If you're managing a large Milestone XProtect deployment, you already know the routine: camera checks, storage reports, compliance audits, and a spreadsheet that's always one step behind. The Boring Toolbox is a management and health monitoring add-on built exclusively for XProtect, and it fixes the thing every admin dreads most: finding out your video wasn't there after you needed it.

The Boring Lab’s Camera Hat campaign has been shortlisted for the Drum Marketing Awards Americas 2026 in the B2B category. Here’s how a tiny hat on a security camera became an award-worthy celebration of the people behind video security.

Most Milestone administrators assume that if they set retention to 30 days, they have 30 days. That's not always true. The gap between what you configured and what's actually on disk stays invisible until someone with a subpoena or an audit checklist asks for footage that no longer exists, and by then you're the one explaining why the video isn't there. The rest of this post is about why those two numbers drift apart and what to do about it.

The Exhibit Hall at ISC West can be overwhelming if you don't go in with a plan. Before booths start to blur together, here's some of the most innovative tech you should make a point to see while you're at this year's security conference.

Spread a little love (and laughter) in the security world. Download free, not-at-all-creepy Valentine’s Day cards made just for security professionals and share them with your team, friends, and favorite integrator.

This blog introduces Analytics, a new feature in The Boring Toolbox that brings powerful trend visualization to Milestone XProtect. Learn how to track camera uptime, storage usage, and retention over time. Spot issues early, prove compliance, and make smarter decisions about your system’s health. If you’re an admin, integrator, or anyone responsible for keeping video security running smoothly, this update was built for you.

Zipstream can dramatically reduce storage and bandwidth in Milestone, but only if it’s enabled correctly. This guide breaks down how Zipstream works, the most common mistakes that prevent it from doing anything, and the cleanest way to turn it on so you actually see your storage numbers drop.

We break down the essential fields every CCTV excel report needs for inventory and storage management and how to automate reporting using The Boring Toolbox.

Managing over 240 cameras across a growing city isn’t easy—especially when one person is responsible for it all. See how the City of Vacaville uses The Boring Toolbox to simplify Milestone XProtect, stay ahead of system issues, and keep everything running smoothly.

Case Study with Daniel Looney, Systems Administrator II at City of Vacaville

This step-by-step guide shows you how to access Milestone XProtect from anywhere using Tailscale. It’s secure, simple, and way less frustrating than a VPN.