Azena Expands Smart Camera Platform With New Integration Options, Enhanced Device and Project Management

Azena has announced upgrades to its open platform for smart cameras that offer new integration capabilities for smart cameras into existing video surveillance systems and tools for more efficient device management for systems integrators. With this deeper functionality, integrators using the Azena platform and the AI-enabled video analytics from the Azena Application Store, have wider control over large groups of devices, apps, and configurations running on their customers' smart cameras with the Azena Operating System.

The new integration capabilities make it simpler for the integrator to configure and deploy smart cameras using specialized analytics - which produce unique events - into a customer’s existing video surveillance system. Metadata from these specialized analytics, such as weapons detection, tank level monitoring, or flood detection, are automatically converted into events for some of the most popular video management software platforms from Milestone, Genetec, and Network Optics. This supports integrators in creating vertical and customer-specific end-to-end solutions that leverage video analytics data across systems and departments.

“Systems integrators are tasked with providing highly customized solutions to their unique client base and, with our platform, apps from our store, and integration tools they can build these specialized solutions - everything from oil flare monitoring in the energy sector to patient fall detection in healthcare facilities,” said Madhav Varma, Vice President, Product for Azena. “These improvements to our platform will streamline the deployment and management of these solutions for integrators, saving time, labor costs, and costly truck rolls.”

With more than 100 unique apps available in the growing Azena Application Store, integrators can select one or more of those apps or develop and upload their own apps that can be visible and sold only to their customers. This enables highly specialized integrators to further protect their unique approaches to certain vertical markets or other specific customer needs while still leveraging the Azena platform as part of their tailored solution.

The enhancements to the platform now offer a variety of options for deployment and maintenance, from fully remote connections to new support for installations that run on a completely closed network, such as critical infrastructure installations or remote sites with little to no internet connectivity. With new project management features, integrators can assign app licenses to specific customers or projects. Camera installations can be more easily segmented by customer, project, and location, and access rights for specific users can be assigned and managed based on projects. This provides integrators with better oversight and control over their projects and digital twin data from their installations can also be used in other systems such as project management or building management software.

Enhanced device management on the Azena platform enables integrators to more easily perform batch updates to many devices with the same settings as well as backup and restore or replicate those settings to multiple devices. Integrators can now also negotiate directly with app developers on the platform for volume pricing or other discounts and additional app support. App licensing for customer demos or pilot projects can also be easily extended within the Azena platform.

About Azena 

Azena operates an open IoT platform that connects camera manufacturers, SoC providers, application developers, VMS providers, and systems integrators. Its goal is to accelerate the speed of innovation for security cameras and applications that make use of AI and computer vision. To achieve this, the company offers a free and open operating system for security cameras, a development tool kit for app developers and a device management portal as well as an application store for integrators. Azena is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has been on the market since September 2018.