Axis Communications AB is a Swedish manufacturer of network cameras,

access control In physical security and information security, access control (AC) is the action of deciding whether a subject should be granted or denied access to an object (for example, a place or a resource). The act of ''accessing'' may mean consuming ...

, and network audio devices for the

physical security Physical security describes security measures that are designed to deny unauthorized access to facilities, equipment, and resources and to protect personnel and property from damage or harm (such as espionage, theft, or terrorist attacks). Physi ...

and

video surveillance Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal ...

industries. Since 2015, it operates as an independent subsidiary of

Canon Inc. Canon Inc. (; Hepburn: ) is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, specializing in optical, imaging, and industrial products, such as lenses, cameras, medical equipment, scanners, printers, and semiconductor manu ...

History

Axis Communications was founded in 1984 by Martin Gren, Mikael Karlsson and Keith Bloodworth in Lund, Sweden.Diane Ritchey, Security Magazine.
Security's 25 Most Influential
." December 1, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2011. The company developed and sold protocol converters and printer interfaces for the connection of PC printers in

IBM mainframe IBM mainframes are large computer systems produced by IBM since 1952. During the 1960s and 1970s, IBM dominated the computer market with the 7000 series and the later System/360, followed by the System/370. Current mainframe computers in IBM' ...

and mini-computer environments.Security Solutions.
Axis celebrates 25 years in the network business
." November 1, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2011. By the end of the 1980s, Axis Communications opened its first U.S. sales office in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts and, in the early 1990s started shifting its focus away from IBM mainframes towards networking and the

TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...

protocol.Axis Communications 25 Years Anniversary
." Retrieved March 10, 2011. Axis 5600 Print Server

In 1991, Axis Communications introduced a multi-protocol

print server In computer networking, a print server, or printer server, is a type of server that connects printers to client computers over a network. It accepts print jobs from the computers and sends the jobs to the appropriate printers, queuing the jobs ...

supporting both TCP/IP and

NetWare NetWare is a discontinued computer network operating system developed by Novell, Inc. It initially used cooperative multitasking to run various services on a personal computer, using the IPX network protocol. The final update release was ver ...

.Milestones in the history of Axis Communications
." Retrieved 2011-03-10. In 1993, the company developed its own

CPU Architecture In computer science and computer engineering, computer architecture is a description of the structure of a computer system made from component parts. It can sometimes be a high-level description that ignores details of the implementation. At a mo ...

ETRAX CRIS The ETRAX CRIS is a RISC Instruction set architecture, ISA and series of Central processing unit, CPUs designed and manufactured by Axis Communications for use in embedded systems since 1993. The name is an acronym of the chip's features: ''Ethernet ...

, for microprocessors used in embedded devices. In 1995, the company introduced a file server independent, multi-protocol CD-ROM server, supporting TCP/IP (NFS) and Windows ( SMB), for Ethernet networks, the AXIS 850. By 1995, Axis Communications opened sales offices in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan. Axis Communications introduced the industry's first network camera in 1996, the AXIS 200. This was followed in 1999 by the AXIS 2100 which was the first volume product using an

embedded Linux The Linux, Linux Operating system is prevalent in embedded systems. As of 2024, developer surveys and industry reports find that Embedded Linux is used in 44%-46% of embedded systems. Due to its Linux range of use, versatility, its large community ...

. In 2003, the company introduced the AXIS 205, the smallest network camera of its time. In 2008, Axis Communications, together with Bosch and

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

, announced that the companies would cooperate to standardize the interface of network video products and form a new industry standards body called ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum).Open Network Video Interface Forum.
Axis, Bosch and Sony cooperate to standardize the interface of network video products
." May 12, 2008. Retrieved Nov 27, 2017. On February 10, 2015, Japanese multinational corporation

, which specializes in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, announced a cash bid of 23.6 billion

Swedish kronor The krona (; plural: ''kronor''; currency sign, sign: kr; ISO 4217, code: SEK) is the currency of Sweden. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use for the krona; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usual ...

(US$2.83 billion) to acquire Axis Communications. While Canon is the majority shareholder, Axis is run independently. Canon's network cameras have been sold and supported by Axis Communications in the

EMEA Europe, the Middle East and Africa, commonly known by its acronym EMEA among the North American business spheres, is a geographical region used by institutions, governments and global spheres of marketing, media and business when referring to t ...

(Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region since September 1, 2016, and in North America since October 1, 2016. In November 2018, Axis Communications was delisted from Nasdaq Stockholm. On February 1, 2016, Axis Communications acquired Citilog, a video analytics provider for traffic and transportation security and safety applications. On April 30, 2021, Axis Communications announced that it was selling Citilog, citing challenges in finding "desired synergies because of our different go-to-market models." On May 30, Axis Communications acquired 2N Telecommunications, a provider of IP intercom systems based in the Czech Republic. On June 3, 2016, Axis Communications acquired Cognimatics, a video analytics provider for retail applications such as people counting, queue measurement and occupancy estimation. In May 2018, Axis opened a new R&D office for software development in Linköping, Sweden.

Operations

Axis Communications operates offices in more than 50 countries and employs over 3,800 people. Installations include the

City of Houston Houston ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city of ...

, City of Dubuque,

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport — colloquially Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney Airport or Mascot Airport — is an international airport serving Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district, in the subu ...

Moscow Metro The Moscow Metro) is a rapid transit system in the Moscow Oblast of Russia. It serves the capital city of Moscow and the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy, and Kotelniki. Opened in 1935 with one l ...

