If you have any form of business activity where there are employees and customers, or a piece of property worth anything substantial, we are living in a technological time where it’s affordable to monitor everything around the clock with surveillance cameras that have built-in web servers. This makes the device a combination of a wireless security camera and a computer that can transmit image data using Internet Protocol over a fast Ethernet link.

The closed-circuit television camera is one of the most cost-effective enhancements you can make to a business both in security and employee productivity. It’s hard to dispute the recorded video image so people are on their best behavior when they know that the dark bulb in the corner is connected to an authority of some sort. Shoplifting can be curtailed by making it obvious that there are cameras everywhere watching over the merchandise. The IP cameras, or Internet Protocol cameras, also have motion detectors and alert capabilities when intruders are detected off-hours on a property.

If you are a business owner or employer, it is wise to look over your budget to take advantage of any upgrades in your company’s security. It is an important business expense that more than pays for itself so there’s no advantage in procrastinating; you get the added satisfaction of knowing that you’ve most likely thwarted somebody’s scheme to take something away from you somewhere down the line and that’s something you can celebrate immediately. Whether it’s a lazy employee or a rude waiter, you just know the closed-circuit TV camera is going to result in somebody getting straightened out, and so they are irresistible ornaments for the office or store.

A closed-circuit network for the home is practical if there are children being baby-sat or, worse yet, children left on their own. Depending on the siblings involved some surveillance may be called for. IP cameras are not expensive and they’re easy to operate and install; you can place them almost anywhere. Your monitoring can be set up to be discreet or it can be made obvious. This will depend on the particular situation: you will have to decide whether it is healthy or not to monitor employees.

There are areas like rest room and common change areas where employees expect a certain amount of privacy. Someone could be exposed as a cross-dresser accidentally if the camera catches a bit of his nylons. The list of unexpected things that could go wrong while under video surveillance is endless so some thought should be given to employee relations. On the other hand some employees may get caught harassing fellow employees, and then the video record becomes evidence that’s hard to dispute.

The Orwellian future of constant scrutiny hasn’t come to pass as we might have expected with all the electronics around, but we still get very little privacy in public; browsing though a department store will get you photographed and videotaped from many angles and your face could wind up being processed through databanks for comparisons to known shoplifters without your knowledge.

There are instances when cameras surveillance is going on and someone’s rights have been abused. There might be a case where an employee is revealed to be gay in a private moment somewhere on the work premises and is then suddenly fired without apparent cause. The boss may be homophobic and the reason for the firing may have been his interpretation of the body language of the gay-looking employee and no other reason. In this case the videotape could be helpful in opposing his firing and the employee could possibly get his job back if he can show the employer how he went over the line. By then he may not want to work for that employer anymore.

It’s easy to think of negative things being revealed by the CCTV cameras, but there are cases where using cameras surveillance can bring positive results: you may witness an employee being extra-polite and helpful to a customer or doing something above the call of duty. Human nature is ultimately revealed by closed-circuit television.

Pat Boardman is an SEO consultant writing in respect to video surveillance company Viewtech security cameras Toronto and security cameras Vancouver, suppliers of CCTV cameras surveillance and to commercial and consumer customers in Toronto and Vancouver.