A recipe for security success
Restaurant owner turned to Axis for an innovative solution that enabled seamless remote access, cloud archiving, and automated alerts – and in doing so, became the world’s first user of AXIS Camera Station Edge.
The hospitality industry has a lot to think about when it comes to security: ensuring the safety of customers, monitoring the practices of staff, and managing it all on limited IT resources.
Fredrik Lundegård, owner of 120-seat restaurant Mat & Destillat, explains: “There’s always a threat of robberies or scams from people coming into the restaurant, but there are also internal challenges to keep an eye on such as employee conduct. It’s essential to have a camera system that’s easy to use, affordable to maintain and is reliable.”
Mat & Destillat’s existing cloud-based camera system was becoming a growing frustration for management.
“We record everything. When our previous security provider started to make changes with the subscription packages it made storage prohibitively expensive – and it was online only, so we couldn’t keep security footage on site,” says Fredrik. “Worse, it was next to impossible to find the footage we needed. There was just so much material to work through, everything loaded slowly, and there was no search. It was so awkward that sometimes we just didn’t do it.”
Hybrid security on-site and off
Fredrik saw the restaurant’s security challenge as an opportunity to upgrade. “As a small business, I was focused on finding a new security system that would require minimal maintenance and is easy to use, plus one that could record all the time. You want something that’s going to work, with the software to back it up – I’ve always considered Axis to be world leading, so it was the first brand I thought of.”
Axis engineering manager Marcus Wiedner was ready for the challenge. “It was good timing because in late 2024 we were just about to finalise AXIS Camera Station Edge, our camera-to-cloud VMS. We were quite close to launching it – and this gave us an opportunity to perform an installation ahead of its public launch. Mat & Destillat became the first business worldwide to use AXIS Camera Station Edge, and acted as a vital proof of concept.”
Weidner recognised the restaurant’s need for an affordable way to access a live view and archival footage from the cloud, but also its desire to make video easily searched and accessible on-site.
Together, Axis and Mat & Destillat decided upon a hybrid solution using six 1080p cameras, an AXIS S3008 recorder for local storage, and a 720p cloud backup.
Efficient bandwidth management
Marcus explains how the hybrid approach helped work around Mat & Destillat’s limited internet connection while providing the necessary functionality.
“With high quality video stored on site and redundancy in the cloud, the video will always be accessible and also bandwidth efficient. In case there are problems with the internet connection it is possible to access both live video and recordings. This is a much more robust, bandwidth-efficient and cost-effective solution than the one it replaces.”
Fredrik says that AXIS Camera Station Edge’s ability to provide searchable archival footage as well as a straightforward live view has been transformative. “The main thing is how easy it is to use,” he confirms. “Sometimes you just want to check to see how busy things are if you're not around, sometimes you want out-of-hours alerts when people are detected and jump into the system and see what’s happening – or what’s happened. AXIS Camera Station Edge offers all of that."
If something happens, I need the real-time alerts of AXIS Camera Station Edge. I need to be able to look back, wherever I might be at the time. It’s just better as a restaurant owner to have a secure place.
Straightforward video search
Mat & Destillat has already seen many practical benefits to its new camera setup. Police investigating a nearby incident requested footage from the site’s outdoor camera, which proved easy to search up and download. Training sessions and after-hours activity are now detected and can be verified remotely. “We can check whatever we need to check simply,” suggests Fredrik. And the camera’s role as a deterrent has been evident: since the Axis network was installed, Mat & Destillat has recorded no security incidents.
Privacy was a concern when designing the new network. Swedish law dictates that cameras cannot film guests while they are eating, so the five indoor cameras are trained on key non-dining areas – the entrance, bar, cash register, kitchen and staff work areas. But restaurant management was aware that the increased number of cameras was a notable change and made a conscious decision both to make clear that staff areas were being recorded, and to employ cameras without microphones.
The idea was to improve security without compromising integrity. “Staff acceptance is important to us,” Fredrik confirms. “It’s not about always watching them – I need a reason to look at the cameras, because I care about people’s privacy.
But if something happens, I need the real-time alerts of AXIS Camera Station Edge, or the ability to look back, wherever I might be at the time. It’s just better as a restaurant owner to have a secure place, and I think it’s better for the staff, too.”
AXIS Camera Station Edge offers everything that Mat & Destillat needed. Ease of use, cost efficiency and flexibility.
Feature-rich and expansion-ready
Marcus is pleased with the partnership thus far. “It’s been perfect. The setup works well, and even though the restaurant doesn’t need to use absolutely everything it can offer, AXIS Camera Station Edge has answered all of Mat & Destillat’s requirements from a network security system. They’ve found it easy to use and cost efficient.”
But Marcus suggests that the feature-rich capability of AXIS Camera Station Edge also gives Mat & Destillat options. “It’s flexible enough to fit around most requirements. If Fredrik goes on vacation, he could easily invite one of his colleagues to have system access instead. If they need a new camera, it can drop right in. And if they expand to another restaurant, it’s straightforward to connect multiple sites to the same system – AXIS Camera Station Edge supports everything from small businesses to larger enterprises.”
Fredrik is prepared for a smarter, safer, more secure outlook whatever the future may bring. “If we were to open a new business,” he enthuses, “we would put in Axis equipment straight away.”
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