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What is monitoring? Advantages, requirements & more 994 537 Linda

What is monitoring? Advantages, requirements & more

WHAT IS MONITORING? ADVANTAGES, REQUIREMENTS & MORE

Monitoring is becoming increasingly relevant for the supervision of business processes. In our article you will find out more about the advantages, data protection and co.

In this article:

  1. Monitoring: Supervision of business processes becomes increasingly relevant
  2. What is monitoring?
  3. How does monitoring work?
  4. Overview of the different types of monitoring
  5. What does remote maintenance mean?
  6. Digital signage monitoring: What are the opportunities for businesses?
  7. The advantages and disadvantages of monitoring
  8. Which monitoring software is available?
  9. Data protection: The legal situation
  10. What should be included in a maintenance contract?
  11. Conclusion
  12. FAQ

 

The most important information in a nutshell:

  • Monitoring describes a process of documentation, guarantee of safety and evaluation of data
  • Supervision of these processes is an important indicator to figure out key numbers in business
  • There are different types of monitoring
  • To avoid possible misunderstandings in data security, a maintenance contract is recommended

 

Monitoring: Supervision of business processes becomes increasingly relevant

Thanks to the given possibilities of digitalization, working processes of businesses become more efficient. For example, software automates processes and saves costs. But the advantages don’t only become visible in the usage of modern working methods but in their measurability too. FRAMR gives further insights into the advantages of monitoring and what businesses have to consider when choosing the right methods.

Software monitoring

Not only interesting in the blockchain sector: Software monitoring | © Behnam Norouzi

 

What is monitoring?

The term “monitoring” pretty much means “supervision” and describes all processes to measure and evaluate specific data under use of technical tools.

The controlled processes depend on industry and area of operation. A common goal of monitoring is to capture, measure and observe business related working processes to provide safety and quality standards. Aspects of safety are especially important because a detail oriented supervision of technical processes provides the possibility to prevent software failures and execute updates fastly.

Almost every industry is provided with advantages of monitoring and the possibilities of supervision are broadly diversified. Monitoring is used in the industries of medicine, digital signage, search engine optimization and finances. Usage and goals depend on the industry. Monitoring provides many attractive options in online marketing because businesses get further insights into relevant KPIs and therefore can optimize their processes successively.

 

How does monitoring work?

Basic requirement of monitoring is the connection between software and network infrastructure so that the desired processes can be measured. To guarantee flawless functionality, modern and foremost high quality technique is required.

Through the usage of monitoring software, businesses are given the possibility to collect and evaluate specific data. But in the foreground is not necessarily the evaluation of KPIs but, for example, the supervision of hardware and network infrastructure.

In most cases businesses claim services of third parties of the IT industry. In exchange for money they receive a license which allows them to use monitoring software. As monitoring programs are hard to operate, an induction phase or internal workshop is necessary. Alternatively, there remains the option of remote maintenance, whereby the entire monitoring infrastructure is provided by an external provider.

 

Overview of the different types of monitoring

There are different types of monitoring. Mostly, monitoring is divided into three categories: Business, customer and market monitoring. This separation can be further specified (for example, website monitoring). Following, we will give descriptions of the most commonly used methods.

 

Application Performance Monitoring

The goal of application performance monitoring is to check functionality of applications and programs to improve user experience. Different options are available to achieve this goal. The used tools help to determine flaws and attain important information about data transmission speed.

 

Business Transaction Monitoring

As the name reveals, business transaction monitoring is all about supervising business processes. The goal is to optimize these processes which are directly connected to business transactions. A good example for that is the ordering process of an online shop and online payments.

 

System Monitoring

The goal of system monitoring is to review performance of a computer. Important measurements are determined in the first step, for example the performance of a network or the available amount of storage space. Under consideration of these aspects, the evaluation follows in the next step.

 

What does remote maintenance mean?

In connection with monitoring, another term is often mentioned: Remote maintenance. That means the administration of monitoring software is provided by a central location and external access to software as well as hardware is possible. Good and reliable hosting is essential because technical difficulties and required updates may lead to failures. 

