Digital signage is a boon to any business, but if you have a Windows enterprise system, you may have questions about how it will fit in to your company’s security protocol.
Interested in digital signage software but worried whether or not your enterprise UEM or MDM won’t like it? Have an interest or need for signage in your Windows-based system and wondering what sorts of security requirements they have?
In this article, we’ll be going into detail on digital signage and its capabilities, and its place within a Windows-based software ecosystem.
What is Digital Signage?
Digital signage is a network of digital displays or screens which use images or videos to display information or advertisements. Digital signage software most often uses cloud-based data management to allow users to create, manage, and upload content. They often have integrations with popular apps, including Microsoft 365, Google suite, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and far more. They include features such as content playlists, item scheduling, and far more.
All these options serve to transform any screen into a customizable digital sign, whose display can be tweaked and altered to suit nearly any situation. This can be accomplished using dedicated digital signage hardware or any other networked device, including Windows. Digital signs have numerous uses across multiple industries, too many to name.
OptiSigns is the #1 rated digital signage software, being used by over 125,000 simultaneous screens worldwide as of November 2024. When it comes to integrating digital signage options with a Windows-based ecosystem, this article will be using OptiSigns as a benchmark. Please note that other digital signage options may not function the same and may not have the same security rating.
Does Digital Signage Have Special Network Security Considerations?
Any machine connected to your network is at risk of hacking, and digital signage is no exception. You’ll want to consider:
- Physical security
- Having a secure operating system
- Strong anti-malware software
- Keeping your signage software up-to-date
- The signage provider’s security rating
These considerations should be familiar to any IT professional. Digital signage is not particularly different to vet from any other software. The main consideration which may separate digital signage from a security perspective is that it requires access to any app you wish to use.
Access to digital signage software from company devices can be easily restricted to certain employees via AppControl or AppLocker, and tracked through your UEM or MDM endpoint management system.
How Can I Make Sure a Digital Signage App Complies with My Company’s Security Policies?
In your Windows-based enterprise networks, you likely have three key security elements:
- Firewalls
- Encryption protocols
- Endpoint management, i.e. device and network traffic control
OptiSigns is AICPA SOC 2 Type II certified, and can be fully integrated into your company’s security protocol with ease. Data in transit is encoded using HTTPS protocol and SSL certificates, with data at rest encrypted with either 256-bit AES-XTS or AWS KMS encryption.
A digital signage app will need to be whitelisted through your company firewall to function properly. Finally, as stated above, it can be easily integrated into your endpoint management system and restricted via App Control or AppLocker.
The most sensitive data (payment information, personal data) is not handled or stored on the OptiSigns servers. For more information on data use and management, see the OptiSigns Privacy Policy.
What Permissions Should Digital Signage Software Have?
Digital signage software requires various permissions. First, it will need to be whitelisted by your company firewall in order to use your network. Then, it will need access to any app you wish to show on screen. You’ll need to grant these access rights on an individual basis with logins and access handled through the software portal.
In OptiSigns, access to this portal can be handled both within the portal and without. Who has what level of access can be managed with teams and security levels in the portal, and can be supplemented with your own endpoint management system or App Control or AppLocker.
What is Endpoint Management?
Endpoint management is the method by which companies supervise and authenticate the access rights of endpoint devices to a network, applying policies designed to prevent external and internal threats.
There are three main types of endpoint management. These are not mutually exclusive, and in ascending order rise in complexity:
- MDM (Mobile Device Management)
- UEM (Unified Endpoint Management)
- EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management)
An EMM system consists of MDM, UEM, and unique elements. See this article for more on the different types of endpoint managers.
For Windows systems, Microsoft Intune is the most common, but there are others your company might be using. Whichever endpoint management system you use, in order to use digital signage software, you’ll need to allow it on your user’s devices. OptiSigns can be seen and managed using one of these systems, allowing your IT department to easily see who is using it, where it’s being used, and when.
Can I Mass Deploy Digital Signage within a Windows Endpoint Management System?
Mass deployment is an option many digital signage software have, which allows rapid deployment across a large number of screens. Integration with your endpoint management system is a key part of that.
There are three steps to deploy OptiSigns using a UEM or MDM:
- Install the OptiSigns player on a Windows system
- Execute commands to perform a silent installation
- Pair the device to an OptiSigns account
To mass provision your devices using OptiSigns, follow these mass provisioning instructions and place the template in a specific folder. When the OptiSigns app launches, it will automatically check that location and begin the provisioning process. These steps can be repeated for as many devices as necessary.
Can a Digital Signage Application Be Controlled by App Control or AppLocker?
Yes. Digital signage applications can easily be managed by Mobile Application Managers (MAMs) like Microsoft App Control or AppLocker. Your company’s IT department can control access to and features of the digital signage player to prevent bad actors from accessing potentially sensitive information or to push patches and updates to all your digital signs simultaneously.
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