Canon acquires Milestone to Make Major Advance in Network Video Surveillance Business

  • Jun 13, 2014

Canon, manufacturer of imaging solutions, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Denmark-based Milestone Systems A/S, a provider of open platform video management software, via its subsidiary Canon Europa N.V. The new combination will create a formidable player in the fast growing network video surveillance market by combining the strengths of Canon’s innovative imaging technology with Milestone’s video management software expertise.

Canon has a clear ambition to drive future growth through diversification and has identified network video surveillance as a strategic new business area. Bringing Milestone into the Canon Group will significantly enhance Canon’s software capabilities in this sector.

Rokus van Iperen, president & CEO, Canon Europe, Middle East and Africa, explained, "Canon is aiming to take a leadership position in network video surveillance and we are making an important strategic investment today to realize our objective to expand in this market. Together with Milestone, we can accelerate our growth by delivering new advanced products and solutions for new sectors, through new channels, to offer greater customer value. We are very excited about working with such a talented and innovative company and we welcome Milestone into the Canon Group."

Lars Thinggaard, president & CEO, Milestone Systems said, "Milestone is extremely excited about the huge potential that being part of a global group will provide. Canon respects how we built our business with our partners and supports our strategy of providing open platform solutions, and therefore, the need to remain a standalone company within the Canon Group. We feel this step is right for taking both our business and support for suppliers and partners to a new level."

Milestone has strong consultancy and training services with a major focus on innovation. This creates strong synergies with Canon’s customer focus and R&D culture. As part of the Canon Group, Milestone will be able to accelerate its business and development of new products. In addition, Milestone will be able to use Canon’s business and consumer channels to expand its global market presence.

Milestone’s Open Platform business model is essential to its future success and Milestone will continue to provide open platform solutions to the market, while operating as a standalone company within the Canon Group. Canon fully supports Milestone’s open platform strategy and respects their strong partnerships.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Milestone’s management will remain in place and they are committed to making this transition a success.

Featured

  • Security Today Announces 2025 CyberSecured Award Winners

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 CyberSecured Awards winners. Sixteen companies are being recognized this year for their network products and other cybersecurity initiatives that secure our world today. Read Now

  • Empowering and Securing a Mobile Workforce

    What happens when technology lets you work anywhere – but exposes you to security threats everywhere? This is the reality of modern work. No longer tethered to desks, work happens everywhere – in the office, from home, on the road, and in countless locations in between. Read Now

  • TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting February 1

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026. Read Now

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.