How Poster House Added AI and Cloud Access Without Replacing a Camera

A Camera System Buried Under VPNs, Flash, and a Three-Page PDF

Poster House is the only poster museum in the United States. Aaron Cohen, Chief Technology Officer, oversees everything from cybersecurity and web development to on-site projectors, door systems, and cameras — many of them installed during the museum’s early planning phase, dating back to 2015.

As those systems aged, the gaps became obvious. The camera system ran only on the local network, so checking footage remotely meant connecting through a VPN. The video feed relied on Flash, which most browsers no longer support, and on mobile it didn’t work at all. “You couldn’t even see the cameras,” Cohen said. “You’d have to remote into a laptop or something.”

In a museum where many staff are not deeply technical, that friction created real risk. Reaching the cameras during an incident required training, documentation, and patience the team couldn’t afford when time mattered. “It was another hurdle just to even show people how to jump through all those hoops to look at the cameras and keep the building safe,” Cohen explained.

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Layering On, Not Ripping Out

Cohen had long wanted to modernize security, but every path seemed expensive and disruptive: replacing cameras, ripping into walls, upgrading card readers. “From looking at it in the past, it seemed like it might be a huge undertaking,” he said. None of it fit a small team or a limited budget.

After attending an informational webinar, Cohen realized Coram could layer directly on top of the museum’s existing IP cameras. “When I saw that you can really just route IP cameras through a new platform in a cloud-based way, I was like, ‘Oh, this could actually be something we could do pretty quickly.’” The timing aligned: the museum was nearing the end of its fiscal year with limited remaining budget, and Coram offered a way to modernize without a construction project.

Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:

• Cloud access without VPNs or legacy plugins: A modern web interface that works anywhere, on any connection
• Works with existing IP cameras: No rip-and-replace, no construction project
• Mobile-friendly: Cameras are viewable from a phone, something the old system couldn’t do at all
• AI-powered alerts and visibility: Alerts, rules, and AI-driven visibility the previous system couldn’t support
• Simple login with familiar tools: Staff sign in with a Google account instead of following a three-page PDF

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From a Three-Page Emergency Guide to One Instruction: Log In

The most immediate improvement was accessibility. Camera access moved from VPN tunnels and outdated plugins to a modern web interface that works anywhere, on any connection, including mobile. “Just the bare basics of being able to log in from anywhere… and from my phone,” Cohen said, was a major unlock. Instead of a multi-step emergency guide, staff now have a single instruction: log in.

Coram also introduced capabilities the previous system couldn’t support at all. “Being able to set up alerts for safety and for certain people is really useful,” Cohen said. “Being able to click on someone’s face and see the last time they were on site… that’s really useful.”

What Poster House Is Doing with Coram

• Logging in from anywhere: One website and a Google account, from a desk or a phone — no VPN, no plugin, no laptop to remote into.
• Responding faster when it matters: Staff who aren’t deeply technical can pull up the cameras in an emergency without a manual.
• Setting up alerts for safety and for certain people: Rules and AI-driven visibility the old system couldn’t offer.
• Checking who was on site: Click on someone’s face and see the last time they were on site.

For Cohen, the value isn’t just advanced features; it’s accessibility. “Having tech systems that are simultaneously really secure and safe, but also really easy for a range of people to use is really important to protect a business.” For organizations that assume modern security means tearing out walls and replacing hardware, he sees a more practical path, especially for smaller institutions.

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