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Imagine the scenario: a business owner goes on vacation, leaving behind employees he doesn't fully trust to do their jobs unsupervised.
While sitting on a beach, he pulls out his smartphone shortly before his business is supposed to be opening back home. He pulls up a security camera positioned on the front door and turns on the lights so he can see better. Then he turns up the thermostat to take the edge off the autumn chill for the first employee to arrive. Or perhaps it will make that employee sweat if he arrives late. When the employee opens up the door 15 minutes late, the business owner douses the lights to mess with the late employee's mind, then switches from the security app to the phone to call and tell the employee he'd better make it up tomorrow by being early.
While this scenario would have sounded like pure science fiction only a few years ago, today it can be a simple reality. Modern security systems have become tightly integrated with remote computer log ins and, yes, even smartphone or tablet apps that control more than simple security. While home security users have had these options for a year or so, small business owners and commercial users are just beginning to test the technology as companies roll out their newest technology upgrades.
One such option comes from the nation's largest security company, ADT. It was only a few days before Halloween that the company announced a nationwide roll-out for its smartphone-integrated system, ADT Pulse Interactive Business Solutions.
But in test markets, the feedback has...