White Paper| Digital Signage Using Tablets

IMPLICATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATIONS OF TABLET DEPLOYMENT

In order to bring in tablets as viable and effective digital signage solution, enterprises need to have good understanding on how they operate, what feature sets are available and what kind of tablet suits their requirements? Some managerial and operational impediments related to selection of tablets, software, installation, operational cost and security have to be managed.

The key elements to consider for successful deployment of tablets as Digital Signage are:

• Right Tablet Solution

Question each business must face is what should be the right solution. It might be a consumer grade tablet, an iPad, Galaxy Tab or an enterprise grade tablet like Motorola ET1, HP Elite pad. The iPad still has the first entry advantage and is likely to dominate the market in future. Apple reports that 86% of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPads. Many businesses were eagerly waiting for the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 8 with touch screen interface. Few other companies like Asus, Dell, and Lenovo are also making consumer or enterprise oriented tablets.

• Cost Variations

Enterprises get many options in terms of cost. Tablets span from low cost tablets worth around $50 to feature packed advanced worth above $800. For signage solutions as simple as a wall mounted kiosk taking service feedback, low cost tablets can suffice (example being feedback kiosks in restrooms of Changi Airport, Singapore). For advanced signage solutions which might required high resolution graphics display, more expensive tablets would be required.

• Security and ReliabilityMost of these tablets run consumer grade operating systems (Android, iOS, Windows 8). Companies need to secure these devices before deployment in order to prevent misuse and tampering from target audience, both malicious and unintentional. IPads inherently have few security features inbuilt which can restrict the device usage. For device security, it must be supported by complex pass codes, data encryption and remote wipe-out in the event of theft. To achieve more secure deployment, companies can use some viable software alternatives available in the market like SureLock and SureFox to restrict the device to just white listed application(s) and web site(s). Quite a few MDM solutions are available in market, like SureMDM which can facilitate remote management of these devices to roll out new security configurations, detect security breach and roll out upgrades.

• Approaches to Mounting Tablets

The most important thing to consider is where to put tablets. It can be served as a customer selfservice kiosk, scheduling, signage, sales assistance and for feedback. There can be four approaches for mounting:
• Floor Stand is simple and affordable, often made of metal and cost about $800.
• Counter Top tablet can be fixed with counter, ideal for cases where people queue in front of a counter. It is less expensive, costing about $500.
• Mobile Casing are useful to assist sales persons, and for taking customer feedback. It may be completely loose, used for the single purpose that needs to move around, or it may be fixed in small area. These mobile kiosks may worth around $50.
• Wall Mounts is ideal solution for using as schedules in meeting room where attention is on the wall. Wall mounts cost around $300.

• Appropriate Presentation for Display and Screen Flow

With the selection of proper tablet solution and its cost, an appropriate display presentation and screen flow must be taken into consideration. Enterprises can take the advantage of huge skilled developer base, large number of available tools and an engaging community for developing appropriate display and screen flow as applications for these tablet platforms.