For the past 15 years, businesses of all types and sizes have used IP cameras to monitor and protect their physical environments. Whether monitored in real-time by security staff or analyzed following a breach, cameras provide an essential physical security solution to keep employees, data, and network appliances safe.

While this use case is still very much relevant today, the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) has dramatically expanded the scope and capabilities of connected cameras now acting as powerful sensors and intelligent platforms to also deliver extraordinary gains in operational efficiency, situational and acoustic awareness, and forensic investigations.  Furthermore, the evolution of video analytics such as facial and license plate recognition, as well as audio analytics, has significantly enhanced the ability of IoT-enabled cameras to deliver superior insights into all application areas -from safety and security, to business intelligence.

IoT-enabled video analytics is arguably one of the most beneficial technical enhancements in recent history in the world of physical security. For example, without adding a single camera or changing anything about them, IoT-enabled analytics can help a retailer learn more about their customers' buying habits; enable a factory to dramatically improve operational efficiency while reducing costs; or supplement a public utility's efforts to protect critical infrastructure by delivering situational awareness to for detailed real-time information on threats or potential threats. These are just a few examples of how IoT can help businesses dramatically increase security, maximize business agility, and enable unprecedented levels of business intelligence while maximizing ROI.

This topic will be the subject of one of the many sessions at the inaugural IoT World Forum, which will be held next month in Barcelona, Spain. Hosted by Cisco and global sponsors and planned with a global steering committee, the IoT World Forum will be a gathering for a few hundred top executives from leading global companies, the public sector, and academia who have a collective passion to ignite innovation and accelerate the advancement of the Internet of Things.