Getting ready for digital signage 7: Usability and scalability

This article is the seventh in a series about choosing the network architecture for your digital signage system, If you're new to the concept of digital signage, or unfamiliar with the different architectures that existthen start with this article: Digital signage: getting ready. If you missed the previous article, see: Getting ready #6: Security

Digital signage is a communication tool designed to simplify communication on a range of screens. In addition to replacing print posters and the ability to broadcast animated messages on screens, it must offer tools for varying communication,extending the screen network,adapting to existing tools within the company, while guaranteeing maximum user comfort. Here are a few points of comparison between the different digital signage architecture models.

Découvrez la solution d'écrans dynamiques proposée par Cenareo

Accessibility

As a reminder, all the equipment for a digital signage system in an on-premise model is located on the company's local network. As a general rule, the system's management interface is only available on one workstation on the local network, or on the company's local network, and sometimes on all the company's sites (in the case of VPNs, for example). Few solutions offer remote access (outside the company) to the management software (although this choice is really up to the company installing the software).

In the SaaS model, the management interface is generally a web-based platform. This can be accessed anywhere the Internet is available, via an authentication system. SaaS solutions, which offer management software, can be managed from a workstation located anywhere, provided the software is installed. In this model, however, it is complex to restrict access to the management platform to a single network, or a single site.

Updates

Dans le cas d’une architecture SaaS, l’interface de gestion, ainsi que les players d’affichage sont mis à jour à distance, de façon continue et souvent de manière transparente pour l’utilisateur. Elles permettent de corriger certains bugs, de faire évoluer les services utilisés et embarqués et contribuent à maintenir des hauts niveaux de sécurité. De plus, les équipes technique du prestataire travaillent continuellement à l’amélioration de la solution. Ces mises à jour sont donc aussi souvent porteuses de nouvelles fonctionnalités et améliorations qui contribue à enrichir la solution. Ces changements interviennent au fur et à mesure et s’accompagnent souvent de courtes explications. Ainsi, des formations supplémentaires sont rarement nécessaires. Enfin, ces mises à jour sont souvent comprises dans l’abonnement.

With an on-premise architecture, remote updates are impossible. When they do occur, they often take the form ofan annual intervention by the service provider. Sometimes they can be carried out by the on-site technical team. They are often re-invoiced and, if they bring several new features at once, require additional training.

Third-party applications, customization and APIs

Connecting third-party services to your display system is a must for companies that want to adapt their communication tool to their business and guarantee rich, varied and constantly updated content.

In the case of on-premise and hybrid architectures, management software can often be customized and enriched in-house, by the client company, to perfectly match the company's needs, in cases where the software code is open source, or when APIs are available. This requires a technical team capable of developing these new services. In particular, these APIs enable the integration of new services, updated in real time and based on data supplied by the company. However, without Internet access, these new services can only use internal resources.

In the case of SaaS architecture, the management software (or platform) can rarely be enhanced or even modified, without going through the service provider. Some solutions offer a white-label version to customize the interface. They also set up APIs for technical teams to develop additional services and applications integrated into the system. These new external services can be connected to third-party applications (weather, public transit schedules, cultural agendas...), or to internal company data.

Scalability and remote sites

WithSaaS architecture, the new players are connected directly, via the Internet, to the service provider's server. Adding a screen, either locally or on a remote site, is simple and effortless.

In the case of hosted (on-premise) and hybrid architectures, interconnecting several remote sites generally requires more preparation and complex configuration. Where the company already interconnects its remote sites (via a Virtual Private Network (VPN), for example), implementation is simplified, although this introduces other issues, such as bandwidth consumption, shared with users at both local and remote sites. Often, a second, independent digital signage system will be deployed on the second site, thus losing the possibility of interaction between the different sites.

Content creation

Regardless of the architecture of the chosen model, some solutions offer content creation software (or a platform) in addition to the management software. This may be a tool specially developed by the service provider and often integrated into the management interface. It can also bean external tool, to be installed on the workstation or used via the Internet. These software tools come in the form of pre-prepared templates that can be customized with your own texts, colors and visuals , or blank pages to be completed with texts, images or visuals.

In the case of a hosted (on-premise) architecture, if the system does not offer content creation, it will be necessary to install additional software on one or more workstations (this may sometimes be invoiced). The templates to be customized (if any) are fixed and are only renewed when the system is updated.

In the case of SaaS architecture, solutions that offer templates for customization can make them evolve continuously. What's more, the Internet is full of free content creation solutions that can be used to populate content, and which are also constantly updated with new templates.

Conclusion

Ainsi, une architecture basée sur un modèle SaaS offre plus de services et plus de possibilités d’évolution qu’une solution hébergé (on-premise). Dans une solution SaaS, l’interface de gestion est accessible de n’importe où. De plus, elle est constamment à jour. Elle peut s’intégrer à un nombre infini de services externes. Elle permet simplement d’étendre le parc d’écran et elle s’accompagne souvent d’outil de création de contenus plus complets et performants qu’une solution hébergée (on-premise). Sur ces seuls paramètres, une solution d’affichage dynamique basée sur un modèle SaaS semble la plus adaptée pour des projets présentant une possibilité d’évolution (en terme de nombre d’écran, d’intégration de services…), ne disposant pas d’équipe technique à dédier au projet, ou possédant plusieurs sites distants.

Continue reading :

• Getting ready #1: Equipment
• Getting ready #2: Set-up time and effort
• Getting ready #3: Support technical and maintenance
• Getting ready #4: Training and familiarization time
• Getting ready #5: Connectivity and bandwidth
• Getting ready #6: Safety
• Getting ready #8: Pricing
• Summary: Getting ready for digital signage

Cenareo offers you an intuitive, scalable solution Saas solution, perfectly adapted to the needs of communications professionals in all sectors of activity: point-of-sale, in-house communications, hospitality and DOOH.

{{cta('2234d280-0394-4257-8e50-754f8a507348','justifycenter')}}