3 reasons why stop investing in bare metal for your signage solution

Why still prefer a MagicINFO signage server in your own network instead of MagicINFO as a SaaS? There are many reasons why you choose one or the other. In this blog, I give you something to think about while considering going to the cloud, or not.

1. Count on a lot of operational costs

When you think having an on-premise signage solution is just like ordering a new laptop online, you just need to think again. Of course, it depends on whether you have 1 or a thousand displays. But it's not just the hardware you have to think about. To start with, a physical server needs a space where the climate is optimal for cooling. That results mostly in major power consumption costs. If you don't have a room available in your office you probably have to rent or buy a location to store your server elsewhere. That will drive up the budget!  Even when you have a server room, you want your business data to be secured, right? Not only IT technically back-upped and secured from data leakage, but also to prevent it from theft or fire and water damage. So next to the IT person, who you will need to hire for maintaining the server, a security person at your sight is also one to add to the budget list. So you can imagine, having it all 'in-house' is probably not the most cost-effective solution. 

A quick calculation learns that you will save around 35% of your signage budget when you choose SaaS instead of setting up, and yearly updating, a signage network yourself. The companies who offer SaaS solutions, like we do, often have good negotiating positions because of their large scale. Let us give you a ROI calculating model to prove the costs.

2. Can't fight the European data centers

If you are looking for the best environment for your signage system. A sustainable, reliable solution with a low ecological footprint, go to The Netherlands. Just like Google, Microsoft and Facebook do. The Netherlands is known as THE glass fiber hub, not only in the EU but also worldwide (http://www.digitalgateway.eu/). You simply can't fight the excellent data performance and availability. Why Europe? Why The Netherlands? Here we didn't have any big natural disasters in the last ten decades, therefore the Dutch are known for being able to control water perfectly. So no worries for floods! Next to that, the data centers in the Netherlands are all set for the future and work on sustainable and 100% renewable energy. If you have a server in-house, can you guarantee fast accessible systems that can overcome floods and have the best data security and compliance according to European regulations.

3. Metal isn't flexible, cloud is

Deciding your level of technical support and service is something you can't realise with bare metal. With a SaaS solution you can determine how much interference you need and you can shift responsibilities and point your finger... when needed. With an on premise installation, you can only point at yourself when the server is down or it takes hours to get your content on display. A cloud solution means that you don't have the IT hassle, so you can focus on your other tasks and future steps. Speaking of future steps, what happens if your signage is so successful that you can expand your network? With an on premise infrastructure set, you have to invest in more servers, more people. With a SaaS solution you just call your provider and scale up! 

Choosing a SaaS solution brings a lot of advantages when you set it next to an on premise installation. However there are situations where on premise is the one and only option. MagicINFO is one of the few solutions that can be installed locally and can fully work in heavily secured environments. Our advice, always consult a MagicINFO expert and talk about your company needs to decide what option will be the best and bring you business results, financially and in terms of usability. I hope this article gave you good insight about why you should not just invest in a bare metal server environment. 

Would you like to know more about digital signage security with MagicINFO? Consider checking out our pillar page where we discuss in-depth all the things that you need to know regarding this topic. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask one of my technical colleagues at sales@magicinfoservices.com.