Midwest's largest nightclub invests in security

FORT WAYNE, Ind.--Pierre's Entertainment Center, a 60,000-square-foot nightclub complex that can serve as many as 4,500 people on a given night, completed the installation of a $250,000 networked security system this month. Networked by Innovative Technology Specialists, a small system integrator here, and largely installed by club employees, the system features 60 viewable cameras, 12 miles of cable and the ability to scan and store the IDs of every patron who walks in the door hosted on three DVR servers. "Just what I've caught in the last three weeks is amazing," said club general manager and Pierre's chief executive officer Todd Smith. "I'm able to for the first time ever to watch the whole club." The new system replaces 32 VCRs recording independently, said Smith. He looked into upgrading five years ago, but said the technology to make it worthwhile wasn't available until recently. ITS's Ryan Delegrange said his company specializes in Linux backup servers and IT support, and has only recently entered the security market as a reseller for Wavelet, a British company with proprietary software and compression cards for DVRs. Other recent jobs include the Bay 101 Card Club, a casino in San Jose, Calif. With partners Adam Atkinson and Brandon Dawson, Delegrange said security is going to be a big part of the company's growth. "We've done a lot of IT consulting," he said. "We're thinking about spinning another company off of ITS to do the security." This could, he said, involve becoming a reseller for two other possible DVR manufacturers. As for nightclubs and security, "I go around to look at what other people are doing," said Smith of other nightclubs. He said he recently returned from viewing Orlando's Pleasure Island, part of the Disney World complex. "I could save a company like Disney millions of dollars," Smith said.