How Memphis Business Academy Moved Multi-Campus Video to the Cloud Without Lock-In
A single pane of glass over old and new camera systems
Cloud-based, hardware-agnostic, and free from vendor lock-in
A gradual migration that keeps existing cameras in service
The Memphis Business Academy story
An Old-School Industry, Expensive Lock-In, and Hours of Footage
Memphis Business Academy is a charter network with seven schools across five locations and roughly 1,800–1,900 students. Jerry Wilson, its IT Director, had been pushing for a cloud-based NVR long before he discovered Coram — a system that was cloud-first, easy to use, and free from rigid hardware lock-in.
The problem, as Wilson saw it, wasn’t just technology; it was the business model around it. Traditional vendors expected schools to pay for cameras, installation, and ongoing subscriptions “for them to essentially provide you with bad service.” He tested other platforms. Verkada’s closed ecosystem, with proprietary hardware and subscriptions, felt like a trap: once you invest, you’re locked in. Avigilon promised hardware agnosticism, but still came with licensing overhead, didn’t deliver on support promises, and wasn’t as easy as he wanted for end users.
Meanwhile, day-to-day work remained painfully manual. As Wilson jokes, “Do you know how long it takes to watch three hours of security video? About three hours.”
The Solution
Cloud, Flexibility, and One Pane of Glass
When Wilson discovered Coram, the pitch aligned with what he’d been asking for: a cloud-based system that could support multi-site operations and let security staff work independently of IT. “I believe Coram is the future of video surveillance software,” he says.
Crucially, Coram didn’t force a rip-and-replace. At the time of the interview, Memphis Business Academy still had buildings on older systems, along with cameras on Verkada and Avigilon. Coram’s ability to integrate with Avigilon and pull disparate cameras into a single platform meant Wilson didn’t have to abandon existing investments or upgrade every site at once.
Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:
- Cloud-based, multi-location visibility: One platform for video across every site
- Hardware-agnostic by design: A flexible approach that avoids lock-in and integrates with the Avigilon cameras already in place
- A modern, uncluttered interface: Rich functionality “but you're not overburdened with menus and options,” so non-technical users can navigate it
- Easy clip sharing via links: Plus AI-powered tools that replace scrubbing through hours of video
- Fast, knowledgeable support: Questions submitted during trial and early integration “got immediate responses.”
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The Benefits
A Thoughtful UI and Support That Actually Answers
Even as a relatively new customer still mid-migration, Wilson sees clear benefits. As a software developer himself, he immediately recognized a different design philosophy in Coram’s UI. “I can tell that this was created by software developers,” he says — and that makes the system far easier for security staff to actually use.
Support has matched the product. Wilson found he was clearly talking to someone who understood the system, not a first-level script reader, and issues were worked through quickly. For an IT leader in a resource-constrained school, that matters: “every $5 I waste is a $5 that could have gone to a student's education”. When he picks a vendor, he’s looking for a partner, not just another line item. With Coram, “it felt like a right fit.”
What Memphis Business Academy Is Doing with Coram
- Running one pane of glass: Coram overlays the older systems so the head of security sees every site in a single platform.
- Migrating on their own timeline: Buildings on older systems come across gradually, with no rip-and-replace and no need to upgrade every site at once.
- Skipping the scrubbing: AI-powered tools replace watching hours of security video to find a moment.
- Letting security staff work independently of IT: An interface with rich functionality that non-technical users can navigate on their own.
“I would recommend Coram,” Wilson says. He encourages others to “get on board now” rather than keep dealing with old technology when they could be learning and benefiting from what’s next. For a charter network with limited resources, Coram delivered what Wilson had been asking for all along: cloud-first, flexible, and free of lock-in.
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I think Coram is future proof… it allows a flexibility that doesn't necessarily lock me into one system and it allows me to have an overlay over old systems so that my head of security still gets that single pane of glass.
In a lot of ways, Coram seems like a company run by people who know what they're doing.
