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Beyond The VMS:
The Multi-Agency Video Sharing Challenge

Why Getting Video Out of Genetec or Milestone Is Just the Beginning
WINK Streaming Technical Brief
August 2025

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary

The Uncomfortable Truth: Your Genetec Security Center or Milestone XProtect is fantastic at managing cameras within your organization. But the moment you need to share video with another agency, the public, or emergency responders, you discover that getting video OUT is where the real challenge begins.

This document addresses the complex reality of multi-agency video sharing—a challenge that every city, state, and federal agency faces but few discuss openly. We'll explore why exporting an RTSP stream from your VMS is just 5% of the solution, and what the other 95% actually entails.

2. The Great VMS Paradox

What VMS Systems Do Well

Modern VMS platforms like Genetec Security Center and Milestone XProtect excel at:

Where VMS Systems Hit The Wall

But when you need to share video externally, suddenly you face:

The Federation Fallacy: "We'll just use Genetec Federation!" sounds great until you realize the other agency needs Genetec too, at the same version, with compatible licensing, network connectivity, and IT approval. Good luck with that.

Real Scenario: City Police to State Highway Patrol

City PD has 500 cameras in Genetec. State Patrol uses Milestone. County Sheriff uses Avigilon. Federal agencies use their own classified systems. During a multi-agency incident, they resort to:

Result: Critical minutes lost, situational awareness compromised, investigations hampered.

3. The Access Control Nightmare

The Authentication Matrix From Hell

Congratulations! You've exported RTSP streams from Genetec. Now you need to manage:

Agency Type Authentication Need Complexity
Same Agency, Different Division Username/Password Low
Partner Agency (Permanent) JWT Tokens + IP Restrictions Medium
Emergency Responders (Temporary) OTP (One-Time Passwords) High
Public Access (Citizens) No auth but geographical limits High
Federal Agencies PKI Certificates + VPN Extreme
Media During Events Time-limited tokens Medium
Reality Check: You're not just managing passwords. You're managing different authentication methods for different agencies with different security requirements, all changing at different intervals.

The Blocking and Revocation Challenge

What happens when:

Your VMS says: "Not my problem—they're external users."

4. Protocol Chaos: One Size Fits Nobody

The Protocol Requirements Matrix

Actual Multi-Agency Scenario

City Emergency Operations Center:    "We need HLS for our web dashboard"
State Police Mobile Units:          "We need RTMP for our in-car systems"  
Federal Fusion Center:               "We need RTSP over VPN only"
Public Information Officer:          "We need embed codes for the website"
News Media Pool:                    "We need HLS with CDN delivery"
911 Dispatch:                       "We need snapshots via REST API"
Traffic Management:                  "We need MJPEG for our old system"

Your VMS: "Best I can do is RTSP. Take it or leave it."

Protocol Use Case Firewall Friendly? Mobile Support? VMS Native?
RTSP Direct streaming ❌ No ❌ Poor ✅ Yes
RTMP Flash/Legacy systems ✅ Yes ⚠️ Limited ❌ No
HLS Web browsers ✅ Yes ✅ Excellent ❌ No
WebRTC Low latency ⚠️ Complex ✅ Good ❌ No

5. The PTZ Control Challenge

Beyond View-Only Access

Sharing video is one thing. Sharing camera control is another beast entirely:

Priority Management

Audit Requirements

The API Gap: Genetec and Milestone have APIs for PTZ control, but they're not meant for external users. Opening these APIs to other agencies is a security nightmare without proper middleware.