An often used method of remote maintenance is cloud monitoring. The centralized data backup through cloud based solutions comes at lower risk because software and other technical applications work without internet connection as well. Other than that, cloud computing provides high safety standards because administration is provided by a professional protected data center.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing: A meaningful method for businesses – safety and regular updates are guaranteed! | © Caspar Camille Rubin

 

Digital signage monitoring: What are the opportunities for businesses?

Digital signage is often used in marketing and for good reason. The screens, assuming they are used as digital billboards, enable fast reaction times and the flexible customization of displayed content on a changing target group (in shopping malls for example). That creates potential for optimization in marketing based on KPIs.

But the amount of advantages reaches even further: Providing information through a central station and regular updates on a server expand the functions for all screens.

Remote maintenance is particularly useful for digital signage because digitized business processes require flawless functionality. The worst case scenario occurs when someone, for example, uses an information terminal and it doesn’t work or a player / signage device is offline and nobody notices that it’s not provided with new content. Cloud computing eliminates problems like these because regular updates and maintenance are provided by an external supplier who controls the events.

FRAMR. – The easy and intuitive digital signage solution
FRAMR is THE solution for easy and intuitive administration of digital content. Our offer fits the needs of all businesses which want to expand their digital processes and set an unforgettable customer experience as priority.

 

Our products convince with the following advantages:

  • Maximum performance
  • High flexibility
  • Independency
  • Safety
  • Storage space
  • Connection with leading hardware brands

 

But that’s not all! Our subscriptions promise a huge diversity of functions and modules. Administration and maintenance is provided by a strongly performing as well as GDPR compliant cloud. Updates, troubleshooting and other important changes is what you receive with a license. High quality is guaranteed and you can concentrate on your business.

 

What are the advantages of monitoring?

The advantages of monitoring are better quality and more safety of supervised processes. Other than that, monitoring provides a fast reaction to sudden failures as well as to maintenance and updates. Using monitoring for marketing comes with many advantages too because relevant KPIs are easier to evaluate.

Overview of the advantages of monitoring:

  • Providing safety
  • Evaluate marketing KPIs
  • Recognizing potential for improvement
  • Execute updates
  • React fast on software failures
  • Providing important functions
  • Prevention

 

Provide safety

With targeted monitoring, necessary maintenance work is carried out while maintaining high safety standards.Monitoring prevents the disruption of internal business processes and ensures smooth processes.

 

Evaluate marketing KPIs

Digitalization creates measurability. Evaluated data and results can be analyzed directly thanks to the usage of monitoring. Measuring relevant data has a significant impact on following events within a company and decision makers can determine important economical steps based on evaluated data.

 

Recognizing potential for improvement

Optimization not only concerns economical factors but also aspects of safety. In fact, businesses have the advantage to optimize all processes, no matter if it’s documentation, expanding technical systems or response time to possible problem fixes.

 

Execute updates

Updates provide better performance of technical processes as well as they ensure keeping up with required standards. For software, functions can often only be used to a limited extent if important updates are not carried out.

 

React fast on software failures

Software failures can’t be prevented completely. Targeted supervision ensures fast reaction and people in charge can get the system running again.

 

Providing important functions

This advantage concerns remote maintenance. When the portfolio of functions is updated, an uncomplicated expansion takes place through a central location. This means that updates do not have to be carried out independently or by an internal team – this is done by an IT service provider.

With remote maintenance, businesses take advantage of financial relief, because there are no additional personnel or training costs for hosting the monitoring software.

 

Prevention

More important than problem fixing is prevention of possible disruptions or obstacles. Problems or shortages in resources should not get fixed when they appear. Businesses rather recognize these problems early and react directly. Problems or failures are often a result of a row of incorrect processes and monitoring provides enough transparency here.

Monitoring

Measurability: One of the most important reasons for monitoring | © REEET Jank

What are the disadvantages of monitoring?

Data security is an important topic to consider and the number of warning letters because of personal data breach has increased in the past years. Monitoring is no gray zone as long as you use personal data responsibly. But that’s exactly the point: To prevent data privacy violations, a maintenance contract is necessary (keep reading!). In many collaborations it is exactly this aspect which is disregarded and ultimately leads to warnings or similar problems.

Another disadvantage is to keep yourself too busy with numbers, data and facts. Evaluations and measurable results are important but if businesses are too focused on determining KPIs and with documentation of relevant numbers then business related decisions might take too long.

