The Night Ministry’s security upgrade
An aging system made access logs and recorded footage difficult to retrieve. See how Umbrella upgraded access control, cameras and intercoms for this Chicago nonprofit—and what its IT manager says changed.
See the project. Hear the experience.
Darreck Blackwell, IT Manager at The Night Ministry, and Umbrella’s Zach Brummel explain the problems, the installation and the change in daily work.
Read the video transcript 6-minute customer story
Lightly edited for readability. Select a timestamp to open that moment in the film.
0:00Darreck Blackwell: We wanted our youth to feel protected and not so much watched. We will get requests from Chicago Police if anything happened in the area. Footage that we got depending on the day was very grainy and it was of really bad quality. I couldn't find no one that would touch our system because it was outdated. I would definitely recommend Umbrella Security Systems to any nonprofit organization. I believe I gained a really great partner, and to me that's more important.
0:32Umbrella Security: We're here in Chicago at The Night Ministry. Umbrella Security is upgrading the camera system, access control, and the intercoms. The goal of the system upgrade here is to keep the staff and the clients of The Night Ministry safe.
0:47Darreck Blackwell: I'm Darreck Blackwell. I work for The Night Ministry. I've been here about 8 years, and I'm currently the IT manager that's in charge of, all of our infrastructure. Well, security is really important for us. It's not only about protecting the exterior, but it's also trying to provide a safe environment for our, staff and the people we serve, the visitors that we may encounter each and every day. So we just want to be able to provide a safe place for them. We wanted to be real intentional about the placement and the feeling, for the people we serve. We wanted our youth to feel protected and not so much watched, because this really isn't about watching them; it's just to make sure that they know that they're in a safe environment.
1:35Darreck Blackwell: Our old system had a lot of pain points. The major thing is that it was outdated and it was unsupported. The system was maybe 7 to 10 years old, and it was very difficult for the average users to use. Even me as an IT manager, it was hard to run reports, it was hard to find tracking when, anytime a supervisor asks for access log, it was extremely, difficult to find. Another pain point of our system was for the video surveillance system itself. Whenever a supervisor would ask me to, review footage, it was really a pain point. We will get requests from Chicago Police if anything happened in the area. That was also a pain point trying to extract that data out, and most of the time, most importantly, the data that we got, or the footage that we got depending on the day, was very grainy and it was of really bad quality.
2:29Darreck Blackwell: So I found Umbrella Security about 2 years ago. We had a panic bar that we had issues with, and after numerous of Google searches and reviews and in calls, I couldn't find no one that would touch our system because it was outdated. After numerous attempts of trying to find someone, ran across a website, and I decided to give them a call. And upon meeting one of their techs, Zach, they came out the next day or very quick. To my surprise, Zach was able to resolve the issue very quickly, as well as saved the company money. One of the things that I liked about Zach, the tech that came out, is that he was honest. He gave us real-time solutions that made sense for the organization.
3:19Zach Brummel: I'm Zach, our installation and support manager here at Umbrella Security. This project involves Brivo access control, Eagle Eye video surveillance, and, some intercoms as well. So what our Brivo access control system has solved for The Night Ministry is going to be their ease of use. Before, they were coming from a system called Keyscan Aurora. That system's on-premise, they can only manage it here. The workflow of that system is very complicated, as well as pulling reports. So what this system does is it's a cloud-based system. It gives them the ability to access and manage from anywhere, and specifically ties in with the Eagle Eye cameras to where they're one seamless product. some of what this integration helps them with is it allows them to have one seamless pane that they can access all the information they need, being entries, exits, as well as pulling footage automatically with cameras tied to those.
