Digital Signage: On-Prem vs. Cloud
Digital signage has come a long way—from broadcasting through TVs, DVDs, and USB drives to today’s modern cloud-based systems. With the rise of SaaS and platforms like Amazon AWS, most digital signage today runs in the cloud. But what about on-premise solutions? Let’s compare.
Maintenance
With SaaS, there’s no need for internal IT. The provider manages updates, security, and infrastructure. With on-prem, you’re responsible for maintaining servers, software, security, and backups—often requiring a full IT team.
Updates
SaaS ensures you’re always on the latest version, with automatic updates and new features pushed seamlessly. On-prem solutions require manual upgrades, which can delay access to improvements and increase security risks.
Security
Cloud-based platforms are built on enterprise-grade infrastructure with constant monitoring, compliance (such as SOC 2), and robust protection. On-prem requires deep expertise to maintain comparable security—something few organizations outside of finance or defense can realistically support.
Cost and Scalability
SaaS offers a flexible, subscription-based model with minimal upfront costs. Scaling is simple—just add more screens. On-premise requires significant capital investment, licensing, and ongoing operational overhead.
Industry Panel Highlights from DSSE 2025
This topic was recently discussed during a panel at the 2025 Digital Signage Summit Europe (DSSE) in Munich. The session featured:
- Vladimir, NoviSign
- Florian Bogeschdorfer, 99sensors
- Franck Racapé, iagona
Together, they shared insights into the evolving architecture of digital signage—spanning Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud, and On-Prem deployments.
As Vladimir later shared on LinkedIn:
“It was a true honor to be on stage and share insights about Cloud, Hybrid Cloud, Private Cloud and OnPrem solutions with such an amazing crowd of professionals and innovators.”
“From key trends shaping our industry to actionable strategies teams can use today — I was glad to contribute to the conversation and take part in the energy of the event.”
So Who Still Chooses On-Prem?
Some banks, defense organizations, and highly regulated industries still prefer on-prem—primarily because they already have the internal IT capabilities and compliance protocols to support it. For everyone else, the advantages of SaaS are simply too compelling.
At NoviSign, the vast majority of our customers choose our cloud-based platform. On-prem deployments are rare, typically requested by major financial institutions due to strict internal policies.
Conclusion
SaaS is the clear choice for most industries: it’s simpler, more secure, and always up to date. On-prem remains relevant only for a narrow set of use cases where full control is required and in-house resources are available to support it.
In a future post, we’ll explore a third option: hybrid deployments — combining the flexibility of the cloud with the control of on-prem.