How Mohonk Mountain House Modernized Security Without Ripping Out Its Cameras
Legacy cameras kept, on-prem servers eliminated
Full rollout in under a day, with cameras auto-distributed
Facial recognition alerts when terminated staff return
The Mohonk Mountain House story
A Historic Resort Outgrowing Its Legacy System
Mohonk Mountain House is a historic resort with over 750 staff and hundreds of acres to manage. Keeping up with that operational demand takes a modern surveillance system, and the resort’s legacy platform, Milestone, had become outdated — poor support, unreliable mobile access, and frequent maintenance needs.
The IT team was carrying all of it on its own. “We were managing our own servers and licensing with no real support,” said Bron Walis, IT Director. “When we lost footage from 100 cameras due to a server issue, that was the breaking point.”
The complexity and rigidity of the old system made even the most routine changes burdensome. Mohonk needed a solution that could scale, integrate with legacy infrastructure, and eliminate server headaches, all without disrupting operations.
The Solution
Keep the Cameras, Lose the Servers
After researching multiple vendors and running a proof of concept, Coram quickly stood out. The platform let Mohonk retain its existing cameras while adding modern AI features and eliminating on-prem servers. “Setup took a day,” Walis said.
Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:
- AI without the rip-and-replace: Works with the resort’s legacy cameras
- Fast deployment: Full rollout in under a day, with cameras auto-distributed across servers
- Mobile access that works: A single login for desktop and mobile
- Facial recognition and license plate capture: A new layer of situational awareness for the security team
- Real-time alerts: From hardware issues to security incidents
- Reliable support: AI chat plus responsive human backup
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The Benefits
Security First, Then the Rest of the Resort
Coram proved valuable well beyond IT. Facial recognition and license plate capture gave the security team a powerful new layer of situational awareness, and other departments — from spa services to the front desk — began using the system to support daily operations. The resort now uses alerts for everything from downed cameras to terminated staff re-entering the property, thanks to automated facial recognition alerts.
Even the AI-powered chat support impressed. “It actually worked. If it didn’t have the answer, it opened a ticket. That’s exactly how support should be.”
What Mohonk Is Doing with Coram
- Catching downed cameras: Automated alerts flag hardware issues across the property
- Flagging former staff: Facial recognition alerts when terminated staff re-enter the property
- Supporting daily operations: Departments from spa services to the front desk use the system day to day
- Checking in from anywhere: One login for desktop and mobile, with no on-prem servers to manage
- Staying ahead of issues: “Coram’s alerting features make it even easier to stay ahead of issues,” Walis said
Walis’s measure of success is simple. “If I’m not hearing complaints from staff, that’s a win,” Walis said. Mohonk continues to expand Coram across its sprawling campus, with plans for staff training and new cross-departmental applications in the coming months, and the platform is now part of the resort’s long-term infrastructure strategy. Asked whether Mohonk would recommend Coram: “Absolutely,” said Walis.
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We plugged in the Coram box, added a few existing cameras, and everything just worked. It even auto-distributed cameras across servers, which saved us a ton of time.
Coram worked with us and delivered a system that’s flexible, reliable, and powerful. I’d make the same choice again.
