DALLAS--For Trophy Nissan, the man on the street approach wasn't the best bet.

The Nissan dealership, selling new and used vehicles here, was experiencing theft and vandalism at its used car lot during weekends. In an effort to reduce the problem, it hired security guards and off-duty police officers to patrol the area, but saw little return on the investment, said Chris Grady, used vehicle director for the organization.

"The theft finally got so bad that we were spending between $5,000 and $6,000 a month on glass alone to repair the damages," he said.

Trophy Nissan then contracted systems integrator EyesThere to install cameras, which are mounted around the main building and the rear of the lot where most of the theft was occurring. Grady said the cameras serve as a deterrent.

"Immediately, the theft stopped until someone found a spot with no (camera) coverage and broke a hole through the fence and stole the wheels of a car," Grady said. "Since then, the fence has been replaced and the coverage installed for that zone. We have had no additional theft since then." Grady said Trophy Nissan also uses its camera system to watch the lot during regular business hours to make sure customers are being helped in the front and rear of the building.

The ability to turn video surveillance into more than a function of security is possible with IP capability, said Randy Andrews, co-founder and vice president of product development of EyesThere.

"Once you are recording your video digitally and you make that available over the Internet, it becomes an IT function and an useful tool," he said.

Andrews said the systems integration firm specializes in auto dealerships. He said there are various applications for IP video in such facilities. For example, in a premium auto dealership, the company can record very high-resolution video of a car as it driven into the service areas in case there is a dispute with the car's condition, or install a large monitor in the waiting area so customers can see when their car is ready.

Grady said Trophy Nissan has plans to install cameras in its service and parts department in the near future.