As mentioned a few articles ago, WireSpring has released a whitepaper
that outlines some of the top pitfalls to avoid when planning a kiosk
or digital sign deployment. In this article, I'm going to cover #12 on
the list (and also touch on #8 and #5):
Failing to account for maintenance, repair and life expectancy.
This
isn't a particularly glamorous topic, but that makes it even easier to
overlook. The fact is that hardware breaks, and power outages and
physical abuse can quickly take its toll on the delicate computer
hardware packed into most kiosks and digital signage players.
Couple this with the fact that many networks feature machines across
the country (or the world, in some cases), and the hardware is often
placed inside cabinets, behind walls, or suspended from the ceiling (in
the case of some digital sign networks), and repair costs can escalate
to the point where a single truck roll could easily cost several
hundred dollars.
Thus, it's imperative to plan ahead, use high
quality parts, and partner with a professional service organization (if
you don't want to handle repairs yourself -- and you probably
don't). Let's look at each of these in turn:
1. Use High-Quality Parts
There
are actually options out there for people putting their own systems
together, and for those of you using a 3rd party integrator to assemble
your kit, it's worth asking about the types and quality of the parts
being used. Don't let a vendor use a crappy or discontinued part
to save a few dollars. For example, most commodity hard disk
makers today offer several versions of the same disk. Sure, there
have always been lines for IDE vs. SCSI (which are typically more
expensive and limited to servers or high-end workstations). But
now there is even more granularity, and since hard drives are the most
fragile parts going into kiosk and signage players today, they are a
good place to start with. For a while now, Western Digital
has been offering both "value" and "professional" series of the same
drives. Though similar in density, the professional series
(formerly known as "JB" and now called "SE")
add features like fluid bearing drive motors (quieter and more reliable
than ball bearing motors), larger cache sizes, shock and vibration
protection, and longer warranties. The latter point is
particularly important -- most IDE and ATA hard drives today only come with a 1 year warranty!
The power supply and physical enclosure of the system are the other two
components most likely to cause you headaches over the course of your
deployment. Use a high-quality metal enclosure to help block out
RF interference (make sure it's properly cooled -- take a look at our FireCast Media Appliance dynamic digital signage player
for a good example), and I'd recommend using a server-grade power
supply as well. Ask about extended warranties, on-site service,
and return or replacement policies when making your purchases.
2. Partner with a Professional Service Organization
Even
using the best hardware that money can buy (within reason, of course),
expect a 2-3% failure rate for a given 12-month period of operation of
your kiosk or digital sign network. Get ready for it by
partnering with a professional service organization before
deploying. In the past our customers have used TAP Services, BlueWire Services and PC Pinpoint Business
to service their networks, and in general, they have been happy.
These firms will work with you to establish regular maintenance and
cleaning schedules, provide 24-hour 1st line technical support, and
offer on-site repair and replacement policies. More often than
not they will suggest a per-unit monthly fee (perhaps even including
parts and labor for any on-site visits) to cover all of these things,
so that you won't have to make a massive capital expenditure to pay for
services before ever deploying a single unit. If you go this
route, I would highly recommend purchasing the extra 2-3% of hardware
that you expect to have fail, and have your partner keep it in
inventory so that they'll have quick access to it when necessary.
Also check to make sure that the installers are comfortable using your
selected software package. While WireSpring's FireCast OS Linux operating system for kiosks and digital signs
installs in 6 minutes with only 3 settings, the same cannot be said for
your typical Windows 2000 or XP install bundled together with kiosk or
signage software. This brings me to point 3...
3. Plan ahead!
I
can't stress enough how important it is to lay everything out ahead of
time when it comes to deploying kiosks and digital signs. Budget
your time as carefully as you would budget your money, and create value
"ranges" instead of trying to aim for fixed points. For example,
say you were planning a network of 100 kiosks that you estimated would
cost a grand total of $10,000 each to deploy for 3 years, including
hardware, software, install, maintenance, tech support, and everything
else. That would bring your total cost of ownership (TCO) to
$1,000,000. Break down each cost component and create high and
low ranges for each. Can you get discounted hardware from a
wholesale supplier? What if customizations cost more than
anticipated, or have a longer lead time? Will you be in violation
of any contracts if you miss your deployment schedule? If so,
will there be any repercussions or extra fees to pay? Do you need
24 hour technical support? What about weekend and holiday
support... and so on. Once you go through this exercise, you
might find that you could do your deployment for as little as $750,000
or as much as $1,250,000. Figure out how much risk you want to
take, and make sure to have the necessary capital available. The
worst thing that you can do for your network (and the whole embryonic
industry) is deploy a bunch of systems and then let them languish
because you ran out of cash at the last minute. If your customer
is credit-worthy, look into factoring the entire cost of the deployment
over some number of months and presenting them with a single monthly
fee for everything. This will force you to budget properly, and
it will be easier on the customer as well. WireSpring can help
with this aspect of things, but I think I would be asking for trouble
if I just started putting up links and email addresses to our favorite
financial companies :)
Keep the old clich "An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure" in the back of your mind while
planning your next kiosk or digital signage network. And download
our 1-page whitepaper for the complete list of common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid when planning your next project!