When you’re a smaller business competing with a giant chain or big box company, every dollar makes a difference and theft can be the divide between making it or breaking it. So how do you deter theft from dishonest patrons or employees? A video surveillance system is probably one of the first solutions that come to mind.

We’ve seen technology evolve into things we used to only imagine as a plot in a science fiction film. Smart TVs, connected phones, refrigerators, garage doors, even lawnmowers; the list goes on. The Internet of Things (IoT) infiltrates every facet of our life. Today, you can set up cameras in your home to watch what your pet really does during the middle of the day, or swap out your front porch lightbulb for one with a built-in HD camera to keep an eye out for your next delivery.

The home security camera market is predicted to be worth over $8 billion in five years. The technology and the software behind those cameras are pretty robust for the intended residential market, but are they ready to make the move to the business world?