Bethesda Country Club
140
acres
55,000
square foot facility
940
members
Located just north of Washington D.C., Bethesda Country Club is an esteemed country club recognized by Board Room Magazine as a Distinguished Club of America. The organization hosts 940 members and sits on approximately 140 acres that include a championship 18-hole golf course, ten tennis courts, dining and event spaces, fitness center, swimming pools, a seasonal ice rink, and a 55,000 square foot facility.
In her role as the Clubhouse Manager, Susana Soriano oversees the club concierge, locker rooms, housekeeping, website, and security cameras. She inherited a network video recorder (NVR) camera system with critical limitations when it came to usability, reliability, and functionality.
“What I learned about it was what it wasn’t doing for us. We needed more information, and more reliable information.”
Challenges
Patchwork of disparate camera systems
No centralized management
Outdated software and manual process of searching for footage
Cameras were not continuously recording due to limited storage space on NVR/DVR
Service turnaround time and cost
“The biggest challenge for us was that we had several NVRs with limited storage. Sometimes we had enough storage onboard, and sometimes it wouldn’t record for X amount of days when we needed it to. We also had two outdated software platforms, so we had to figure out which platform to use when we were reviewing video. Then the process of reviewing the video itself would take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour when looking for something specific.”
Soriano faced several challenges with the older system, which was a patchwork of disparate analog and IP cameras connected to two outdated software platforms. With no centralized management, she and her team struggled to figure out which platform to use when footage had to be accessed. Reviewing footage was often a guessing game due to the systems’ limited search capabilities, and gaps in coverage would often result when the NVR ran out of storage space.
Why Verkada?
1. Easy camera deployment via the Verkada app
2. User-friendly remote access from any browser or device
3. Granular site management and custom user permissions
4. Motion-based alerts for after hours security
5. Advanced search features for faster incident resolution
6. License Plate Recognition (LPR) solution for parking lot security
7. Free and responsive customer support
8. Video sharing via SMS or email links
“The goal was to have a single system for all of our cameras. This way we can add cameras to scale as we build new facilities, revamp areas, and continue to grow.”
With Verkada, Soriano has a centralized security camera system that scales with the organization. From People to Vehicle Analytics, she uses intuitive search features in the Command software platform to quickly scroll through footage for faster incident resolution. With hybrid cloud storage, footage is stored on board the camera itself—with options for up to 365 days—and can also be archived to the cloud and stored indefinitely.
Easy camera deployment via the Verkada app
“It’s very easy to get cameras up and running. I have the mobile app, so I just scan the QR code and it fills out all the information, camera model, serial number, everything. As soon as you plug the camera into any ethernet cable, it takes a minute or two to register and it’s ready to use. So extremely easy, very quick, and it saved a lot of time and money not calling IT to do this for us.”
User-friendly remote access from any browser or device
“When our department heads aren’t here, they can easily set up Motion Alerts or keep an eye on their areas. They find Verkada really easy to use, enjoy how good the clarity is, and all have the mobile app on their phones.”
Granular site management and custom user permissions
“It’s easy to organize the sites. For us we have the cameras in two buildings. The Clubhouse is divided by department, so I’m able to customize access levels and give each department head access to the cameras only in their respective areas."
Motion-based alerts for after hours security
“The Greens department is here very early in the morning and also head out a little earlier in the day. We set up Motion Notifications for the Grounds Superintendent so if someone is in this building after hours, he’ll get an alert when there shouldn’t be anyone there.”
Advanced search features for faster incident resolution
“Once we watched a demo of Verkada, we saw how easy it is to search through footage with just Face Match and Vehicle Analytics. There’s been some theft from vehicles in the area specifically targeting country clubs. One of the detectives in the area will send us information like, ‘Now they’re using a blue Toyota Camry with this license plate,’ or, ‘The latest vehicle was a Green Pontiac.’ All of the managers with access to Verkada use the Vehicle Analytics feature to see, ‘Have they been here? Are they here now?’”
License Plate Recognition (LPR) solution for parking lot security
“With quick access to detailed and reliable information, the LPR camera really completes and complements our security camera system. Just like the other cameras we are able to look at reliable and detailed footage quickly. I also like that it captures the license plates even when vehicles are moving at a relatively fast pace. Installation is quick and easy, and when paired with another camera for context, we get all the information we need.”
Free and responsive customer support
“I mostly used the Help Center when I was trying to configure users and settings. I would type in something quickly about access levels, and it pulled up some really simple and easy-to-use articles. Customer service at Verkada has been great, I’m always reaching out to them and they are very responsive.”
Video sharing via SMS or email links
“One of the local General Managers wanted to see how we implemented our seasonal ice rink, and I sent him a link to the video within minutes. I gave him access for a day, and he was able to look at the video to see how we’re running that part of our operations.”
Looking Ahead
“The way I went about installing the cameras was to make sure that we have eyes on all of our primary entrances, anywhere we would have a lot of traffic or large gatherings.”
For the initial deployment, Soriano prioritized high-traffic areas in and around the Clubhouse, the parking lot, retail space and equipment storage. Her next step is to deploy additional cameras in areas where currently there isn’t enough security. She is also planning to add Verkada’s License Plate Recognition solution to complement the existing camera overlooking the Clubhouse driveway to keep tabs on vehicles entering and leaving the grounds.
To try Verkada at your organization, request a free trial camera or attend our weekly webinar.