As we know, theft is one of, if not THE, biggest expense for many businesses. But there is a technology that is gaining popularity that could prove more effective than any other method.

Right now, RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) is being used by such retail giants as Wal-Mart and Dutch bookseller Selexyz for inventory management. But what is becoming quite apparent is that, while the technology saves a huge amount of labor, eliminating manual inventory-taking, for example, it also provides the best theft protection ever. The radio frequency tells a manager how many items are in the facility and the exact physical location of each and every one. It’s like a GPS for items.

In fact, a shoe manufacturer, Reno, just announced the company will embed RFID tags right into the shoes, so that any retailer who chooses can use the tags to track any shoes that inadvertently leave the store unpaid for.

Mark my words: within two years, we’ll see this technology incorporated into AV products, so that anyone who manages AV systems in schools and school systems, corporations – anywhere with expensive equipment – can track a wandering projector, flat-panel display or video camera.

For more on the technology, visit here.