Cloud vs On-Premise Digital Signage Solutions

Cloud vs On-Premise Digital Signage Solutions

Digital signages have changed the way businesses and organizations communicate with their audiences, both internal and external. Since they have the power to relay everything from advertising content to live streaming to news tickers, digital signages have become popular across commercial establishments, and institutions, both B2B and B2C. For an organization that has decided to reap the massive benefits of digital signages, the immediate question is whether they should go for on-premise solutions/self hosted or cloud-based digital signage system as a service (SaaS).

On-Premise Solutions

As is the case with most things related to IT, in the initial stages, digital signages were mostly on-premise. This was before the advent and popularity of SaaS or Software as a Service. In an on-premise or on-site system, the hardware and software are physically based at the client’s site. This means that there are substantial investments required for setting it up. This used to be the norm for a long time.

Like with any hardware or software, installation costs are only a part of it. You would also require to dedicate resources for its maintenance and upkeep. If it’s the first time that you are rolling out a digital signage solution, you may have to train your personnel too. But once that’s done, there’s complete ownership and management control over both the system and the personnel.

Importantly, beyond the initial investments, there is a recurring cost. The maintenance of digital signage players is a specialized function that will require constant monitoring. It would also need periodic updates that a client with a different core focus may not be able to concentrate on. This means that there is a high chance of both the hardware and software becoming outdated. To avoid that, many clients sign up with vendors who will do the upkeep for them, which also adds to the cost.

Cloud-Based Digital Signage Systems

In cloud-hosted solutions, content management is done through the internet. From storing the necessary media to scheduling its display, everything is done through a browser. This means that there is little hardware that the client has to invest in. The servers are off-site and they can remotely deliver content to wherever the display players are. It gives the client the freedom to concentrate on other aspects of their business as the management, maintenance, and control of the digital signage solution is now with a remote service provider.

The advantages of a cloud-based system go beyond the monetary benefits. Other than the savings in the initial investment, cloud-based solutions also ensure that the organization doesn’t need to have a dedicated team to manage and control the system. If the software needs an update, it will be done by the service provider without the client having to worry about it. What’s more, the updates will be installed on all the connected devices.

Significantly low investments in hardware and software and the absence of dedicated resources on-site to manage the systems are two crucial aspects of cloud-based systems. At Easysignage, we have consistently noticed that clients prefer the SaaS model for another reason. It’s immensely scalable. As they grow, businesses may feel the need to expand their digital signage systems, and investing in additional display players and hardware can be a challenging task. But with cloud-based systems, it can be done at the click of a button, with significantly low investments.

Cloud-hosted systems are also more current. Content can be communicated to several displays without delay. This makes it ideal for the real-time content display of the latest stock prices, weather reports, etc. Most clients of Easysignage wonder whether they will be able to display existing content that happens to be in another format. Most cloud-based systems are so adept that any format of content can be easily converted to a display-friendly form in no time.

If you are convinced by the comprehensive benefits of a cloud-based digital signage system, the next step is to ensure that the provider you choose has both the calibre and the experience.

One of the important features you should make sure it’s available of the offline operation, where your player download a copy of the content and data offline and playback locally this will ensure that your system availability does not rely on the availability of internet 24/7.

You also need to make sure that your data will be safe and that the system is easy to use. The service provider should also have a proven track record in scaling systems in a short time. Finally, pay strict attention to the kind of support the software provider will deliver. Only after careful consideration of all these factors should you choose a vendor to manage your digital signage systems.

Start using a secure cloud-based digital signage solution today

EasySignage is a Google technology partner. Our solution is deployed on Google Cloud platform for an enterprise-level product with multiple layers of security protection and global availability.

Sign up today and get (forever free) digital signage, check our website https://easysignage.com.