PRESS RELEASE
8th May 2006

Axis begins push to triple UK reseller base as IP-Surveillance market gains pace

Axis Communications, the global leader in the network video market1, is kicking off an aggressive reseller recruitment drive at the UK’s leading security trade exhibition called IFSEC (being held 8th-11th May 2006 at Birmingham NEC). Axis intends to expand its UK & Ireland reseller-base significantly by working with its existing distributors and appealing directly to some 4,500 reseller firms on its own database.

Axis plans to grow its UK & Ireland base of ‘Authorised Partners’, the minimum entry point into the Axis Partner Program, from 273 to over 800 by year end. Distributors and authorised partners will jointly benefit from additional margin for being in the program.

Steve Gorski, managing director, Axis Communications (UK) limited, provided more details: “To make it easier for resellers to become authorised we have streamlined the vetting process so that those interested in joining can go to our website and complete a simple online form. If they can provide an account number with one of our distributors and other basic details about their business, they will be issued with a welcome letter within 48 hours.”

Axis expects security installers as well as data/networking specialist resellers to come on board in this latest recruitment drive, as Gorski explains: “Both of these groups are well-placed to enter the IP-Surveillance market which is now growing in excess of 40 per cent year on year and offers great opportunities for more ambitious channel players which are able to invest resources in offering this capability to existing and new customers.”

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Notes to editors
1 Axis Communications is the leading player in the network camera market with 47 per cent 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 $547m in 2004 and is set to grow by 50 per cent per year over the next five years to reach a value of $360.6m in 2009 in EMEA alone, according to the same report.

About Axis
Axis Communications increases the value of network solutions. The company is an innovative market leader in network video and print servers. Axis’ products and solutions are focused on applications such as security, surveillance, remote monitoring and document management. The products are based on in-house developed chip technology which is also sold to third parties.

Axis was founded in 1984 and is listed on the Stockholmsbörsen (XSSE: AXIS). Axis operates globally with offices in 16 countries an in cooperation with distributors, systems integrators and OEM partners in 70 countries. Markets outside Sweden account for more than 95% of sales. Information about Axis can be found at www.axis.com. 

For further information about Axis Communications in the UK and Ireland, please contact:
Steve Gorski, managing director, Axis Communications (UK) Limited
Tel: 0870 162 0047. Email: steve.gorski@axis.com

For all UK and Ireland media enquiries, please contact:
Miles Clayton / Tim Rose/Simon Bennett, Agility PR Limited
Tel: 01438 310 139. Email: miles.clayton@agilitypr.co.uk / tim.rose@agilitypr.co.uk / simon.bennett@agilitypr.co.uk