An open mind is the beginning of endless opportunities. Openness shapes the future of technology and partnerships, and it paves the way to greater security, safety, business intelligence and operational efficiency. Those were the key messages shared at OPEN London 2025 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, an event which brought these elements together with energy and purpose.
Taking place at the home of England Rugby, OPEN London reflected the core value that defines Axis and its ecosystem: a gathering of partners, customers and colleagues all open to new opportunities, open to freely connect with industry leaders, and open to discover the latest technology trends, together.
Opening new opportunities
The theme of opportunity resonated through OPEN London from the beginning. To quote Axis UK & Ireland Sales Manager Simon Emmons, speaking in his keynote address: “Do you see a camera, or do you see something more?” That something more is the way an open mind frames the camera: as a sensor, a powerful tool for digital transformation, one which can – with the right open ecosystem – form the heart of innovative integrated systems and drive better decision making.
Openness underpins Axis innovation at every stage. Each step of our company’s evolution, from the ARTPEC system-on-chip to AXIS OS, ACAP, Cloud Connect and beyond, has been developed to ensure the flexibility and interoperability which makes that sensor so powerful. But in a compliance-first world where regulations seek to protect individuals and data through boosted security provision, sessions like the Axis Security Tech Talk highlight the need to align open innovation with real world need.
The panel discussion about Martyn’s Law emphasised shared responsibility, making it clear that compliance will be a journey that demands leadership, accountability, and openness between public and private sectors. The focus must be on proportional, practical security which embeds safety into everyday operations. For Axis, its partners, and the industry at large, meeting Martyn’s Law and regulations like it means continuing to design technology that supports people and processes, helping organisations turn that legislation into meaningful protection on the ground.
The feeling at OPEN London was that only open platforms and conversation will allow us to build systems aligned with threat, impact, and mitigation – improving coverage, alerts and response workflows, while honestly assessing and upgrading the human and process side of security. Every new regulatory demand is a new opportunity in blended transformation, using sensor data to complement upgrades to training and standard operating procedures, and building sustainability into every system.
Connecting with the industry
The conversation in Twickenham, spread across plenaries, panels and side-sessions, focused on the power of technology to solve today’s problems, yet highlighted the clear need to put risk before the allure of new hardware. Identifying the problem comes first; building smart, safe, collaborative solutions to meet it comes next. And that is only possible through open dialogue and shared responsibility, when operators, technology partners and public agencies work together in harmony.
The Axis Technology Integration Partner Program now counts more than a thousand members worldwide, expanding the possibilities for co-creation and integration, and OPEN London proved an invaluable opportunity for those across the industry to share their thoughts and ideas together.
Two long-standing Axis collaborators, Genetec and Milestone Systems, took to the OPEN London plenary session to illustrate what open collaboration looks like in practice. For Genetec’s Simon Cook, the relationship between the two companies is proof that collaboration grows best through trust. Over more than two decades, Axis and Genetec have learned and adapted side by side, not simply aligning roadmaps, but exchanging ideas, learning from each company’s strengths, and building solutions that reflect a common outlook. The result is not a product but a culture: one that values flexibility, security, and mutual respect.
Milestone’s Seb Hunt spoke in a similar vein, describing a partnership rooted in transparency and the belief that progress comes through openness rather than ownership. The long history between Axis and Milestone has shown how much can be achieved when competition gives way to cooperation. The result is an ecosystem where technology is an enabler for people, making systems simpler, smarter, and more sustainable without placing barriers in the way.
Across the plenary sessions and in general discussions on the floor, the tone at OPEN London was unmistakable: connection is not about integration alone, but about shared purpose. By remaining open with one another – open to feedback, to experimentation, and to change – Axis and its partners continue to strengthen the industry. Real innovation happens not in isolation, but in conversation.
Discovering the latest trends
As much as it was a chance to connect, OPEN London was equally an opportunity to learn. The event’s sessions revealed how openness fuels discovery, not only in technology but in mindset. Attendees heard from thought leaders and analysts from across the industry, sharing insights and new perspectives on the ways digital transformations, data and design are reshaping the security landscape. But they also heard about the importance of testing, governance, and rigid cybersecurity procedures to build trust in open platforms.
In the second Axis Security Tech Talk with Bugcrowd, Kevin Kersley set out the reasons that ethical hacking belongs at the heart of modern product security. His message was clear: traditional one-time penetration tests are useful, but attackers probe systems continuously, often looking for the unknown, not just the known. Opening up to a global community of vetted researchers through vulnerability disclosure and bug bounty programs surfaces those “unknown unknowns” sooner and strengthens products faster.
Kevin also emphasised the rise of hardware hacking and reframed the way the industry should look at AI: as a powerful tool, but also as a potential target, and a threat when used maliciously, exploited, or poisoned. The takeaway was the need to scrutinise AI models just as carefully as any other potential attack surface – and the importance of always keeping a human in the loop, to catch what automation misses.
Open thinking, lasting impact
OPEN London closed on the same note it began, with optimism grounded in purpose. Every conversation, from system design to cybersecurity, cemented openness as not only a way to build technology, but a way to build trust. When people, data, and ideas move freely, innovation and progress are much easier to come by. From the pitch at Twickenham to the collaborative projects that will now follow, OPEN London proves that an open mindset defines a smarter, safer future for security.