For many people this doesn’t make sense because measurable results and numbers normally make decisions easier. But take a look at this from a different perspective: Imagine you have all the relevant data for your business processes and at the same time your team collects different ideas to execute or to improve business structures. The selection is big and that makes the decision harder. Information and measurability are good but too much information slows down the decision making process.

 

Which monitoring software is available?

There are many different variants of monitoring software available on the market and mentioning all of them would take too long. Therefore, we will take a closer look at three types of monitoring: Software as service (SaaS), proprietary and open source.

 

Software as a service (SaaS)

Software as a service is defined by external administration of monitoring software through a third party provider. A subscription allows customers access to specific functions. The biggest advantage of SaaS monitoring is the potential money saving for businesses because it’s a remote maintenance through which IT services providers take care of updates, maintenance, installations and safety.

 

Proprietary monitoring

In case that monitoring is not carried out to an external IT service provider, license based options offer a good alternative. Proprietary monitoring means that businesses get access to monitoring software in exchange for a monthly fee. Required updates and problem fixing are ensured by the licensor.

 

Open source monitoring

Open source monitoring is similar to proprietary monitoring but with one significant difference: The provided tools are for free. However, less costs also means less quality. Necessary updates need to be done by businesses themselves and hosting might cause a problem when there is no qualified expert hired. Remote maintenance is highly recommended. That costs money but all in all it’s still cheaper than SaaS monitoring.

 

What is the difference between monitoring, reporting and controlling?

The terms monitoring, reporting and controlling aren’t synonyms although they sound similar.

Monitoring: Monitoring describes supervision of technical processes. It’s actually like a general term for all measurements and observations of processes within a system.

Reporting: Reporting prioritizes collecting and processing business related data such as KPIs. Companies record this data in so-called “reports” and use them to optimize processes. These reports don’t only consider economical factors but general information about a company.

Controlling: Controlling is part of business administration and deals with planning as well as with coordinating a company. It’s distinguished between strategic and operative controlling. Strategic controlling deals with market analyses and potential development of the market whereas operative controlling deals with organizing budget and makes decisions based on determined numbers to use resources more efficiently.

Basically, monitoring describes a general process. The goal is to get access to relevant numbers with support of technical devices. Reporting is more specific which collects information about a company. Controlling on the other hand is all about figuring out economically relevant numbers and making decisions based on that.

 

Data protection: The legal situation

Remote maintenance and connecting technical devices with external IT systems raises the question of data protection. The actual difficulty is that there is no law to specify that.

To prevent possible misunderstandings and data protection breaches, a maintenance contract is recommended. Such a contract not only regulates and determines rights and obligations but data protection aspects as well. The parties are free in creating the contract but some clauses should consider the legal situation and clarify the processing of personal data as well as secrecy about it.

 

What should be included in a maintenance contract?

A legally secure maintenance contract shouldn’t give any space for interpretations and clarifies the most important questions about the collaboration between companies.

These are the most important components of a maintenance contract at a glance*:

  • Maintenance item
  • Rights and duties of the contract parties
  • Contract period
  • Cancellation
  • Scope of services
  • Liability for defects and warranty
  • Maintaining

The components of a legally secure maintenance contract should be determined individually and based on the interests of both parties. There are templates to create such a contract but more efficiently is to talk to a lawyer. Violations against the GDPR cost a lot of money and legal consulting will clear things up. The risks reach much further because the majority of actions on the internet provide consent. With good legal consulting you are safe.

→ What is data management? Strategy, tasks & advantages

 

Our final recommendation: Use backup software

Using software always comes with risks even when developing teams keep up to high standards and qualified software testers check the end result. Still, we highly recommend performing a backup when using monitoring software. Backup software is an additional storage medium which creates a safety copy of existing data. Especially in monitoring, saving data can be an important factor because many evaluations (KPIs for example) are relevant for economic development of a business.

 

Conclusion

Monitoring makes working processes of companies easier and allows them to focus on their key business. Potential for saving money is especially possible in evaluation KPIs, although businesses shouldn’t focus on these numbers too much. Central administration makes it possible that business required applications are used safely and get updated regularly. In case of remote maintenance, a contract is highly recommended to clear up any misunderstandings regarding data protection.

