The Best Small Business Tech at CES

1) Defender Sentinel 10, SVAT Electronics
($1,495)

Video security systems are a challenge for small businesses. Yes, web cams are cheap and systems are easy to install, but the problems quickly mount. Quality can be low. They don't work well at night. And images have to be screened by hand, which eats up time. Enter Niagara Falls, Ontario-based SVAT Electronics.

Later this month, the company plans to release an all-in-one, ultra-simple security system, the Sentinel 10. The system is so simple any small business can install and effectively use it. The system comes with four weather-proof cameras that work at night. And they function from a single enclosure that easily records and catalogs images.

Video is an effective tool for keeping your business safe. And the Defender should make it easier to install a video system.

2) Natralock, MeadWestvaco
(prices vary)

Plastic packaging seems like it should live at the bottom of the small-business innovation list. But I like what I see in a product-packaging system from MeadWestvaco (MWV Quote) called Natralock.

The system replaces traditional thick plastic packaging that keeps products from getting ripped off in the store with a coated paper-based enclosure that is easier to manage. This is not only friendly for customers, it can be cheaper for vendors. And it offers some great design and marketing options. Hey, the whole thing is high gloss paper. What better way to wrap up your product.