Preparing for digital signage 8: Pricing and pricing

This article is the eighth in a series on 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 #7: Use and scalability

Une solution d’affichage dynamique repose sur l’intégration de plusieurs équipements (players, serveurs…) ou logiciels… Ces derniers peuvent être mis à disposition ou vendus par un ou plusieurs prestataires différents. Chacun proposant ses propres produits (player et logiciel, player uniquement, logiciel uniquement…), il est difficile d’avoir une idée de la tarification exacte qui sera appliqué. Il est possible en revanche d’identifier les sources de coût, ainsi que la fréquence de facturation appliquée dans chacun des cas.

On-premise and hybrid models

Hosted (on-premise ) and hybrid architectures require a substantial initial investment. This investment essentially includes the cost of purchasing the hardware (server, players, routers, software, etc.), installing the equipment and any training required to master the management interface. To these costs must be added maintenance, often billed as an annual subscription.

In addition to this initial investment, there are other (hidden) costs, which are rarely indicated on service providers' invoices. Indeed, software updates are often billed on a recurring basis (often on an annual basis). Wear and tear, and hence hardware replacement, is another parameter not to be overlooked. Although there are no set rules, the lifespan of players and servers is generally around 5 to 7 years. This is the date after which the equipment must be replaced. In the case of large fleets where a technical team is dedicated to system maintenance, salaries (or part of them) should also be added to the final invoice.

This can make budgeting difficult.

SaaS model

In a SaaS architecture, invoicing is carried out on a monthly (or annual) basis, and in most cases corresponds to a subscription to the management software (or platform). Updates to the management interface and players are often included in the subscription, as is technical support.

In cases where the acquisition of display players is planned, additional investment may be required. What's more, in the case of difficult connectivity, the addition of network equipment (Wi-Fi routers, 3G...) as well as subscriptions and mobile data packages may be necessary. While maintenance is often included in the subscription, training courses may be billed extra.

Planning your budget is often much simpler.

Power consumption

All too often forgotten when budgeting for a digital signage system, and absent from suppliers' invoices, the electricity bill nevertheless plays an important role in the bill, especially on long-term projects. Indeed, whatever the architecture chosen, electricity consumption will be impacted. In a hosted (on-premise) or hybrid architecture, it will include the power consumption of players, servers and their conditioning (adapted cooling, 24/7 operation...). In the case of SaaS architecture, the invoice is limited to the power consumption of the players and any routers. In all cases, screen power consumption must be taken into account.

De nombreuses solutions existent, et avec chacune d’elles, des modèles de tarification différents. Bien que, généralement, les solutions SaaS facturent un abonnement récurrent et les solutions hébergées (on-premise) facturent un achat unique. À cette base, différents services additionnels peuvent se rajouter, chacun avec son propre modèle de facturation (maintenance de façon régulière ou développement spécifique en facturation unique). Il existe néanmoins des solutions d’affichage dynamique gratuite (sous la forme d’un logiciel à installer sur des machines non fournies), mais leur installation ainsi que leur utilisation est destinée plus souvent à des développeurs confirmés qu’à des professionnels de la communication et requièrent beaucoup de temps et d’efforts. Dans ces solutions, le support est rarement inclus.

→ Find out more about free digital signage solutions

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 #7: Usability and scalability
• 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.

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