 

FAQ

Lastly, we will answer frequently asked questions about monitoring and remote maintenance.

What are the three types of monitoring?

There are many different types of monitoring. The three most common ones are business, customer and market monitoring.

What is monitoring software?

Monitoring software helps companies to figure out business related numbers such as KPIs but also to measure technical processes and to prevent risks.

Contact us

 

    *Legal notice: All information in this article is for general information purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice in individual cases and cannot and should not replace such advice. 

     

    Sources

    https://www.acronis.com/de-de/articles/monitoring-tools/
    https://www.juraforum.de/muster-vorlagen/wartungsvertrag

     

    Pictures: © Canva.com

    How to find the right advertising media and use it purposefully 994 537 Linda

    How to find the right advertising media and use it purposefully

    HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT ADVERTISING MEDIA AND USE IT PURPOSEFULLY

    When choosing the right advertising media, a wide variety of factors must be taken into account, whether strategically or in terms of design.

    In this article:

    1. What is advertising media?
    2. How do I choose the right advertising media
    3. Design tipps
    4. Usage in a targeted manner
    5. Our final advice
    6. Conclusion
    7. FAQ

     

    The most important information summarized

    • The choice and design of advertising media depend on your target audience.
    • The combination of analog and digital advertising methods is purposeful.
    • Take customer needs into account when communicating.

     

    What is advertising media?

    In connection with the term, one encounters the most diverse definitions and opinions. For many it’s the ballpoint pen or USB stick with a company’s logo, but here we talk about advertising articles or promotion products. “Advertising media” is a general term which describes all actions to convey an advertising message. Promotion products also fall under this category but other actions are also part of this.

    Overview of the most known advertising media:

    • Promotion products such as ballpoint pens or flyers
    • Ads (digital or print)
    • Posters
    • Digital signage
    • Banners
    • TV spots
    • Content (Blog, podcasts)

     

    How do I choose the right advertising media?

    The decision depends on many different factors. During the selection of possibilities it’s not that easy to choose the right method but even more important is a good strategy to avoid bad investments.

     

    The target audience is the most important factor

    In marketing, the focus on one’s own target group is the core criterion for choosing the right advertising media. For example, it doesn’t make sense to choose promotion products such as ballpoint pens when potential clients primarily use digital media and barely have personal contact to a business. On the other hand, crafts, for example, take advantage of promotion products because clients show up at the location.

    Through digital ads the opportunity of communicating messages in different ways is given. Use this diversity and speak to all of your interested parties and clients. In the end, a company has many different target groups and you should reach out to all of them as well as considering their different needs. Don’t forget: The benefit does not depend on a product or service but on the needs of the customers.

    But it’s not only about choosing the right medium but also how you speak to your target group. Young people wish for different advertising than someone who is in his fifties and that should be clear when communicating with your target audience. Younger people are more likely to consider how innovative or timeless the advantages of a product are communicated, older people on the other hand care more about safety and price.

    However, there are also communication channels through which all target groups are addressed. One example for this is digital signage – the greater flexibility allows content to be targeted precisely at different groups of people and this is not just done by manual means, because by using artificial intelligence, sensors can recognize the person in front of the digital screen and target advertising. This flexibility gives companies greater leeway in strategy development and the budget is also used more purposefully as a result.

     

    The marketing strategy determines the objectives

    A strategy determines the framework and sets the direction. Research, identification of customer needs, setting of deadlines and analyses are the foundation for choosing the best advertising media. If the goal is “customer loyalty”, promotional products are a proven way of expressing appreciation to customers. However, if the focus is on acquiring new customers, promotional items are not helpful; instead, advertisements with discount promotions or giveaways are.

    The strategy also defines the timing of the advertising. Many companies finance their ideas via crowdfunding campaigns with a predefined goal and deadline. Here it would be fatal to focus exclusively on the goal but not inform anyone about the timing so that the investment is also made within the deadline.

    Ideally, choose advertising materials that fit both strategically and in terms of timing. It doesn’t make sense to hand out flyers for a company anniversary two days beforehand, but it’s just as useless to run ads promoting an anniversary in Munich but addressing a target group from Berlin.

