As another year goes by, I find myself reflecting on the past year while beginning to anticipate what lies ahead this coming year. Throughout my career in technology, I’ve had amazing opportunities to work around some incredible people such as the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs and witnessed how innovation can transform businesses and economies. As an engineer, I have always been fascinated by how a simple idea can grow to change people’s lives. Here in Silicon Valley, the notion of ideas changing the world is part of the fabric and why I live here.

Early in my career, I joined IBM – this was at a time when the IBM Personal Computer had just been announced and was flourishing. We weren’t the first company to build a personal computer, but IBM helped PCs become mainstream. The company, founded in 1911, populated homes and offices throughout the world with its little beige boxes, running on what was then the most powerful 16-bit Intel processor and MS-DOS. I was part of the team that designed the first group of IBM PC printers and it was a rare opportunity for me to manage product development from design to putting the product into the market. It was never just about the bottom line or one-upping competitors. It was, to me, about seeing an idea from concept to design to reality. When you see your products being used by thousands of people, you get a sense of deep satisfaction of having been a part of that creative process of innovation impacting our culture and society.

You know that ‘happy accident’ or ‘pleasant surprise’ when you accidentally find something good or useful for another purpose while not specifically searching for it? Such as discovering you could brush your teeth with baking soda if you ran out of toothpaste. Or learning you could wrap a wet paint brush in plastic wrap, without cleaning it first, until you were ready to use it again. Maybe that was how the cellular network providers felt when they discovered customers using their infrastructure more for data than voice.

This year’s NRF BIG Show delivered several memorable speakers and events. From Kofi Annan’s keynote on international economic prosperity to the Coca-Cola panel that pointed out how security cameras can inspire “happiness,” the 3VR team was honored and glad to be able to take part in such an exciting event. Everyone at the NYC event was abuzz about a few hot topics, namely the urgency of omni-channel retailing and a how technology has changed the shopper experience. There was a general consensus that retailers need go back to the drawing board in 2013.

Retail’s BIG Show is now in full swing and the numerous events are great opportunities to learn from industry professionals. Our ears perked up during Sunday’s keynote presentation "Coca-Cola Opens Happiness for Consumers and Retailers" when Alison Lewis, SVP of Marketing for Coca-Cola North America, asked what comes to mind when we see video surveillance cameras in a store. She made a good point that these cameras remind people of bad guys—thieves and fraudsters. But really, video surveillance can serve as much more than just a loss prevention measure; it also captures moments that showcase the goodness in people. Watch the video above to see how people can be awesome, funny, silly, and heroic, even when they think no one's watching.

With that in mind, let's shift gears toward other "good" things that video surveillance offers. SP&T News recently featured 3VR’s CMO Joe Boissy in an article about the fall and rise of video analytics in the last decade. Video analytics were touted as a security industry game-changer; however, all the hype was met with disappointment as technology struggled to support the grand promises video analytics made.

As Joe points out, "The false start of video analytics 5 to 10 years ago left a bad taste in many security professionals’ mouths." Fortunately, technology has caught up and is continually improving, thus being able to finally enact major changes to the security industry.

To paraphrase an old commercial, ‘When Gartner talks, people listen.’ So when the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company says that Actionable Analytics are one of the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2013, it makes sense to pay attention to how this major trend can help your business.

3VR is looking forward to NRF's Annual Convention & EXPO this weekend and talking shop with industry insiders. From a corner store to a multinational chain, every retail organization understands the value of video surveillance for deterring and solving crime. But what if your video surveillance system could not only protect inventory, but also increase customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and boost sales?