As the world becomes increasingly security conscious, municipalities, institutions and enterprises of all sizes are discovering that there’s safety in sight. Real-time video surveillance systems are proving to be one of the most effective methods of addressing a wide range of security challenges in both the public and the private sectors.

A quick glance around the globe verifies the growing importance of video surveillance. Powerful video networks are playing a pivotal role in providing security at major sporting, political and community events. Analysts estimate that today there are almost 400,000 video surveillance cameras guarding public places in France and more than four million in England. Those numbers will most assuredly continue to grow rapidly. In the United States, it is estimated that currently there's one video camera for every 12 people; that number is projected to be almost one for every seven people by 2013.

What's the catalyst behind this astonishing growth? There's little question that one of the prime drivers -- perhaps the most important of all -- is the meteoric rise of reliable, high quality, cost-efficient wireless broadband video surveillance networks.