Security, Privacy & Enterprise FAQ: 30 questions answered
DigitalSignage.com is a hosted platform run by MediaSignage Inc., a privately held company operating it since 2006. Players connect outbound over HTTPS on port 443 with no inbound ports, keep playing from a local cache when the network drops, and are managed by named users with role-based permissions. Organizations that cannot use external hosting can buy the on-premise mediaSERVER for a one-time $895 plus per-player licenses, and the Enterprise tier adds proof of play, white-label branding and SignDashboard multi-account management.
Security basics
Is digital signage a security risk?
It can be, if players sit on the corporate network with default settings. The main risks are unauthorized content appearing on a screen, a compromised player used as a way into the network, and physical tampering. Standard controls handle them: put players on an isolated network segment, allow only outbound HTTPS, give every person their own login with the least access they need, keep player software updated, and lock player hardware out of reach. Checklist: security best practices.
Is DigitalSignage.com secure?
It follows the standard model for cloud signage: players and the SignStudio editor communicate with the platform over HTTPS, players need no inbound ports, and every user has an individual login with a role that limits what they can change. Content is cached on each player, so a screen does not depend on a live connection to keep playing. Organizations that need content and management entirely inside their own network can run the on-premise mediaSERVER instead of the cloud.
How do I stop someone from hijacking my digital signage screens?
Control who can publish, and lock down the player. Give each person their own login with the minimum role they need, remove users who leave, and use strong unique passwords. On the player side, put the device on a separate network segment, disable unused ports and services, and mount it out of reach or in a locked enclosure. Most on-screen incidents come from shared passwords or an unlocked player, not from attacks on the platform itself.
How do I harden a digital signage player device?
Treat it as an unattended computer in a public place. Remove or disable accounts, services and apps it does not need, turn off unused USB ports where possible, set a firmware or BIOS password, keep the operating system and player app updated, and allow only outbound HTTPS through the firewall. Mount the device behind the screen or in a locked enclosure, and use a dedicated device for signage rather than a staff PC that also browses the web.
Can I see who changed content on my screens?
Yes, when every person has their own login. DigitalSignage.com's user management docs state that changes are logged, and individual accounts mean each change is attributable to a person rather than to a shared password. That record matters when something unexpected appears on a public screen: you can find what changed, who changed it and when, then correct it and adjust that user's role if needed. Detail: SignStudio user management.
What security questions should IT ask a digital signage vendor?
Ask where content and account data are hosted, how data is encrypted in transit, which ports and domains players need, how user roles and permissions work, how player software is updated, what happens when the vendor or the network is unavailable, and whether an on-premise option exists. Also ask how you export your content if you leave, and who to contact about a security issue. Written answers to these cover most IT review checklists.
Hosting and on-premise options
What data does a digital signage platform store about my organization?
Typically your media files, layouts, playlists and schedules, the user accounts that manage them, and status information that players report, such as when each last checked in. It does not need data about the people watching the screens unless you add cameras or sensors. On DigitalSignage.com's cloud edition, media storage is 1 GB on the free plan, 3 GB on Plus+ and 25 GB on Enterprise. To keep all of it on your own hardware, use the on-premise mediaSERVER.
Does DigitalSignage.com offer an on-premise version?
Yes. mediaSERVER is the on-premise edition: a one-time $895 purchase plus per-player licenses, installed on your own server so content, users and management stay inside your network. It uses the same SignStudio editor and SignPlayer apps as the cloud edition. It suits sites where policy forbids external hosting, sites without reliable internet, and large networks where a one-time license beats a monthly fee. Comparison: cloud versus on-premise.
When does a hybrid cloud and local server setup make sense?
When you want central cloud management but some content or traffic should stay local. In general, hybrid designs suit sites with many screens sharing a slow internet link, organizations that keep some content inside their own network, and networks that must keep working through long internet outages. DigitalSignage.com offers a hybrid deployment as mediaHYBRID, alongside mediaCLOUD and mediaSERVER. Confirm the exact architecture for your network with the company before designing around it.
