How Warren Local Schools Lightened the IT Load Without Replacing Its Cameras

One Failed NVR, and Every Footage Request Routed Through IT

Warren Local Schools is a K-12 district in southeastern Ohio serving 2,200 students. Its aging, on-prem video system made retrieval slow and frustrating: only select machines running proprietary software could access footage, which placed the burden entirely on IT.

“If someone needed footage, it had to go through me,” said Kyler Gage, Network Administrator. “There was no easy way for principals or school resource officers to pull what they needed. It just wasn’t scalable.”

The tipping point came when one of the district’s NVRs failed. Rather than reinvest in a system that was already slowing them down, the team began evaluating new options.

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A Hybrid Model That Keeps Video Local and Access Easy

Kyler led a collaborative selection process with IT, the superintendent, and the district treasurer. After comparing multiple vendors, Coram emerged as the most practical and cost-effective fit. “We liked the interface, the pricing, and the ability to keep our existing cameras,” said Kyler. “And unlike most cloud systems, Coram offered on-prem storage, which was big for us to preserve bandwidth.”

Coram gave the district a hybrid cloud model: secure, local storage paired with easy remote access. The rollout began in one building and is expanding gradually as legacy equipment ages out.

Coram stood out for a few specific reasons:

• Works with existing cameras: No rip-and-replace needed
• Hybrid cloud option: On-prem storage with cloud convenience
• User-friendly interface: Easy for non-IT staff to find footage fast
• Responsive support: Chat and hands-on help when needed
• Licenses include cameras: Built-in backup when hardware fails

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Hot Spares, Faster Recovery, and a Lighter IT Load

Beyond ease of use, Coram delivered operational benefits the district hadn’t planned on. “Because the licenses include Coram cameras, we’ve been able to keep a few on the shelf,” Kyler said. “So if one of our existing cameras fails, we can just hot-swap it immediately. That’s been a huge time-saver.”

Support stood out as well, with chat and hands-on help when needed — and when Kyler needed a person, they jumped in quickly, even fixing an issue overnight.

What Warren Local Schools Is Doing with Coram

• Keeping spares on the shelf: Licenses include Coram cameras, so a failed camera is hot-swapped immediately.
• Preserving bandwidth: On-prem storage keeps video local while remote access stays easy.
• Putting footage within reach: A user-friendly interface that non-IT staff can use to find footage fast, instead of routing every request through IT.
• Expanding building by building: Coram is rolling out across more buildings as the old system is gradually retired.
• Getting help fast: Chat and hands-on support when needed, including an issue fixed overnight.

Once the rollout is complete, the district plans to onboard additional staff to the platform for faster, more decentralized video access. Asked whether he would recommend Coram, Kyler’s answer was “Absolutely.” For a district that once routed every footage request through a single administrator, that is the point: modernize without replacing the entire setup, and take the weight off IT.

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