The physical world is emerging as the next major source of business intelligence data

The event ‘Axis Open on the Road’ held in Barcelona brings together partners, clients and integrators to analyze the main challenges regarding how to turn data into business intelligence safely and efficiently.

Physical security technology is undergoing a profound transformation. Cameras and other surveillance devices that for decades mainly served to monitor and protect are evolving into something qualitatively different: Platforms for collecting structured data that allow organizations to understand their operations, anticipate risks and make smarter decisions.

This was revealed during the Axis Open on the Road event held this Thursday, 14 of may, in Barcelona. Bruno Azula, Sales Director for Spain and Portugal at Axis Communications, points out that “la mayoría de organizaciones ya disponen de una infraestructura física -cámaras, sensores de radar, dispositivos de audio, sistemas de control de accesos… capaz de generar volúmenes ingentes de datos operativos, pero apenas aprovechan ese potencial. Cámaras que detectan patrones de comportamiento, radares que monitorizan flujos de personas o vehículos y micrófonos que identifican anomalías acústicas son, en esencia, ordenadores en el extremo de la red que convierten el entorno físico en un sistema medible”.

Modelo en tres fases

Axis presentó este enfoque a través de un modelo en tres fases (Recoger, Entender y Actuar) que describe el recorrido desde la captura de datos hasta la toma de decisiones. En la fase de recogida, Edge devices capture visual data, and audio data, environmental, interaction and operational in real-time.

In the understanding phase, that information is processed through analytics with artificial intelligence, video management platforms, dashboard visualizations and open integrations with business systems. Y, During the action phase, organizations can optimize resource allocation, manage capacities and logistic flows, improve security protocols or trigger automated responses in other systems such as building management.

The real value of sensors and artificial intelligence is not in what they detect, but in what they allow to do differently. Many organizations already have the data; The challenge is to help them understand them and act on them. That has been the main purpose of the event, adds Azula.

Among the demos performed, it stood out how the video management system (VMS) Axis Camera Station incorporates advanced smart search capabilities, analytics dashboards, integration with third-party systems and event management, becoming an operational intelligence tool for complex business environments and compatible with pre-existing technological infrastructure through APIs and SDKs.

For your part, Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM), which manages services and iconic city spaces such as Park Güell or the Olympic Ring, showed how it is evolving from reactive CCTV to intelligent video, where cameras act as sensors capable of automatically detecting intrusions, crowds and anomalous behaviors.

Regulatory compliance

Also, with the entry into force of regulations such as NIS2, Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and CER, organizations operating critical infrastructures such as energy, transport, health, water or public administration are required to strengthen their cybersecurity strategy and the resilience of their operations and comply with increasingly demanding standards.

In this area, Axis bets on integrating physical security and cybersecurity into a single architecture coherent, with devices designed with security criteria from the start (security by design) and platforms that allow auditing and granular control of data access.

“The data that our clients are already collecting at their facilities contains enormous value. It's not about technology per se, but about measurable results: reducing response times, optimizing operations and improving the customer experience”, concludes Azula.