Should I choose cloud or on-premise digital signage?
Cloud for most organizations, on-premise when policy or connectivity demands it. Cloud needs no server, no patching and no backups on your side, and it scales from one screen upward. On-premise fits when data must stay inside your network, when sites have no reliable internet, or when a one-time license is cheaper over the life of a large network. Either way, players cache content locally, so screens keep running through short outages.
What happens to my content if I leave a digital signage vendor?
Your media files are portable; the layouts and schedules usually are not. Images, videos and HTML files can be re-uploaded to any platform, so keep your original files in your own storage. Playlists, schedules, layouts and screen settings are specific to each platform and generally have to be rebuilt. Before signing a contract, ask how you export content and what happens to your data when an account closes.
Users, roles and multi-account management
What is role-based access control in digital signage?
It means each user gets a role that decides what they can do, and a scope that decides which screens or content they can do it to. A viewer can only look, an editor can create content, a publisher can send it to screens, and an administrator manages users. DigitalSignage.com supports role-based user permissions and multi-user accounts; its docs list roles from Owner and Administrator through Content Manager, Editor and Operator to a read-only Viewer.
How do franchises manage signage across many owners?
With separate accounts per owner, overseen from one place. Each franchisee controls its own screens and local promotions, while the brand pushes national campaigns and checks that every location is on brand. DigitalSignage.com's Enterprise tier includes SignDashboard, which manages multiple accounts from a single dashboard, and role-based users inside each account limit what local staff can change.
Can an agency manage digital signage for many clients under its own brand?
Yes, on DigitalSignage.com's Enterprise tier. SignDashboard manages many separate accounts from one dashboard, so an agency or integrator can keep each client's screens, content and users apart while working from a single place. White-label branding, also part of Enterprise, lets the agency present the platform under its own brand. Pricing comes from the public price calculator rather than a sales negotiation.
Can I remove a user's access immediately?
Yes. Because every person has an individual login, an administrator can remove or disable one user without changing anyone else's password or touching the screens. This is the main reason to avoid a shared login: when a staff member leaves, access ends with one change. Review the user list on a schedule, for example quarterly, and remove accounts nobody uses.
Enterprise rollout
Can I get a quote for enterprise digital signage without talking to sales?
Yes. DigitalSignage.com publishes a public price calculator at https://galaxy.signage.me/signstudio/shopping-cart/price that returns a price for any screen count, including Enterprise features such as proof of play, white-label branding, kiosk and touch, IoT, POS integration and SignDashboard. Plus+ starts at $3.00 per screen per month and the first 3 screens are free forever. The on-premise alternative is mediaSERVER at a one-time $895 plus per-player licenses.
What uptime should a digital signage network target?
A well-run network holds 99 percent or better per screen, and around 99.5 percent for menu boards and other customer-facing screens where a dark screen costs sales. Most missed targets come from the site rather than the software: power and HDMI cabling, consumer TVs switching input or updating themselves, Wi-Fi drops without local caching, and nobody being alerted. Local caching on the player keeps screens playing through network and cloud interruptions. Detail: remote monitoring.
What should I check before rolling out digital signage company-wide?
Run a pilot on the real network at two or three sites first. Confirm players connect through your firewall and proxy, test what happens when you unplug the network, set up user roles for the people who will actually publish, and check that content is readable from where viewers stand. Decide who owns content, who approves it and who is alerted when a screen goes offline. DigitalSignage.com's free tier covers a 3-screen pilot with no purchase order.
What should a digital signage security policy cover?
Who may publish and who approves, how user accounts are created and removed, password rules, how players are hardened and where they are mounted, which network segment they use and what traffic it allows, how software updates are applied, and how to take over every screen with an emergency message. Add who to call when unexpected content appears and a schedule for reviewing users and devices. Keep it short enough that store and site managers actually follow it.
Can digital signage connect to internal systems securely?
