Connecting the ecosystem

SMART Surveillance 2023 Conferences & Events, Surveillance

Another company that held a roadshow in South Africa this year was Axis Communications. The Connect by Axis function was aimed at discussing the latest solutions, technologies, and strategies shaping the surveillance industry’s future with customers and partners.


AXIS Q1656-DLE.

The event consisted of a series of short presentations, as well as displays by a number of partners, including Milestone, Genetec, FF Group, Pentagon, Scylla, Secure Logiq and more, covering management platforms, storage, building management and AI.

Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director for Middle East and Africa was on hand to host everyone at the event, and the presentations kicked off with Steve Kenny, Architect and Engineering Programme Manager for EMEA talking about cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is a key issue in physical security. As organisations adopt digital transformation initiatives, cybersecurity must be a central part of all they do, including ensuring their physical security systems are secured from attack, which assists in securing the whole digital ecosystem. However, its not enough to secure the devices when installed.

Axis is focused on securing the full supply chain, from manufacturing through the channel to the end users. This includes implementing standards such as ISO 27001 and a Secure-by-Design approach, starting in the design phase. Technology used in this effort includes signed firmware, secure boot and its Trusted Platform Module (TPM).

Kenny advised users to do due diligence on their suppliers, including their cybersecurity processes and procedures. In reality, cost should be the last question asked as it is far more expensive to recover from a breach or regulatory fine than to haggle about the cost of the initial product.

Partner presentations

Jan Hazlbauer, BDM for the FF Group was up next talking about the company’s edge solutions for IP cameras that assist in traffic monitoring, parking management and vehicle access products (Duxbury distributes FF in SA). The company has partnered with Axis for seven years and offers its own algorithms for LPR systems and vehicle recognition that can differentiate vehicle make and model with over 90% accuracy.

Milestone’s Llewellyn Davies was up next to talk about surveillance cameras becoming part of the whole IoT ecosystem of devices that provide data which can be analysed to deliver both security and operational efficiencies to end users. The challenges the company is focusing on include cybersecurity, interoperability, data management and privacy.


AXIS P1468-XLE.

New products

Rudie Opperman, Manager for Engineering and Training for Middle East & Africa at Axis was up next with some insights into what Axis is doing. Transparency is key to Axis, including its software lifecycle in order to provide users with insights into the support timeframes for its software and the reliability of its design. He mentioned the ability to sign video to ensure its origin and that it hasn’t been tampered with. Axis Device Manager has, and is being enhanced, and permits users to perform tasks such as multi-site firmware upgrades and device configuration and more.

Opperman also spoke on three of the newest devices Axis launched in 2023, from the AXIS P1468-XLE, its explosion-protected camera designed for Zone/Division 2 hazardous locations, featuring its ARTPEC 8 processor with the latest cybersecurity updates. (See more at https://www.securitysa.com/19255r.)

The AXIS Q1656-DLE Radar-Video Fusion Camera combines two technologies in one device, video and radar. This allows users to keep an eye on activities over a broad area, calculate the distance, speed and positioning of an object in the scene through radar, and then focus the camera on an object of interest. (See more at https://www.securitysa.com/19342r.)

The AXIS Q6318-LE PTZ Network Camera offers 4K resolution with 31X optical zoom and laser focus, which allows users to focus on an object or specific scene in less than a second. It also uses less power than previous cameras and some models include image stabilisation.

Apart from those three models, Opperman also mentioned other series that are popular today, including Axis’ latest body-worn camera, which will be updated later in the year with additional functionality.

The rest of the event included talks on smart cities, critical infrastructure, failover as well as sustainability. Naturally there was also time to view the partner exhibits to find out what they had to offer and how they integrated Axis technology into their solutions.


Credit(s)





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Pentagon appointed as Milestone distributor
Elvey Security Technologies News & Events Surveillance
Milestone Systems appointed Pentagon Distribution (an Elvey Group company within the Hudaco Group of Companies) as a distributor. XProtect’s open architecture means no lock-in and the ability to customise the connected video solution that will accomplish the job.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: A sad but exciting goodbye
Technews Publishing News & Events
Welcome to the final monthly issue of SMART Security Solutions. This is the last issue of the year and the last monthly issue we will print. The SMART Security Solutions team wishes all our readers and advertisers a relaxing festive season and a peaceful and prosperous 2024.

Read more...
Hik-Connect for Teams released
Hikvision South Africa Products & Solutions Surveillance
Hikvision has released an update for its security management platform; Hik-Connect for Teams not only meets the specific needs of individual users, but also caters to various medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and multi-site management scenarios.

Read more...
The human factor side of video management systems
Leaderware Editor's Choice Surveillance Risk Management & Resilience
A video management system (VMS) is central to, and the most vital element to any control room operation using CCTV as part of its service delivery, however, all too often, it is seen as a technical solution rather than an operational solution.

Read more...
Revolutionise your security with integrated solutions
Secutel Technologies Products & Solutions Surveillance
By merging the capabilities of SecuVue and Secutraq, Secutel has forged a robust system empowering users to fine-tune analytics and harness facial recognition, pose detection, and XFS, among other features.

Read more...
All aspects of data protection
Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Information Security Infrastructure AI & Data Analytics
SMART Security Solutions spoke to Kate Mollett, Senior Director, Commvault Africa, about the company and its evolution from a backup specialist to a full data protection specialist, as well as the latest announcements from the company.

Read more...
Edge could help transform South Africa’s healthcare
Axis Communications SA Infrastructure
Edge computing has emerged as a game-changing technology for many industries, and the healthcare sector is no exception. In particular, South Africa’s healthcare industry could significantly benefit from the potential of this technology.

Read more...
Identity verification and management trends
Technews Publishing Information Security
Insights into what we can expect from identity fraudsters and the industry next year, ranging from criminal exploitation of AI and digital IDs to multi-layer fraud protection and the need for more control over personal information sharing.

Read more...
From damage management to false alarm prevention
Dallmeier Electronic Southern Africa Transport (Industry) Surveillance Logistics (Industry)
Video surveillance is undergoing an exciting evolution; today’s IP-based solutions can be fully integrated into digital systems. With the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI); logistics, in particular, can make processes more transparent and exploit previously untapped potential.

Read more...
Service orientation and attention to detail
Technews Publishing Editor's Choice Risk Management & Resilience
Lianne Mc Hendry evolved from working for an accounting firm to an accomplished all-rounder familiar with the manufacturing, distribution, and system integration aspects of the security industry value chain.

Read more...