What Every College CIO Should Know about Digital Signage Part # 2

When deciding on Digital Signage for your school, there are a few key points every CIO should know before making decisions. Whether you have an existing Digital Signage network or not, these points will ensure you’re fully informed and help avoid any pitfalls that previous CIO’s have shared with us. After Reading Tip #1, here is the must know Tip #2.

CIO Tip #2 

Make sure that Emergency Messaging OR Integration with your Mass Notification System is possible and not overly expensive. In the Education sector, Digital Signage is both a sustainable and valuable communication tool. However, behind the glamour of Student Union campaigns, Weekly Schedules  and Improved Culture on campus, there is a very real need for your Digital Signage to be part of your Mass Notification or Emergency Messaging Program . With solutions like Alertus, E2Campus or Informacast on the market (and many others) , make sure to ask your Digital Signage provider about integrations (API, Web, etc..) and the cost related to making sure your Digital Signage LCD screens can be incorporated.

Integration with Digital Signage shouldn’t break the bank, so be comfortable to ask your Sales Rep about the specific process. A workflow diagram should help you get an idea if your provider is up to the task.

Depending on the size of your School you may already have some kind of independent Emergency Messaging or Mass Notification software running.  The difference between the two is simply that Mass Notification Software is designed to hit multiple devices or platforms (SMS, Desktops, Speakers, VoIP phones, etc..) while Emergency Messaging Software is designed to provide an override function and Emergency interruption with pre-scheduled messages. The differences in both are closer than ever, with the merging of technologies and cross-marketing to the same customer groups.

From a Digital Signage perspective, consider if you already have a Mass Notification Software and can it integrate into a potential Digital Screen Network. If you don’t have any Mass or Emergency Notification Software yet, maybe there is a reason. A lack of funding, resources or just the right timing. In that case, some Digital Signage software have built in Emergency Messaging as a feature that can save your College thou$ands a year and be an immediate short term solution. Many schools in 2015 are in the middle of upgrading or switching form outdated software they have been using since 2011 or earlier. Be sure to to speak with an L Squared Rep about what other schools in North America are doing and what solution will be best for you.

 

Stay Tuned for Part #3, Security Logs and Workflow Permissions – The secret to Digital Signage delegation!

 

 

Article Source: http://www.lsquared.com/blog/uncategorized/what-every-college-cio-should-know-about-digital-signage-part-2/

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