There's an old adage, "when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." The Vera world is a shining example. The Vera is not the answer for every problem, and security should probably be at the top of the list, not because Vera couldn't be great, but because the competition is already lightyears ahead: purpose-built to the task, decades of engineering and experience built-in, and millions of units successfully deployed.
I would avoid SimpliSafe and its kin for the same reasons.