Modern Physical Security at Scale: A Software-First Approach to Infrastructure
Leah Friedman
Head of Content
Physical security infrastructure is undergoing a fundamental shift from siloed, capital-intensive systems to cloud-first platforms that drive operational efficiency. After all, security is no longer just locking doors and monitoring cameras but is about efficiency, scalability, and adapting to the evolving needs of an unpredictable world. Organizations are moving beyond outdated, fragmented security systems and embracing software-first, cloud-based solutions that offer real-time oversight, automation, and seamless integrations.
That's why organizations worldwide are turning to Verkada, a leader in cloud-based physical security, when seeking to modernize their security infrastructure. From Fortune 500 companies to local school districts, from major healthcare networks to government agencies—organizations of every size and sector are choosing Verkada to power their security transformation.
For many teams, transitioning to a modern physical security system can feel daunting. Legacy infrastructure often creates roadblocks, from unreliable hardware to siloed management systems that struggle to scale. But as security threats grow more sophisticated and operational needs evolve, more organizations than ever are seeing the value in and making the switch to cloud-based security.
At Verkada, we’ve helped organizations across industries navigate this transition and modernize their infrastructure to stay protected and realize business efficiencies. Here’s how some of our customers have successfully made the leap to cloud security.
Sharp Fukuyama Laser: A Complete Security Overhaul
Sharp Fukuyama Laser, a leader in precision laser and semiconductor manufacturing, faced significant challenges with outdated security infrastructure. Their existing system relied on fragmented, on-premise solutions that were difficult to scale, maintain, and monitor. The company required a centralized, modern security approach to protect its high-value assets and strengthen the safety of its workforce.
Through the implementation of Verkada, Sharp Fukuyama Laser gained the ability to:
Centralize management with a single platform that integrates cameras, access control, and intercoms, simplifying operations and reducing reliance on manual processes.
Achieve a 90% reduction in operating costs by minimizing reliance on outsourced services.
Reduce installation costs by 50% by leveraging existing LAN infrastructure and eliminating the need for network video recorders (NVRs)
Take investigation time down from hours to minutes, thanks to AI-driven video search tools.
“We see potential for integrating video data with production systems to optimize factory operations. Verkada’s solutions extend beyond security, supporting both environmental and operational goals,” – Sadao Inoue, General Manager of the IT Promotion Department at Sharp Fukuyama Laser
Pacing the Transition
When Exertis Supply Chain Services, a global leader in supply chain design and operation, decided to upgrade its security infrastructure, they needed a solution that allowed them to transition without disrupting operations or requiring an immediate full-system replacement. Similarly, Elim Village, a senior living community managing nearly 200 cameras and 20 DVRs, faced constant technical issues and needed a security system that could scale. The transition to a hybrid-cloud system enabled both organizations to modernize security gradually.
Exertis benefited from a phased deployment model, allowing them to upgrade locations gradually while maintaining seamless integration with existing infrastructure. “For anyone hesitant to retrofit, you don’t need to replace everything at once. Verkada lets you scale your system over time,” said Paul Tierney, Site Lead at Exertis.
Meanwhile, over the course of its 6-month rollout, Elim Village reduced maintenance headaches, gaining a reliable, user-friendly interface with automatic system updates and centralized monitoring.
“We open a new building about every two years. As Elim Village grows, we need a comprehensive but simple-to-use security system that can scale with us. [...] We have peace of mind knowing everything is functioning at maximum capacity with a single interface, and will continue to do so for another decade or more.” — Neil Barkey, Facilities Manager at Elim Village.
Remote Management for Multi-Site Enterprises
“We’re expanding to new facilities, which posed the question ‘What do we want to do holistically from a security standpoint?’ We had the choice to keep adding disparate systems to each site, or have a single solution to unify security across all our locations.” – Christopher Koch, Director of Information Systems at Adams Beverages
Adams Beverages faced a critical decision as it expanded: continue adding disparate security systems to each new facility or consolidate operations under a single, unified platform. With legacy access control software running on end-of-life Windows XP, upgrading would have cost upwards of $30,000, and system failures meant employees were using credentials from former staff members.
