Milestone launched “Milestone Care” back in July 2015 and since then, those XProtect customers that purchased Care Plus are now benefiting from being able to easily upgrade their product to the recently launched XProtect 2016 version - at no extra cost.
Milestone Care is a revamped and tiered suite of support services designed as a successor to the after-sales care provided by the old Software Upgrade Plan (SUP).
If you’re still unsure why it’s worthwhile having such a package in place or which “Milestone Care” plan is actually the most suitable, we've compiled a breakdown of the tiered plans on offer with “Milestone Care” and 5 reasons to protect your investment in Milestone by keeping your software updated.
Milestone Care Basic
Milestone Care Basic is available by default for all Milestone products and essentially consists of self-help resources. It’s a level of support that was previously available without having a SUP.
Milestone have now organised their collection of online help and support resources into a handy eCare Portal which includes online guides, e-Learning, user forum and chat assistance.
Customers still have free access to software service releases and device driver packs. This allows them to keep their current version of XProtect up to date and compatible with the latest cameras but it does not cover access to new versions of the software – that requires Milestone Care Plus and as we’ll see, that’s worth having.
Milestone Care Plus
Think of this plan as replacing the SUP. It provides access to new software versions and in any organisation where the management of an IP video surveillance system is critical to effective operations, this is essential.
Why are the new versions so important? As with any software, significant improvements and bug fixes are implemented periodically. Without them, the XProtect software would become less and less effective over time and this would create problems with the smooth running of customers’ security systems. This is why Milestone is continually developing their software to ensure it performs with maximum efficiency and reliability.
In addition to accessing new versions, Care Plus offers a new customer dashboard that adds remote system monitoring and diagnostic options. It allows a Milestone partner to do system health checks and resolve issues remotely.
As was the case with the old SUP, a 100% credit is also available when upgrading from a current Milestone software product to the newest version of the same product, or when upgrading to a more advanced product (you would only pay the difference).
Care Plus offers full investment protection for your Milestone software and we offer plans with all new XProtect products.
Milestone Care Premium and Elite
Care Premium and Care Elite add increasing levels of direct and prioritised support from Milestone with service level agreements for response and resolution times.
These plans are intended to supplement the expertise offered by Milestone partners but we have found that as Advanced Partners with over 11 years experience, our customers are happy with the level of technical support and training that we already offer.
5 reasons to keep your software updated
Here are 5 reasons you should ensure you’re able to access new versions of Milestone software.
- Maintain optimum performance – improvements in XProtect versions ensure the software continues to capture and analyse recordings efficiently
- New features – manage your IP surveillance more effectively by making use of enhanced functionality introduced in new versions
- Fix bugs – new versions of XProtect feature fixes for bugs that may be affecting the smooth running of your security system
- Protection against security vulnerabilities – keep XProtect updated and compatible with the latest Windows service packs
- Easier upgrades and 100% trade-in – as your business grows you may need to expand your security system and upgrade to a more advanced XProtect product
Purchasing XProtect and Milestone CarePlus is a wise investment if you’re serious about managing your surveillance system effectively and like any investment, it’s worth protecting. Unless you keep the software updated, its operational performance can degrade over time and in the worst case scenario, it could actually impede the effectiveness of XProtect to capture the recordings specified.