, Toronto Airport, and Madrid Buses. In 2019, Axis Communications published a sustainability report stating that 80 percent of its network cameras and video encoders are PVC-free.2019 Annual Review & Sustainability Report, Axis Communications AB.

." Retrieved July 23, 2020.

Technology

Products

*Network Cameras – Axis Communications is a manufacturer of network cameras for a wide range of applications. Its products include pan-tilt-zoom ( Pan–tilt–zoom camera, PTZ) cameras, vandal-resistant cameras, thermal cameras, nitrogen-pressurized cameras, and wireless cameras. Axis launched the world's first commercially available thermal network camera in 2010 and the world's first commercially available HDTV network camera in 2008. In 2022, the company released network cameras that can connect to

Z-Wave Z-Wave is a wireless communications protocol used primarily for residential and commercial building automation. It is a mesh network using low-energy radio waves to communicate from device to device, allowing for wireless control of smart home d ...

devices. Most Axis cameras have

video content analysis Video content analysis or video content analytics (VCA), also known as video analysis or video analytics (VA), is the capability of automatically analyzing video to detect and determine temporal and spatial events. This technical capability is used ...

capabilities, such as advanced motion detection. Higher-end cameras support artificial intelligence for video surveillance applications, which can classify objects and human behavior. Axis network webcam

*Body Cameras – In 2020, Axis Communications entered the body camera market, competing with market incumbents

Axon An axon (from Greek ἄξων ''áxōn'', axis) or nerve fiber (or nerve fibre: see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences) is a long, slender cellular extensions, projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, ...

, Digital Ally, Wolfcom and

Motorola Solutions Motorola Solutions, Inc. is an American technology, communications, and security company, headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. It is the legal successor of Motorola, Inc., following the spinoff of the mobile phone division into Motorola ...

. *Video Encoders – Axis Communications is a manufacturer of

video encoder A video decoder is an electronic circuit, often contained within a single integrated circuit chip, that converts base-band analog video signals to digital video. Video decoders commonly allow programmable control over video characteristics such as ...

s, which allow analog video signals to be converted into digital format for IP networks. Recent models are based on the H.264

video compression In information theory, data compression, source coding, or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation. Any particular compression is either lossy or lossless. Lossless compression ...

standard which reduces bandwidth and storage requirements without sacrificing image quality. The company offers 1-port, 4-port, 6-port and 16-port video encoders, as well as rack-mountable systems for large installations. *Video Management Software – Axis Communications sells video management software which it markets under the name AXIS Camera Station. The software provides remote video monitoring, recording and event management functionality. Its

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

allows for integration with other systems such as

point of sale The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoice f ...

and

. Axis offers a lightweight remote-viewing application called AXIS Companion free of charge. *Physical Access Control - Axis Communications began offering physical access control systems in 2013 with the introduction of network door controllers and

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...

card readers.Martha Entwistle, Security Systems News.
Q&A with Axis co-founder Martin Gren
." February 18, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014. The devices offer an open interface for integration with other IP-based security system components and third-party software. The company introduced the first ONVIF-conformant physical access control systems available on the market. *Network Audio – In 2015, Axis Communications introduced its first network audio product, a horn speaker providing talk-down audio functionality for security applications. Subsequently, the company has launched network

loudspeakers A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or, more fully, a speaker system) is a combination of one or more speaker drivers, an enclosure, and electrical connections (possibly including a crossover network). The speaker driver is an ...

, sound projectors, strobe sirens, intercoms, and analog-to-IP audio converters for use in public address ( PA) systems. A selection of network audio products are made for outdoor use and are vandal-resistant. *Radar – In 2017, Axis Communications launched its first network radar, which minimizes false alarms, can classify objects, and adds advanced auto-tracking capabilities to Axis PTZ cameras. The network radars utilize

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of study in artificial intelligence concerned with the development and study of Computational statistics, statistical algorithms that can learn from data and generalise to unseen data, and thus perform Task ( ...

and

deep learning Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that focuses on utilizing multilayered neural networks to perform tasks such as classification, regression, and representation learning. The field takes inspiration from biological neuroscience a ...

algorithms to classify objects and identify behavior. The radars are designed for outdoor use and are vandal-resistant.

Microprocessors

The Axis Real-Time Picture Encoder Chip (ARTPEC) is a system on a chip ( SoC) developed by Axis Communications. There are currently nine generations of the chip, all of which run AXIS OS, a modified version of

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

designed for embedded devices. Not all products developed by Axis Communications use its custom chip. The chip is typically found in high-performance devices such as higher-end cameras, while lower-cost devices use SoCs from Ambarella.

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities

In October 2021, cybersecurity research firm Nozomi Networks published "three new vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-31986, CVE-2021-31987, CVE-2021-31988) affecting all Axis devices based on the embedded AXIS OS." Axis and Nozomi collaborated throughout the research and disclosure process, with Nozomi publishing a statement from Axis in its announcement of the vulnerability. To exploit these vulnerabilities, the potential adversary needs network access and administrator-level access to the Axis device. A week after their discoveries, CVE-2021-31986, CVE-2021-31987, and CVE-31998 were patched in AXIS OS 10.7, AXIS OS 2016 LTS Track 6.50.5.5, AXIS OS 2018 LTS Track 8.40.4.3, and AXIS OS 2020 LTS Track 9.80.3.5.

History

Operations

Technology

Products

Microprocessors

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities

See also

References

Further reading