     

    The budget question

    Companies have a specific budget for their marketing and that is to consider because the target group depends on that. Some businesses create a few thousand euros of marketing costs each month and they use the advantages of outsourcing. This approach is barely recommendable for freelancers or small start ups. They don’t have the opportunities to reach as many businesses as possible with their limited budget.

    The available budget determines the type and scope of advertising media as well as the pursued goal. Little businesses with a 1000 € marketing budget per month rather focus on one goal (e. g. expanding reach), big companies with more than 10.000 € marketing budget on the other hand have the possibility to execute a full marketing strategy with lead generation.

    Just take a look at your target group again – if you, for example, sell luxury products, your customers will expect more than a pen or a lighter. In determining the available budget not only your business is involved but also your target group and their wishes.

     

    Design Tipps

    To communicate the emotions associated with advertising, using visual elements is necessary. But a nice presentation isn’t enough to use the strengths of advertising.

     

    Consider your corporate identity

    Uniformity is essential for the identification of a company and the recognition value for the target group. Don’t use random colors during the designing process but remain true to the corporate identity created. The colors of a promotion product don’t necessarily have to match with the colors of a website, but depending on format and media the colors should be alike. If you represent your website and your logo in a combination of black and green for example, it’s not good to design digital ads in, for instance, yellow.

    An unified look also means to use key elements. The logo, or at least the lettering, must be on advertising media to create recognition value. Likewise, the unique selling proposition or a slogan does well to stand out decisively from competitors. Visual elements (placing pictures, form elements etc.) are welcome to differ in order to offer variety but don’t deviate too much from your color scheme.

    Corporate identity

    Corporate identity: The fundament to create a brand with recognition value | Source: canva.com

     

    Communicate a positive feeling

    Besides a strong message, advertising is defined by a good strategy. What matters the most is how clients view your advertising. Use your strategy to awaken positive feelings of hope or excitement. Depending on your target group, you can use humor too. In order to strengthen the good impression we suggest to use positive formulations of sentences – nobody likes to read negative words such as “problem”, but rather positive alternatives like “challenge”. You are not necessarily aware of such little details but they have an influence on the overall impression.

    If possible, use advertising media to speak to the senses of your target audience. A ballpoint pen should feel comfortable in the hands and create a “wow-effect” when looking at it. The reason why videos work so well as advertising media is because they speak to the human senses and visualizing helps to understand a message much better. Use these advantages for your business.

    In terms of visualization, nothing can beat digital billboards. In general, digital advertising is visually more appealing than print media because in the process of creation designers have more possibilities and displaying content on a screen is supported by effects which can’t be used for print media.

    Article → What are use cases? Definition and examples

     

    Check for completeness

    In the first step, the purpose of advertising media is to support marketing. But strong messages and promises alone won’t help your target group when important information is missing. Take care that your contact data is deposited and that important information regarding prices, references or spectrum of services is not missing.

    Also, don’t go into detail too much and focus on key information. The goal is to deliver important information as short and “straight to the point” as possible because the span of attention is short.
    Here again, the advantages of digital advertising become apparent: For example, digital advertising screens can be set in such a way that the content played out changes by itself after a few seconds. This constant change of advertising messages keeps the viewer’s curiosity alive and makes addressing the target group more flexible.

     

    Tailor content to the target group

    Your target group is the key factor, the same applies to the design of advertising materials. There is no such thing as a consistent formula, instead the needs of your clients matter. Some place more value on safety, to others good conditions are more important. Exactly this is to consider when delivering an advertising message. Admittedly, it’s harder with promotion products such as lighters or ballpoint pens but it’s easier with advertising brochures to design content in a targeted manner.

    What’s also important is to differ between B2B and B2C customers / clients. In B2C marketing, the main focus is to communicate emotions and customers expect lower prices. In B2B marketing on the other hand, innovation and objective facts / data which support the selling of a product or good primarily matter.

    Make your target group understand: “You need to do this to contact us” – we’re referring to the Call-To-Action, that is, to perform an action. Many website owners regularly optimize their texts but still aren’t successful. The reason is not necessarily the bad findability or because something is wrong with the texts. Often it’s because the Call-To-Action is missing. Many businesses oversee that interests and customers want to be taken by the hand. The User experience is one of the most important criteria for successful usage of advertising media and especially through the progress of digitalization it becomes more relevant.