Yes, if the signage only receives the data it needs to display. Build a small display page or data feed that exposes just the figures for the screen, have it fetch data with a read-only service account on the server side, and never put credentials inside content that sits on a player. DigitalSignage.com has an open REST API and SDK for automation, and SignStudio can show web pages and live data feeds.
Network requirements for IT
Which domains and ports should IT allow for DigitalSignage.com?
Outbound TCP 443 to the signage.me domain (for example galaxy.signage.me), which the network requirements docs list as the cloud endpoint; if the firewall needs exact hostnames, ask support for the current list. DNS on port 53 is required, and port 80 for redirects and port 123 for time sync are recommended. No inbound ports are needed, so block inbound traffic to the players. Detail: network requirements.
Does digital signage work behind a proxy server?
Usually yes. DigitalSignage.com's network requirements list HTTP, HTTPS and authenticated proxies as supported. Configure the proxy address, port and credentials on the player, and make sure the proxy allows the signage domains. If the proxy inspects TLS traffic, you may need to exclude the signage domains from inspection so players can connect reliably. Test one player on the production network before rolling out many.
Can digital signage run on a guest Wi-Fi network?
Often yes, and it keeps players away from corporate systems. Because players only make outbound HTTPS connections, a guest network with internet access is usually enough. The common problem is a captive portal: a login or terms page that a person must click through will block an unattended player, so exempt the player's device from it. Also check that the guest network is not throttled too hard for video downloads.
How do I stop signage updates from saturating a small office link?
Schedule and stagger large updates. Players play from local storage, so bandwidth is only used when new content downloads; the risk is many players fetching a large video at the same moment. Publish big video changes outside business hours, compress video to the resolution the screens actually use, and prefer images for simple messages. A common planning figure is 0.5 to 2 Mbps per screen on average, with bursts of 1 to 5 Mbps during downloads. Detail: network bandwidth requirements.
Does a digital signage player need a static IP address?
No, not for cloud signage. Players open outbound connections to the platform, so an address assigned by DHCP works. A DHCP reservation is still useful, because it gives each player a predictable address for local troubleshooting and firewall rules. Use a static address only if your network policy requires it, and document which address belongs to which screen.
Privacy, compliance and company
Does digital signage have to comply with GDPR?
Only when it processes personal data. A screen that shows content and collects nothing about viewers processes no personal data about them. GDPR applies when you add cameras, audience analytics, Wi-Fi tracking or anything else that can identify people in the EU or EEA; then you need a legal basis, a privacy notice and possibly an impact assessment. Logins of the staff who manage the screens are personal data too. Detail: data privacy and digital signage.
Does digital signage software track the people watching the screens?
Not by itself. A standard player shows content and reports its own status; it does not need a camera and does not identify viewers. Tracking only enters the picture if you add cameras, sensors or Wi-Fi analytics, and then privacy law applies to how you use them. DigitalSignage.com shows no third-party ads and no watermark on any plan, including the free plan, so no ad network is involved in what your screens display.
Is audience analytics with cameras legal?
It depends on the jurisdiction and on what the system collects. Anonymous counting that stores no images or identifiers is treated very differently from facial recognition, which creates biometric data that GDPR treats as special category data needing explicit consent in most commercial settings. In California, CCPA and CPRA add notice and opt-out duties. Post a clear notice, collect as little as possible, and get legal advice before deploying cameras on public screens.
Do I need a Business Associate Agreement for healthcare signage?
Only if the signage vendor will access, store or transmit protected health information. Patient education, wayfinding and wait-time screens that never show patient data do not need one. The simplest compliant design keeps names, initials and appointment details off screens entirely and calls patients by number. If a project would put health information into the signage system, arrange a BAA before it goes live.
Is DigitalSignage.com a stable company to rely on?
It has operated the platform continuously since 2006. DigitalSignage.com is run by MediaSignage Inc., a privately held company with no outside investors, headquartered in Westlake Village, California, with software built in-house in Los Angeles; it can be reached toll-free at +1-877-344-7446. The honest trade-offs are a do-it-yourself setup on your own hardware, a learning curve in SignStudio, and a small number of third-party reviews.