Digital Signage cost of service
Digital Signage
For new installations, consider these potential expenses:
| Expense | Component or Service | Facilitator |
| $165/ year | OPTIONAL: Software: Reach Multimedia platform annual license for service and support | ECCS/CTS |
| $250-$450 | OPTIONAL: Hardware: Desktop PC or BrightSign player | CTS or IT Desktop Support |
| $100-$1,000 | power outlet, installed * | Facilities Services, or an electrical company |
| $200-$500 | network jack, installed | IT Network Serices, or an external company |
| $3,200-$4,000 | OPTIONAL: network switch with POE++, installed in data closet ** One switch provides 750w max, for 11 devices | IT Network Serices, or an external company |
| $20-$500 | wall or ceiling mount for display, installed | CTS or their recommended integrator |
| $200-$300 | OPTIONAL: If an interactive display, such as for way-finding, add this USB-touch overlay to the display | CTS or their recommended integrator |
| $30-$1,500 | OPTIONAL: If multiple displays are needed, all showing the same content simultaneously, signal distribution from a single player might be cheaper or easier than adding other signage instances. | CTS or their recommended integrator |
| $200-$2,000 | cost of display, when new | CTS or their recommended integrator |
| $200-$2,000 | cost of display, at time of refresh: Plan to refresh equipment that runs 24/7 in about 4 years. Plan to refresh equipment that runs 40 hours/week in about 6 years. For high profile locations, consider purchasing an extra display which can quickly be swapped out if the installed one breaks or fails. | CTS will assist with, or approve the purchase of a display from an approved vendor or integrator. |
| hourly wage for labor | Image and video content management, tech support, power and network connectivity. This doesn't show up on a quote, but it should be considered when evaluating the total cost of ownership. Complex and tedious tasks incur more labor hours, which may be more expensive than an automated solution, over time. Requests that occur outside of regular office hours may have to wait until office hours, or incur premium support costs with over-time rates. | IWU support staff in IT, CTS, Athletics, Facilities Services, or outsourced service providers. Labor provided by REACH for REACH-enabled devices is included in the annual service agreement. |
*Power is typically quoted at $100-200 if in a building that is mostly drywall construction. In primarily block or brick wall construction, adding a new power run could potentially exceed $1,000.
**Some smaller displays (<32") can be powered by POE+ or POE++. In this case, an electrical outlet is unnecessary at the display location.
There are some pre-approved templates for REACH signage, but custom templates and designs can be made with IWU-Marketing-approved brand guidelines.
Recommendation to Adopt REACH Cloud-Based Digital Signage Platform
We strongly recommend that we standardize with REACH, a cloud-based digital signage platform with dedicated technical support, rather than developing an in-house, unsupported method for displaying content on our BlueFin displays. Both solutions would utilize the BrightSign media players built into the screens; however, the differences in long-term reliability, usability, and support are significant.
1. Reliability and Professional Support
REACH provides a fully supported, enterprise-grade platform that ensures consistent uptime and quick resolution of any technical issues. Their team of signage professionals is available to troubleshoot hardware or software problems—a level of expertise that we currently do not have in-house.
In contrast, building an internal process without a dedicated tech support resource introduces risk. If something breaks or a display stops updating, there would be no established escalation path. The burden would likely fall on Facilities staff, CTS or IT to diagnose and fix issues outside their normal scope of work, increasing downtime and operational frustration.
2. Ease of Use for Non-Technical Content Creators
Our designated content creator is a student worker with no prior signage experience. REACH’s platform is built for exactly that scenario—its drag-and-drop templates, scheduling tools, and training resources allow even novice users to create polished, brand-consistent content quickly.
Without a guided platform, a student would need to navigate BrightAuthor or a custom file upload process, manage file types and playlists manually, and troubleshoot errors with no clear instructions or support—inefficient and error-prone.
3. Efficiency and Scalability
REACH allows us to centrally manage all displays from one web-based dashboard, update content remotely, and ensure consistent messaging across multiple locations. As our signage network grows, this scalability becomes crucial.
An internally built process would likely be manual and decentralized, requiring individual updates per display and increasing both time spent and potential for mistakes.
4. Cost-Effectiveness Over Time
While REACH has a licensing cost, it offsets the hidden costs of staff time, troubleshooting, and downtime inherent in a DIY solution. Each incident or technical issue that diverts staff from core responsibilities represents a real operational cost. By contrast, REACH’s support model ensures predictable expenses and professional reliability.
5. Institutional Quality and Branding
Digital signage is a public-facing communication tool. Professionally supported, well-designed content conveys the quality and credibility of our institution. Using REACH ensures a polished, consistent presentation aligned with IWU Marketing's brand-approved standards—something that’s much harder to maintain with an improvised system.
6. Network Security
Some cheaper solutions may seem like a good idea until we consider the risk introduced by networked devices that haven't been vetted and approved by IT's network security team. Currently, REACH is an approved secure solution for digital signage. Other solutions may require a vetting process to gain approval before purchase and implementation.