The current enterprise software applications for digital signage can be grouped as follows: Applications that are built in-house, software-in-a-box ("shrink-wrapped") and third-party hosted solutions.
In early deployments, many network operators tended to be a one-stop shop, doing everything from IT to content creation, media distribution and ad sales. The trend, however, is towards "lean and mean" media companies. Many of the legacy in-house software products are now being replaced by third-party applications, as digital network operators focus on how to serve their end users with superior content and advertising solutions, much the way the traditional TV broadcast networks do.
If we extrapolate the current digital signage trends into the near future, we'll see that managing networks and their technology the old way is likely to get even more expensive:
In early deployments, many network operators tended to be a one-stop shop, doing everything from IT to content creation, media distribution and ad sales. The trend, however, is towards "lean and mean" media companies. Many of the legacy in-house software products are now being replaced by third-party applications, as digital network operators focus on how to serve their end users with superior content and advertising solutions, much the way the traditional TV broadcast networks do.
If we extrapolate the current digital signage trends into the near future, we'll see that managing networks and their technology the old way is likely to get even more expensive:
- Networks will become bigger, more complex and more targeted.
- The complexity of managing the media space inventory, targeting and scheduling content, multi-versioning and a broad variety of campaign scenarios will require richer functionality, higher stability, reliability and security.
- Competition will force network operators to be focusing more on making money on the media space and less on maintaining the network.
- Network growth will put increasing pressure on in-house support and maintenance (for users of on-premise software).
- Integration with third parties will require more in-house resources (for users of on-premise software).
- Network operations roles will be more diverse and more narrowly defined (role-specific tasks), the difference between media management and technical jobs will be more pronounced.
- Fast pace of change in digital signage as a medium and development of standards and metrics will require frequent updates.
The concept of software as a service (SaaS) has been gaining ground lately as the model that best meets the cost-cutting and efficiency demands of expanding digital signage networks.
Our take:
Normally we wouldn't draw attention to news from a competitor, but the article is fairly well done, and is platform agnostic to basically any digital signage software as a service (SaaS). Given that FireCast digital signage software also functions under this model, we don't mind them drawing attention to the benefits of our distribution model at all. Also, their justifications for going with an SaaS solution fit in line with our own understanding of the benefits and drawbacks, and sound a lot like what we tell customers when making our pitch.
Subscribe to the Digital Signage Insider RSS feed