Though we only briefly touch on the tremendous benefits of remote management in our list of the top 13 mistakes to avoid when planning an interactive kiosk or digital sign network, an article that I was reading in the 3rd quarter edition of aka.tv made me realize how essential it is -- especially in the context of digital signage narrowcasting networks. The article, which talks about AccentHealth
(a company that has a large network of DVD-powered displays in doctors
offices across the country) starts off with a disclaimer saying that
AccentHealth's very successful network isn't a true narrowcasting
network. The key difference, says, is that, "[t]he content is
controlled by DVDs that are hand-delivered to physician's offices each
month by service technicians who handle all programming changes,
service and maintenance issues." While this hasn't seemed to
be a problem for AccentHealth (yet), it brings to the forefront one of
the critical requirements of any modern, networked digital signage
setup: the ability to make changes to your screens remotely, and
without having to change out physical media.
Remote management
brings several key benefits together to make networked digital signage
easier and more effective than non-networked alternatives. Remote
management can offset the ongoing cost of distributing content, and can
often be used to troubleshoot problem devices without ever having to
resort to an on-site visit. Also, remote management features can
often be used to dynamically change content. Depending on your
project, this kind of functionality can be used to change
advertisements, upgrade interactive applications, or provide customized
informational or marketing messages. When looking into remote
management options for your digital signage or interactive kiosk
network, you should check for three things:
1. The remote
management system should be able to work with kiosks and digital sign
players behind firewalls and/or using network address translation
(NAT), and should not require an externally visible or static IP
address or require open ports. Wow, that was a mouth full of
technical detail. Basically, depending on who you are and what
your project is, you might need to deploy your devices into networks
that you don't own or operate. In fact, you might be counting on
your host location(s) to provide Internet connectivity, even though
they might not be able to provide what you need. Your remote
management software should be able to work with even the most limited
and restrictive network setups. Some retailers have the network
security equivalent of Fort Knox.
2. The remote management
system should be able to transmit content and schedules ahead of time,
preferably during specific times of day. Depending on how
much content you display and what kinds of files you use, transferring
even a small amount of changes could take a long time over a
network. That's why it's important to use a remote management
system that will let you schedule changes days, weeks, or months ahead
of time, so your units will have a chance to get all of the necessary
content. Also, if you're going to be using your host's network or
sharing it with other vendors or service providers, its useful to have
a remote management platform that will also let you specify when you
can download files. That way, you can specify that your 200MB
videos should only download in the wee hours of the morning, and not
during business hours, when the network might be needed to process
credit card payments.
3. The remote management system should
be capable of upgrading the system software and adding features, not
just moving content around. This is probably something that
you'll need to ask your vendor about. But considering the
staggering number of critical system updates that Microsoft has been
supplying for Windows systems these days, it only makes sense to use a
management system that will help keep your systems secure (this isn't
quite as prevalent for embedded systems or Linux-based software
packages like FireCast kiosk and networked digital signage software,
but it's still important). Also, as new video formats come out or
new features are added, being able to download them to the kiosks or
players remotely will save you the time and agony of physically
deploying new software.
Even without remote management,
AccentHealth is getting good results and showing strong growth, so
clearly technology isn't everything. However, considering how
much costs have come down the past few years, and how inexpensive it
can be to get started with a complete networked digital signage
solution, there isn't really any reason to go with a traditional
DVD-based system anymore. Take advantage of remote management as
a way to reduce operating expenses and offering exciting features to
your clients.