After migrating to Verkada security system, Adams Beverages no longer needed on-premise server maintenance and was able to centralize access and video management, and enable remote security oversight across all locations. Christopher Koch, Director of Information Systems explained that “Verkada makes it easy to remotely manage users, cameras, and doors across the entire organization on one platform. Any changes I make are automatically synced across all locations, I don’t need to worry about logging into multiple systems and updating each one.”
For larger-scale organizations, managing security across multiple locations can be an operational challenge. South Washington County Schools transitioned to Verkada to provide a centralized, modern security system that simplified operations across multiple campuses. The 19,000-student district needed a solution that could provide seamless remote monitoring, better access control, and real-time incident response capabilities.
With Verkada, the school district was able to enhance its real-time security monitoring and access control management, allowing administrators to respond to incidents in seconds rather than minutes. Additionally, Verkada’s SCIM integration allowed the district to automate the onboarding and offboarding process for camera and access permissions. By integrating directly with the district’s identity management system, users can be automatically provisioned and de-provisioned based on their status in the directory.
"We can quickly grant or revoke access from a security group in Active Directory, which saves us significant time and ensures accuracy," explained Robert Berkowitz, Director of Technology at South Washington County Schools
Establishing Global Security Standards
As Camping World, a retailer of recreational vehicles and outdoor gear with stores in 48 states, expanded its operations, its security challenges grew as well. Managing security across multiple locations became complex, with hidden costs accumulating due to equipment maintenance, upgrades, and inconsistencies in security deployments. “Shadow IT” also became a concern, as individual stores installed prosumer cameras on the network without IT oversight, creating security gaps and operational inefficiencies.
Camping World's adoption of a unified, cloud-managed security system resulted in standardized infrastructure across all locations and helped reduce costs through vendor consolidation—all while allowing IT and security teams to oversee operations from anywhere.
“Verkada’s simplicity is like night and day compared to traditional systems. We eliminated the need for multiple vendors and have one solution that does it all.” – Jamin Horton, Director of IT at Camping World
Leveraging APIs and Integrations for Seamless Security Management
Global lifestyle brand Canada Goose required a security system that could seamlessly integrate with its existing enterprise applications while providing real-time data synchronization and automated security workflows. With Verkada’s API-based Helix integration, the company was able to:
Link security footage with operational data, improving the efficiency of security and compliance teams.
Automate access control and incident management, reducing response times and eliminating manual processes.
Streamline investigative workflows, saving an average of one hour per security incident by connecting security data with case management tools.
“The ability to populate POS transactions makes loss prevention investigations faster and easier. Any variance at the end of the day is typically significant due to the cost of our merchandise. When we can search for and review clips of transactions from one platform, we save time that can now go towards other areas of the business.” – Devon King, Senior Manager of Security Operations at Canada Goose
In the public sector, the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) sought to improve its crime-solving capabilities by integrating community-owned cameras into their video security system through Fūsus, a real-time crime center platform. Fūsus connects public and private security camera networks, giving law enforcement agencies a unified system for accessing, analyzing, and responding to incidents more efficiently.
Deploying Verkada’s cameras integrated with Fūsus, WSPD achieved expanded monitoring, real-time analytics, and reduced investigation times from days to minutes.
Driving Value Through Modern Security Infrastructure
Physical security infrastructure is becoming a key enabler of operational efficiency and business intelligence. Organizations leveraging Verkada's platform aren't just reducing costs—they're using security data to optimize operations, strengthen compliance, and drive business decisions.
For IT, Security, and Ops leaders evaluating infrastructure modernization, the path forward is clear: software-first platforms that seamlessly integrate with enterprise systems, automate manual processes, and generate actionable insights deliver compelling ROI beyond traditional security metrics.
Contact us to discuss your organization's security infrastructure transformation.