     

    Consider the visual details

    As already mentioned, visuals aren’t everything but under the line they are still important. Brochures don’t look good when pictures are pixelated or spacing from text to edge isn’t enough. Likewise, print mistakes, which are often caused by an incorrectly set color channel of a program, aren’t good either. Pictures are ideally in the vector format (to make sure they are not pixelated), the writing big enough and the spacing unified. You should also consider choosing the right format so that there are no difficulties in terms of size when printing.

     

    Store your promotion products the right way

    Promotion products such as brochures quickly accumulate dust, even more important is the right storage. Do not store promotional items openly in the basement or in damp areas, this will damage them and make them less attractive or even affect their function (e. g. lighters).

    Promotion

     

    The targeted use

    When it comes to certain promotional items, there are a few little things to consider that many overlook at first glance. It is not helpful to produce a large quantity of promotional items or blindly play out advertisements, because depending on the target group, there are various special features to consider.

     

    The occasion matters

    Especially in the B2B sector meetings and events are a common thing. To convince their business partners, you better give it all you got and use luxurious advertising materials. It’s better to invest a little bit more money to provide good quality. But don’t only consider the price, but also personal preferences and wishes of business partners.

     

    Don’t be intrusive

    Many people see advertising as intrusive or bothering. Respect the wishes of all of your customers and that some of them are just not interested in advertisement. That actually gives you the possibility to plan better for the future and to figure out who is actually interested in your advertising and who is not.

     

    Our final advice

    Take a look at your competitors and consider your experience. News regarding current trends does not always tell you the best methods for choosing advertising media because your own market research is still the most reliable source for information. Taking a look at your competitors promotes creativity and inspires for new ways to do things. Don’t copy content of other businesses but question their procedure during creation of advertising media to expand and improve your own strategy.

     

    Conclusion

    The right choice of advertising media is based on three factors: The wishes of the target group, the right use and a good design to arouse emotions. If you act without a strategy, you end up investing a lot of money and getting no results – so beforehand, always make an analysis that takes into account the wishes of the target audience and forecast the result.

     

    FAQ

    At the end of the article we answer frequently asked questions about promotional items.

    What does digital media offer that TV advertising does not?

    Digital media provides businesses with higher flexibility. Ads can be optimized easily and changed in real time. Other than that, the success of digital media can be measured precisely.

    What is the best advertising media?

    In terms of digital advancement, objectively speaking, digital ads work best. However, the choice of the right advertising media depends on the target group and the company’s goal.

    Contact us

     

      Pictures: © Canva.com

      Cloud based solutions B2B: Advantages and more 994 537 Florian Friedl

      Cloud based solutions B2B: Advantages and more

      CLOUD BASED SOLUTIONS B2B: ADVANTAGES AND MORE

      In this article you will find out more about cloud based solutions and how b2b businesses take advantage of them.

      In this article:

      1. Cloud based solutions B2B: Digital signage and more
      2. Cloud computing simply explained
      3. Cloud computing and the advantages for businesses
      4. Cloud server digital signage
      5. How safe are cloud services?
      6. Conclusion
      7. FAQ

       

      Cloud based solutions B2B: Digital signage and more

      Digitalization makes businesses rethink their working processes and also more flexible as well as adaptive. Cloud based solutions for businesses offer many advantages and strengthen the position of a company against its competitors.

       

      Cloud computing simply explained

      The term “cloud” is defined in many different ways. Most people see it as a way to get access to content without a required internet connection. Others point out the advantage that no storage space is needed. Simply explained, cloud based solutions give the possibility to location independently save data as well as to be able to get access to them location independently.

      Many people associate cloud based solutions with services such as Google Drive but the possible applications go further. Cloud based solutions even offer a location independently application, best example: Digital signage software. The cloud based usage of digital signage pursues the goal that businesses can display video and picture content without an internet connection. Other than that, businesses take advantage of provided servers. The storage of data is a good usage as well but the main advantage lies within the uncomplicated access to content and to show it to potential customers. Therefore, cloud based solutions not only offer a good way to save data but also to overcome communication boundaries with customers.

