Connectedsign Digital Signage White Paper

Digital Signage in the Education Market – A Story
Connectedsign, LLC - April 4, 2009

An idea is hatched.  A Director of Procurement at a medium sized University begins to notice digital displays in stores and at the airport during her travels.  Back in the office she starts a project to research Digital Signage.  If it’s as useful as she thinks it could be, then she should find a resource and get a contract drawn up so the University can purchase when the time comes.

At a general administration meeting she mentions her intentions and the group recommends a subject matter expert be brought in for a discovery meeting.

At the discovery meeting the expert explained the following:

Displays placed at unique viral locations can aid the flow of information to students and staff.  Content can be changed easily from any location by any staff.

The expert described how the Displays can be located in staff only areas like break rooms, lounges and administrative offices.  These screens can be used to communicate timely information like insurance plan notices, promotions, upcoming positions available and duty rosters.  Human Resource Managers were happy.

He spoke further.  The system uses a store-and-forward method of content deployment so that there is no streaming media server running over the networks bandwidth.  The system can also integrate with Active Directory so that network security and management works within the current network policies.  IT director is happy.

The expert pointed out that each player or groups of players could be triggered to play emergency content like evacuation or safety instructions specific to their unique locations.  Not only that, but the trigger to play the alternate content could be made with an email or text message from a cell phone.  Public Safety Director is happy.

On the next PowerPoint slide the expert explained that the player could be installed on any PC desktop thus making every workstation on campus part of the Digital Signage information network.  The players can run as windows or screen savers and they too can share the emergency information channels.  Administration got happy.

Wayfinding, pathfinding and mapping to guide visitors and students to their destinations is also possible with Digital Signage said the expert.  Showing routes to get from the student union to the bookstore without trampling a path through the grass is easy with Digital Signage.  Groundskeeping was very happy.

Going a little deeper into the Digital Signage world the expert told how the system could work with touch screen displays, thus bringing interactivity to the campus.  Additionally, all the data the displays need to run building directories, calendars and schedules can be linked live from any database resource making updating seamless.

At the very end of the meeting after numerous questions, a voice in the back of the room, silent until now spoke and asked; Ok, what does all this cost?

The intrepid expert explained that the system can be started as small as a single display and grown as budgets allow.  He told of other universities that had sponsors donate monies for the system because it was highly visible and had a huge “cool” factor.  And then as he started to pack up his presentation materials, the expert told the questioner that the software manufacturer makes a site license available to educational institutions and allows them to outfit the entire campus with unlimited players and multiple content managers for a single small fee.     The Vice President of Finance smiled.

By Loren Bucklin
President

Connectedsign, LLC
lbucklin@connectedsign.com
www.connectedsign.com
866-833-2723

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