global product manager for LenovoEMC. “One of the main differences of the NVR itself with this (Arcus) application is we’ve bundled the whole package together so it’s an out-of the box solution. It really is ideal for the end-user and even the installer, as it comes pre-configured with a certain number of camera licenses depending on the model.”
The company’s two-bay px2-300d NVR features four terabytes (TB) of storage and four camera licenses, while the four-bay px4-300d NVR is available in two versions – one with 4TB of storage and eight camera licenses and the other with 8TB of storage capacity and 16 camera licenses.
Hansen said the company is targeting small and medium-sized businesses with 20 cameras or less with these new NVR models, which have been designed with ease-of-use in mind.
“All you need to do is plug in your cameras, plug in this device, put them on your network and power them on,” he added. “The device will boot up directly into the Arcus platform, discover the cameras, set the default settings and start recording, which we believe is a great solution for those that don’t have IT expertise or are very familiar with analog plug-and-play where you just plug it in and it works. They can get in, install something very quickly and then go to the next place and install another.”
Beyond just brand recognition, Hansen said that Milestone brings quality and expertise to LenovoEMC from the VMS side of the industry. “They do have expertise in motion detection and the recording and how it’s managed, which is not something we’re experts at,” Hansen said. “To be able to utilize that, where we’re more hardware based and our focus is there on network features, it’s great to have that advantage and expertise coming from them to create a solution.”
In addition, Hansen said that the company will also be launching a 16-channel analog encoder card that can go into any of these new NVR models, which will allow any existing analog camera to show up in the device as an IP camera would, essentially giving users the chance to have a hybrid surveillance solution.
“We think that helps us bridge that gap as people make that transition (to IP),” he said. “There are benefits of both sides - analog and IP - and we want to let people be able to customize that to their specific needs. “
Although LenovoEMC is still working to build its network of partners, Hansen said one of the good things about partnering with Milestone is that they can leverage each other’s strengths. “We been in the IT space for a long time and they’ve been in the security space, so we’re able to cross-pollinate a little bit there as we build up that distribution channel for both sides,” said Hansen.
