Wai King Wong (Axis Communications)
Physical and IT security vendor Axis Communications has launched a partner-focused “Experience Centre” in Melbourne, providing a space for channel players to interact with their end customers.
Founded in Sweden in 1984, Axis provides products and services for video surveillance and analytics, access control, intercom and audio systems, and has over 2,000 partners across Australia and New Zealand that cater to either the physical security or the IT markets.
The centre, which was built last year but was unused due to Victoria's lockdowns, features video analytics displays for security, safety and operational efficiency, including Axis Object Analytics, Axis Live Privacy Shield, Axis P8815-2 3-D People Counter and other offerings from technology integration partners.
It also contains Axis Q, P and M-series network cameras, access control, audio and intercom solutions, offerings and integrations across video management platforms as well as conference facilities.
According to Wai King Wong, regional director at Axis, the purpose of the centre is to "empower" partners and distributors.
“The whole idea of the experience centre is to provide the full experience of all the access solutions," he told ARN. "It can be people counting, it can be facial recognition; name any technology or solutions that you require, we are able to cater that for their customers."
Although the centre has officially launched, Wong said some select partners have already been granted early access to use its facilities.
The launch of the Melbourne facility is the vendor’s first experience centre in Australia, with the Victorian capital chosen due to its proximity to Axis' Australian head office.
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Wong said the vendor will be looking to launch more experience centres in the region, noting Sydney as one potential location, as well as “probably” another across the Tasman in New Zealand, depending on how these markets move in the future.
Another part of Axis’ partner push in the region according to Wong is on bolstering its relationships with IT partners. Part of this includes supporting them with supplying Axis' IP audio solutions over the next two years.
“We will probably see more partners coming in, including IT partners, to look into IP audio solutions and how they enhance their offerings to their customers today,” he said.
Although physical security has been Axis' traditional bread and butter, Wong said its IP audio products will be the next big face of the business.
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By its very nature, IP audio is a digital-based technology, which provides IT partners with familiar solution. In contrast, Axis' IP CCTV, which crosses over into the vendor's physical security business, takes an analogue signal and converts it into digital.
