What does the term "Failover" mean in the context of Milestone installations?

The term "Failover" in the context of Milestone installations refers specifically to the automatic switch to a backup system when the primary system fails. This concept is crucial for maintaining system reliability and ensuring continuity of service. In environments reliant on surveillance systems, such as video management solutions offered by Milestone, any downtime can have significant implications for security and monitoring.

A failover mechanism is designed to minimize this downtime by automatically transferring operations to a secondary system, thus ensuring that video feeds and recordings continue uninterrupted during a primary system failure. This automatic response is essential for critical applications where real-time data is necessary for security monitoring.

In contrast, other options imply processes that may not relate directly to the concept of failover. Manual switching, scheduled maintenance, or hardware upgrades do not encapsulate the automatic nature and immediacy associated with failover functionalities, which are fundamental to maintaining operational stability in surveillance systems.