You have a few options when it comes to software for your digital signage network. These include cloud-based software and software that you download/install locally on each media player in the network.
This article will take a closer look at cloud-based software vs software installed locally on each media player.
Cloud-Based Software
The main benefits of cloud-based software are ease of use and lower initial cost of ownership, thanks to potential discounts from vendors who bundle their digital signage software with the purchase of hardware players or dedicated displays. Some people even say that there are additional benefits associated with security since the software is hosted on servers by the vendor rather than being downloaded to an individual machine where a hacker can manipulate it. However, this latter issue can also be an essential consideration as software installed locally on each media player ensures that there is no single point of failure or security breach.
– software vs. software, software hosted by the vendor, software installed locally on each media player.
Software Installed Locally
The main benefits of software installed locally include: – Full control over the software (less chance for bugs and vulnerable points) and – Ability to update/manage from any computer at any time from anywhere .
– feature pro cloud based feature pro software installing locally pro cloud-based pro software installing locally.
In addition, you have the opportunity to customize your digital signage experience with local features such as sending messages directly from your phone via SMS or instant messenger or being able to check server uptime remotely.
Ultimately, the software you choose for your digital signage network depends on your unique needs – software vs software, software hosted by the vendor, software installed locally on each media player . Suppose you are unsure whether an e-commerce website will be suitable for your digital signage network or not. In that case, it might be useful to talk to a representative from one of these software vendors to see if their software meets your needs before making a purchase decision based solely on online reviews. After all, everyone is different and there are multiple reasons why someone would buy software that does more or less than what they need.
Now, you may be wondering – what about software that can do both? There are software solutions that offer features for installation locally on each media player or software hosted by the vendor (in the cloud).
– software supporting both types of installation
The drawbacks to these types of software include higher cost, performance issues when installed locally on each media player, and low performance in cases where software is hosted in the cloud.
– benefits vs drawbacks with software hosting in the cloud, benefits vs drawbacks with software installed on each machine
A good solution that offers feature parity between hosted form and local install is one that can store all content in a SQL database in either place.