Video surveillance – for home or business – has come a long way recently. The technology has become more accessible with increasing connectivity and networking capabilities.

In some cases, particularly for home use, the technology is virtually plug-and-play. That has its drawbacks, too, as demonstrated by the baby cam breach in November. Many people had not changed the password from the default when they installed their home cameras, namely video baby monitors, and someone created a site streaming all of those videos in real-time with a message telling people to reset their passwords.

Video surveillance of varying kinds is becoming commonplace for businesses and at home. The President of the United States recently requested funding from Congress to equip the nation’s police force with cameras in an effort to increase safety, fight crime and more quickly apprehend criminals.

The video shift started about 10 years ago with the move to IP (Internet Protocol) and the ability to network the video technology.

But it’s not all about surveillance. Thanks to streaming video technology, we can watch the play-by-play of the construction of community projects such as the new Vikings stadium or the birth of baby animals and their early days at the zoo – or even in the wild.

Here’s a look at the new video technology and how it can work for you:

• Space: A room of VCRs recording activity across a business has now been replaced with one small DVR and the cameras can be programmed to capture what you want – when you want it.
• Access anywhere: Business owners now can see what’s happening at the office no matter where they are by accessing real-time video from their mobile devices. You can have the system text or email your mobile device when motion is detected. The number of applications continues to grow to give leaders more options and operational functionality.
• See what you want:  The cameras can be set up to stream in real-time or capture specific activity. For example, you can program the camera to ignore the traffic on the road or a specific area for a certain period of time. Beyond mobility, this is one of the greatest strides seen in the video surveillance industry. It saves both time and money for organizations.
• Share faster: Finding, saving and sending a specific video clip can be done in minutes or even seconds – rather than hours and days. We have seen this be a bottom-line saver to organizations again and again.
• Mind security:  The move to IP-enabled technology increases the responsibility of the users to ensure the videos are used properly and effectively. That starts with setting and regularly changing passwords to prevent a security breach.

An average system installed for an organization today starts with 6-8 cameras and costs about $7,000-$10,000 to achieve the functionality goals. The systems play a critical role in security and capturing wrongdoing by outsiders or insiders of the organization.

In a recent case with one of our clients, a point-of-sale system flagged a high volume of coupon redemption. With the use of the video system, management could identify the cause and capture the employee who was unlawfully scanning the coupons.

It’s a peace of mind that both parents and business leaders are coming to rely on and a piece of technology that businesses are finding as important as a lock on the front door.