       

      Cloud computing and the advantages for businesses

      Switching to cloud based solutions means that businesses are given more advantages in the process of using and providing digital signage solutions. As the possibilities are not exclusively limited to save data, there are also advantages regarding costs and hosting.

       

      Better organization and more flexibility

      Cloud based solutions B2B provide a flexible as well as uncomplicated execution of applications within a service. The centralized data saving offers more safety when it comes to technical problems and is followed with fixing them fast thanks to the hosting service.

       

      Save data storage

      Worries regarding the safety of cloud computing are unjustified when you rely on a serious provider. Data management happens over a professional protected data center.

       

      Competition advantages and focus on competences

      Cloud computing means to automate processes and that makes it easier to implement further processes or new applications. That comes with advantages in competition with others and the automated processes enable a better focus on the core business. 

       

      Flexible display of media

      Cloud based solutions offer more flexibility, especially for digital signage software. Once the content is created, displaying it can easily be done with the help of cloud based solutions.

       

      Less costs

      More flexibility, less costs for human resources and uncomplicated possibilities to adapt come with less costs.

       

      Breakdown safety

      Cloud based solutions require maintenance work on a regular basis and meet high safety standards. The sudden loss of important data is therefore almost impossible to happen.

      Cloud based solutions B2B not only come with advantages regarding flexibility in data saving but optimize the whole working process of a company. Businesses save money, centralize working processes and come with benefits in competition with others.

       

      Cloud server digital signage

      Cloud based solutions for businesses are diverse and are available in many different fields. With digital signage software it’s also possible to use a cloud and display content easily. Through the central data saving, you have access to content every time you need it and you get your own individual access for registration.

      Thanks to cloud based digital signage solutions you won’t have to pay for establishing your own server and important updates as well as maintenance are done by the hoster. Because of that, maximum safety is provided and your focus is on the core business of your company.

      That comes with the possibility to provide cheap license and subscription models. Your own server and maintenance work are expensive – often, unexpected problems occur and you have to pay even more. Cloud solutions for digital signage businesses create a clear cost structure to good conditions.

       

      FRAMR. EASY AND INTUITIVE DIGITAL SIGNAGE SOLUTION

      Show digital media content on common displays like consumer or professional screens or even LED walls! That’s simple digital signage, and that’s how we support your work with FRAMR. The answer for easy and intuitive management and presentation of media content.

      FRAMR uses its own and safe cloud, based in the European union. It is supported by a connected Content Delivery Network (CDN) for safe delivery. We provide maintenance work and offer central data saving in exchange for fair subscription prizes. Our products connect with different devices and come with many advantages, starting from the amount of data you can save within the cloud to high quality resolution and powerful processors. Oor products are all GDPR compliant.

      Recommended reading → 7 underestimated advantages of business digitalization

       

      How safe are cloud devices?

      Many people argue that cloud based solutions aren’t safe when it comes to protecting data but you don’t have to worry about it. The communication between internet service and local disk is cryptic. Therefore, it’s safe from hackers. Other than that, cloud based solutions mostly require passwords which provides more safety.

      But there is no guarantee that you won’t lose your data. Weaknesses in programming may lead to the loss of data and average saved registrations might leave hackers a chance for a strike. Many people can’t figure out how safe cloud services are and that makes them worried the most – especially because cloud based solutions offer such good services makes people worried that something unknown might cause a bigger problem.

       

      How safe is FRAMR?

      When using FRAMR, you won’t have to worry about such problems. Our cloud system provides safe data administration and hosting as well as crypting working processes to prevent hacker strikes. We are responsible and want to offer safe solutions as well as we hold up to standards as we regularly finish required updates and do the maintenance work for you.

       

      Conclusion

      Cloud based solutions for businesses are an important factor in competing with others. Providers have many advantages because it makes organization easier and investing for server hardware is not necessary. But even consumers have advantages because being local independently as well as not being dependent on an internet connection provides the easy and uncomplicated service potential customers want.

       

      FAQ

      Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about cloud based solutions.

      What is cloud storage?

      Cloud storage is a computing model which saves data in a logical pool (cloud). That gives the possibility to get access to saved data without having to have an internet connection.

      How safe are cloud services?