4:18Darreck Blackwell: The wonderful thing about the Brivo and Eagle Eye system is that it combines video, intercom, and your access under one umbrella. It gave me ease of administration because now it's a one-stop shop. I can put users in the same interface, which is very user-friendly. One of the great things about this system is I can verify who's using what credential. So I know that Darreck is using the correct credentials and he's not using the credential of another staff person. This system offers a lot of benefits for The Night Ministry. A, it now allows our receptionist to not be tied to her desk. Now that we have the Brivo app, on a mobile phone, she's able to multitask now. She can go check the mail, she can move away from her desk, she's just not tied in one specific spot. Another great thing about the Brivo system is that now when someone leaves their card at home, they also have the ability to be able to use the mobile pass. So no longer are you just tied to a physical card; you can use your phone, tap into the building, and they can proceed with the same access control as normal.
5:32Darreck Blackwell: I would definitely recommend Umbrella Security Systems to any nonprofit organization or, to be honest, any business that I may know. For the reason was communication. The communications with the owner—it's not too many times that you actually meet the owner of a company, that the owner actually comes out and speak with you. I believe that not only did we gain a great security system, but most importantly, I believe I gained a really great partner, and to me that's more important.
Security that staff could actually work with.
The organization needed a safe, welcoming place for staff, visitors and the people it serves. Darreck describes being intentional about equipment placement and the feeling it created.
Behind the scenes, the existing system made routine tasks difficult.
- 01Unsupported equipment.
The previous system was around seven to ten years old, according to Darreck. - 02Hard-to-find access logs.
Even the IT manager struggled to retrieve information requested by supervisors. - 03Difficult video review.
Extracting footage was cumbersome, and Darreck describes recordings that were sometimes grainy.
Bring access and video into the same workflow.
Umbrella’s scope covered access control, video surveillance and intercoms. Zach explains the move from an on-premises access system to cloud administration, with video tied to door activity.
At this site, the configuration combined Brivo access control and Eagle Eye video, replacing the previous Keyscan Aurora access environment. Explore the Brivo review for manufacturer-specific evaluation.
Access control
Remote administration replaced a workflow that had been managed on site. The project also gave staff a mobile credential option alongside physical cards.
Video surveillance
Connecting cameras with door events gives administrators video context for entries and exits. Zach describes pulling the associated footage through the integrated workflow.
Intercoms
Intercom work was part of the broader entry-security upgrade alongside access control and cameras.
What changed for the team.
Darreck describes a simpler interface, more flexibility at reception and another way for staff to enter when a card is forgotten.
“I believe I gained a really great partner. And to me, that’s more important.”
Watch the customer’s recommendation · 5:51 ↗Administration in one place
Darreck describes a more user-friendly interface for adding users and checking credential use with the associated video context.
Hear the administration experience · 4:16 ↗More flexibility for reception
With the app on a mobile phone, the receptionist can move away from the desk and attend to other tasks, according to Darreck.
Hear the reception example · 4:54 ↗An option when a card is forgotten
A mobile pass gives staff another way to enter with their assigned access permissions when they leave their physical card at home.
Hear the mobile credential example · 5:11 ↗It started with a repair.
Before this project, The Night Ministry needed help with a panic-bar issue. Darreck recalls struggling to find support for the older system before contacting Umbrella.
Zach resolved that issue and offered practical recommendations. For Darreck, that first service experience—and the communication that followed—helped build the trust behind the larger upgrade.
Hear how the relationship began · 2:30 ↗
Start with the task that is difficult today.
Use this project to define what your team needs to see in a demonstration: retrieving an access log, finding the video for a door event or issuing a mobile credential.
A walkthrough should establish what can be retained, what needs replacement and how staff will operate the finished system.
Compare other customer projects →Before planning an upgrade
Does an older system always need replacement?
No. This relationship began with a repair. An assessment should consider supportability, the cause of the problem and whether repair or replacement fits the organization.
Is the same configuration right for our facility?
Doors, existing equipment, network requirements, staff permissions, recurring costs and service needs affect the choice. Ask for a demonstration using the workflows your team will perform.
Project source: the customer and installer interviews published October 27, 2026. Photographs are original frames from that film. The account documents this installation and the customer’s experience; it does not specify the intercom model or quantify performance improvements.
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