Axis celebrates the first 10 years with network cameras

Axis Communications, the global market leader in network cameras[1], celebrates the 10th anniversary of its introduction of the world`s first network camera, the Axis 200. The launch of the Axis 200 in 1996 marked one of the first steps of the technology shift from analogue CCTV to network video.

From the beginning Axis Communications has been the market and technology leader within network video, a market growing by 40% every year.

In the mid-1990s, Axis Communications was known for print servers and a deep knowledge of network applications. The potential of network video occupied the minds of the company`s R&D engineers, who realised the many possibilities of image distribution over a LAN network or the Internet. The challenge was to develop a high quality camera that could easily be connected to the network.

The answer was the AXIS 200, launched in 1996. Equipped with a built-in Web server, the new network camera enabled access to its pictures from any Web browser in the world. The user friendly AXIS 200 soon rocked the world of video surveillance.

"At first, the AXIS 200 and its followers were mainly used for Web attraction but it only took a few years until the benefits within security installations became evident. Since then, network cameras have become an increasingly important feature within professional security installations," says Ray Mauritsson, president of Axis Communications. "Since our launch of the world`s first network camera, Axis has transformed from a company focusing on print servers into the global leader within network video. Looking at coming years, I feel very confident that we will maintain and even reinforce this position."

Roy Alves, country manager of Axis Communications, SA, adds: "SA, and Africa generally, have been in the forefront of IP video deployment. Axis`s growth in the region has paralleled the worldwide growth, and we are proud to have represented Axis throughout this period through SCS Distribution and then Axis SA."

Since the launch of the AXIS 200, Axis Communications has developed a large number of network cameras and today has the market`s broadest product portfolio. Today`s development focuses on new solutions such as Intelligent Video, ie the ability to program the camera into recognising unexpected events or movements. The market for network cameras and video servers is growing by 40% every year, underscoring the ongoing technology shift from analogue CCTV to modern network video.

1  Axis Communications is the leading player in the network camera market with 47% market share in the EMEA region according to industry analyst house IMS Research in its latest market report entitled "The World Market for CCTV and Video Surveillance Equipment 2005 Edition" published in  October 2005.  The network camera market was worth $54.7 million in 2004 and is set to grow by 50% per year over the next five years to reach a value of $360.6 million in 2009, in EMEA alone, according to the same report.