Technical Training as a Manager

I recently was able to attend some technical training hosted by Axis Communication, our primary camera provider. The training I attended was Axis Network Video Fundamentals and Certification. This class is primarily attended by technicians and installers, but I recently had a meeting with my regional and global sales reps who advised that they had a few seats in an upcoming class for me and my team. I was very interested to see what new technology Axis offered and for the opportunity to assess the status of my team’s security integration.

I have been looking into some of the new camera technology Axis provides. Specifically, I have been looking into the new thermal cameras, radar, and the analytical capabilities of the ARTPEC-8 and ARTPEC-9 chips. I was fortunate enough to see many of these devices up close while at this year’s GSX conference in New Orleans.  Having the opportunity to get some hands-on training with the technology seemed like an easy decision to make.

Now that I’m in management and do not get the opportunity to get as much hands on activity with the security systems as I would like. I’m sure anyone else in management can relate and is also burdened with the endless supply of meetings, policy updates, and firefighting. With this being said, I think it was very rewarding for me to attend this training to have a better understanding of what is expected from my installation team and to get hands-on experience with technology I was not yet using. 

The first thing I noticed with the class was that it was small, less than 20 people attending with me being the only manager. I enjoyed this as it provided more opportunities for discussions with the Axis team and hands-on training. We were also fortunate enough to have several Axis members in attendance every day, from their training, sales, and engineering teams.

The training was great. There was an online portion of the class that was pre-work. This consisted of eight modules that took roughly 8-12 hours to complete. I believe it took me around 10-11 hours to get through but most of it was new knowledge to me. If you have been an Axis installer for some time, I’m sure you could get through it much faster. Also, the coursework focused on the Axis VMS which is also new to me. My company utilizes Milestone VMS which is also in the Canon family, but not directly Axis.

Once we got to the classroom portion, it was split from reviewing the coursework we previously did and then followed up with hands on training. The hands-on training consisted of hooking up cameras, switch, intercom, and communication devices. We would then go through the analytical capabilities of the cameras and how to program the settings within the camera itself – security mask, tracking, and object analytics.

I was also able to learn about many features within Axis that I was new to; Lightfinder, Zipstream, and the deep learning/AI capabilities.  

Lightfinder and Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)

Lightfinder is also another great offering from Axis that has been out for a while now. Technologies such as Lightfinder (for color images in low light) and Forensic WDR (wide dynamic range) are paramount for capturing quality picture in scenes with strong contrast (bright + dark). Do you have security cameras around lobby areas with glass windows? If so, you may run into issues with over or under exposure, this can be resolved with WDR.

Zipstream and Bitrate

Zipstream was the most interesting for me from a management perspective. If you are new to Zipstream, it is a compression feature that Axis has created that has roughly a ~50% reduction in storage versus standard H.264 compression. While it does compress the video, it makes sure to preserve the forensic quality in important areas (faces, license plates, moving objects) while applying more aggressive compression to less important regions (e.g., static walls, lawns).

Zipstream is able to complete this compression with the superior reduction due to its use of “I” and “P” frames along with Dynamic ROI, Dynamic GOP, and Dynamic FSP.

Dynamic ROI (Regions of Interest): Identifies objects/areas of interest in each frame (people, motion, faces) and preserves more detail there; less important areas get higher compression.

Dynamic GOP (Group of Pictures): When scene is static, the camera can reduce I-frame frequency (which are high bitrate) so bandwidth is lower.

Dynamic FPS (Frames Per Second): In scenes with little or no motion, fewer frames need to be encoded/sent — lowering bitrate without missing motion when it occurs.

There is an entire section within the course on bitrate – what it is and how you can manage it more efficiently with Axis technology.

I found this extremely useful knowledge as I currently have around ~9000 Milestone licenses and have hundreds of CCTV servers across the globe. Being able to reduce the data size allows me to retain more camera footage or reduce the storage on the server builds.

Deep Learning and AI Capabilities

And of course everyone wants to know what AI technology is available. Axis ARTPEC technology includes a dedicated deep learning processing unit (DLPU) or equivalent neural-network hardware so that AI/analytics can run directly in the camera (“on the edge”) rather than relying solely on distant servers.

AXIS Object Analytics: Can detect, classify, track and count humans, vehicles and vehicle types.

AXIS Image Health Analytics: Monitors image quality: blocked lens, under-exposed scenes, redirected camera, etc.

Audio analytics: Some camera models include acoustic sensors and support for audio-based detection (e.g., screams, shouts, changes in sound level) along with the AI analytics platform.

Reduced downstream load: Generating metadata at the edge means less raw video (or fewer events) need to be sent, stored or analysed centrally. Helps in bandwidth/storage cost management.

Scalability: With the compute in the camera, as you deploy more units you’re less reliant on central server infrastructure for basic analytics. This helps when you expand installations or deploy into remote/edge sites.

Operational intelligence: Beyond security, analytics can be used for counting, classification, business-intelligence use (e.g., vehicles vs humans vs vehicle types) – enabling more than just “camera as alarm” but “camera as sensor”.

So, what are the benefits of attending technical training as a manager? I mean, you’re probably not directly installing cameras, servers, access control panels, etc., right? While that may be the case, having the knowledge on the technical side and staying up with the ever-evolving technological advancements, greatly benefits you as a manager or director.

1. Better Strategic Decision-Making

• Informed technology choices: Understanding emerging technologies (AI, cloud, cybersecurity, etc.) helps leaders make smarter investments and avoid vendor hype. Having a fluent understanding of integration capabilities with your current security systems or IT technology can improve your decision making capabilities.

• Improved risk management: A current grasp of technical risks — like data breaches or infrastructure vulnerabilities — allows more accurate risk assessments and mitigation planning.

• Alignment with business goals: Technical literacy ensures IT strategy aligns with what’s realistically possible in current architectures and budgets.

2. Stronger Leadership and Communication

• Bridges the gap between teams: Technical fluency helps managers translate business objectives into technical terms and vice versa, improving collaboration between executives and engineers.

• Credibility with staff: Teams respect leaders who can understand and discuss their work intelligently. It builds trust and reduces friction.

• Better vendor and partner discussions: Leaders can challenge assumptions, negotiate effectively, and understand solution trade-offs rather than relying solely on sales pitches.

Overall, I found going to this training very rewarding as a manager and would highly recommend attending any technical training you can with your team to fellow security managers. Having a better understanding of what technology is available and having a deeper understanding of installation requirements allows you to better communicate with your team. Additionally, going to training like this can give you an idea of what technology is available for your to look at.