Addressing common Digital Signage concerns.

With all technologies new to a specific market sector, there are often concerns surrounding adoption. Digital Signage is no exception. Let’s discuss a few common concerns and whether each one is legitimate or not.

It‘s too expensive.

This is no longer the case. Screen and computing costs have fallen dramatically over the last five years. As more suppliers enter the marketplace, equipment prices drop. Plus there are fewer barriers to entry. With more small- and mid-sized institutions wanting digital signage, vendors have complied by developing solutions at price points specifically for them.

It‘s too difficult to set up and/or use.

No longer. A good digital signage solution should be easy to use by even non-technical users, with very little work being required of the school staff. The ease of use will encourage buy-in of both staff and students to the new system. It’s considerably easier than it used to be to dynamically change the content with non-technical staff, and customize different screens in different locations. As is often said, “content is king” with digital signage. The quality of your content will dictate the amount of attention it receives from a targeted audience. Fresh and regularly updated content is essential to maximize the value of a digital signage system.

Only a few trained individuals will be able to use it.

To be adopted successfully by all, your digital signage system has to have a simple, easily accessible Web-based interface so anyone with appropriate permission can upload new content with minimal training. Available today are content-management tools with ready-made templates that give even noncreative people the power to develop impressive-looking presentations. User-friendly editing tools and menu-based GUIs give everyday staff the ability to update content with little training.

If it’s so easy to set up, why not let our technicians do it themselves (DIY)?

There are several reasons. It can become a project for an already overstretched IT department — even if taken on during the summer months. They’d prefer to focus on other issues. Ongoing support and maintenance will be a problem, too. What’s more, the time cost will be greater than the result. Just putting a Powerpoint® presentation up on screens isn’t good enough in this day and age. The quality will be lower. But by going with an off-the-shelf, fully preconfigured and tested solution, it’ll be much easier to get the presentation quality that’ll make your school administrators proud.

Won’t I just be asking for security problems?

You may wonder if such a system will be open to abuse (for example, students gaining access and posting unsuitable content that will embarrass you and your institution). Any good digital signage system should have sufficient password protection and encryption techniques for preventing access by unauthorized users. These safeguards keep students and others from tampering with content or the system in any way. Some systems even have built-in firewalls.