6 Apps for Small Businesses

1. Protection 1's eSecure
Technology is bringing even security systems into the mobile age via the programmers at Protection One(PONE), which offers security systems for residential homes and businesses of all sizes.

Protection 1 has come up with an application so business owners can use their iPhone, BlackBerry or any Web-accessible device to monitor inside an office, store or warehouse via the company's eSecure video platform.

eSecure sends texts or emails to alert owners in the event of, say, a back door being left open or broken window or something more serious, such as a break-in, a pipe bursting, power failure (huge for energy-dependent establishments such as grocery stores) or detection of smoke or high levels of carbon monoxide, among other things. Users have the ability to pan and tilt cameras from their mobile phone and can contact authorities immediately in case of emergency.

The app "transforms a traditional security system into a powerful monitoring tool," the company says.