6. The Data Management Crisis

The Excel Breakdown Point

Picture this: You need to share 1,000 cameras with three agencies. Each agency needs:

Data Field Example Why It's Critical
Camera Name CAM-I95-MM142-NB Meaningless without context
Description I-95 Northbound at Mile 142 What humans actually need
Latitude/Longitude 40.7128, -74.0060 For mapping integration
Stream URLs (multiple) rtsp://, https://, ws:// Different per protocol
Access Credentials User/pass, tokens, keys Different per agency
PTZ Capabilities true/false, presets list Control permissions
Restrictions Hours, privacy zones Legal compliance
The Excel Meltdown: 1,000 cameras × 7 fields × 3 agencies × 4 protocols = 84,000 cells to manage. And that's before someone asks "Can you update camera 457?"

The Update Nightmare

What happens when:

Answer: Email chaos, outdated spreadsheets, and broken integrations.

7. Real-World Sharing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Major Event Command

Situation: Super Bowl, requiring coordination between:

Traditional Approach: Build temporary fiber connections, install viewing stations, create VPN tunnels, hope it works.

Cost: $2M+ and 6 months planning

Modern Approach: Central video broker that translates between all systems

Cost: $200K and 2 weeks setup

Scenario 2: Daily Operations Sharing

Situation: City sharing traffic cameras with:

Challenge: Each needs different access levels, protocols, and quality

Solution: Multi-tier distribution with protocol translation

8. The Complete Solution Architecture

What's Actually Required

    [Genetec/Milestone VMS]
              |
              | (RTSP Export)
              ↓
    [Authentication Layer]
    - JWT token validation
    - OTP generation
    - IP restrictions
    - User management
              |
              ↓
    [Protocol Translation]
    - RTSP → HLS
    - RTSP → RTMP  
    - RTSP → WebRTC
    - RTSP → MJPEG
              |
              ↓
    [Access Control]
    - Camera-level permissions
    - Time-based restrictions  
    - PTZ priority management
    - Privacy zone enforcement
              |
              ↓
    [Distribution Layer]
    - CDN for public streams
    - VPN for secure streams
    - API for integrations
    - Mobile app delivery
              |
              ↓
    [Management Portal]
    - User provisioning
    - Camera catalog
    - Audit logging
    - Usage analytics

The WINK Approach

The Integration Stack: WINK Forge (protocol translation) + WINK Media Router (distribution) + WINK Vision (management portal) = Complete multi-agency sharing solution

How It Works

  1. Single Integration Point: Connect once to Genetec/Milestone via API
  2. Automatic Protocol Translation: Every stream available in every format
  3. Granular Access Control: Different permissions for different agencies
  4. PTZ Arbitration: API-based control with priority management
  5. Self-Service Portal: Agencies manage their own users
  6. Built-in CDN: Public distribution without impacting VMS

9. Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Assessment

Phase 2: Architecture

Phase 3: Implementation

Phase 4: Operations

10. Conclusion: Building Bridges, Not Walls

The Reality: Your VMS is a vault. It's designed to keep video in, not let it out. Multi-agency sharing requires purpose-built infrastructure that sits alongside your VMS, not inside it.

Every day without proper video sharing infrastructure is a day of:

The Path Forward

Stop trying to make your VMS do something it wasn't designed for. Instead:

  1. Accept the limitation: VMS systems are for internal use
  2. Deploy proper middleware: Purpose-built for external sharing
  3. Embrace standards: Support all protocols, not just RTSP
  4. Plan for scale: Thousands of cameras, hundreds of users
  5. Think ecosystem: Cloud, on-premise, or hybrid as needed

Success Metric

You know you've succeeded when an officer from another agency can view your cameras within 30 seconds of being granted access—without VPN, without special software, without IT support, from any device.

About WINK Streaming

WINK Streaming specializes in video federation and multi-agency sharing. Our platform bridges the gap between enterprise VMS systems and the real-world need for secure, flexible video distribution.

Core Capabilities:

Final Thought: Getting video out of your VMS is easy. Getting it to the right people, in the right format, with the right permissions, at the right time—that's where the real work begins. And that's exactly what we solve.

© 2025 WINK Streaming. All rights reserved.
This document contains proprietary information and is subject to change without notice.
Version 1.0 - August 2025