      Data in a cloud is safe because the communication between server and local disk is cryptic. Unwarranted access is not possible because of safety standards and password requirements.

      What is resource pooling?

      Resource pooling describes the process in which providers of cloud software give many users access to their server.

      When is a cloud based solution GDPR compliant?

      Centralized data saving is GDPR compliant when users accept the terms of services and allow the processing of personal data.

      Contact us

       

        Pictures: © Canva.com

        Here is why digital advertising is better than offline marketing 994 537 Lukas Aumair

        Here is why digital advertising is better than offline marketing

        DIGITAL ADVERTISING: BETTER THAN OFFLINE MARKETING?

        The influence of digital advertising can be seen in the success of many companies. But are digital measures better than classic marketing?

        In this article: 

        1. Digital advertising: Better than offline marketing?
        2. Adaptability is required
        3. What is digital advertisement?
        4. What does digital media offer that TV advertising does not?
        5. What are the costs of digital advertising?
        6. Offline marketing vs. online marketing: Which one is better?
        7. Conclusion
        8. FAQ

         

        Digital advertising: Better than offline marketing?

        Businesses prove themselves against competitors with good marketing. Because of the rising competition, it is required to re-think strategies and be innovative. But even more important is advertising to reach the right target group. In the past years, the direction has changed and social media as well as facebook advertising have started a new age of marketing. But are these methods better than the classic ones?

        Digital advertising

        Digital advertising: More than Social Media | © Adem AY

         

        Digital advertising: Adaptability is required

        A company’s success is defined not only by a brilliant idea or marketing strategy, but also by its ability to adapt to current trends. Until around 2010, digital marketing was still in its infancy and only a few companies even had their own website or email inbox. But in recent years, it has become very clear how businesses of all sizes benefit from digital marketing. It has never been so easy to achieve national or even international recognition and to address one’s target group in a targeted manner.

        How dangerous it is to oversleep such trends is demonstrated by the company “Quelle”. The company from the Bavarian town of Fürth successfully held its own on the market for more than 80 years, but the situation changed – the company continued to rely on the tried-and-tested Quelle catalog and disregarded digital trends. The insolvency application followed in 2009. Admittedly, an insolvency application is not due to a single misstep, but oversleeping current marketing trends played a serious role in this case.

        This example shows the serious consequences that affect even established companies if they fail to adapt to change. The transition from classic marketing methods to digital advertising is not complete – on the contrary – new trends regularly emerge and this allows more creative scope, but this also increases the pressure in the competitive battle.
        The change is having an effect, and this becomes clear when looking at the strategies of companies of all sizes. Terms such as “social media” or “content” did not attract any attention ten years ago, but in 2022 they are an integral part of every marketing portfolio.

         

        What is digital advertisement?

        Marketing and advertising – many use these terms as synonyms but they have different meanings. Marketing is a holistic, strategic process which doesn’t only focus the aspects of advertising but also involves administrative and personnel decisions. Advertising on the other hand is how businesses communicate their marketing strategies to their potential customers. Classic marketing methods are TV advertising, flyers and banners. Digital marketing re-defines the process of communication and focuses on social media as well as social advertising.

        Examples for digital advertising:

        The influence of digital advertising is growing and plays a decisive role in the marketing of a company’s own offering. This also expands the opportunities to try out creative approaches (e.g. gamification). A few years ago, few people would have thought of presenting their advertising via a screen rather than a billboard. But it was precisely these changes that redirected the course of success for many companies.

         

        What does digital media offer that TV advertising does not?

        More and more businesses use the possibilities given by the age of digitalization. People of all ages use social media as well as they use google search to find inspiration. Digital displays prove themselves because they appear more high-grade than classic banners and the possibilities regarding designs are much bigger. There are many more reasons because besides reaching the right target group and the process of design, businesses find more other advantages.

        The advantages of digital advertising are the following: 

        • Higher adaptability
        • Mobile availability
        • Efficiency in terms of costs
        • More discreet

        Both companies and their target group benefit from these advantages – this interaction makes digital advertising an useful option as a whole because businesses work more efficiently and they reach new customers at the same time.

         

        Higher adaptability

        Growing competition is causing companies from all industries to think in several directions. Not only does a company’s own offering and its relevance for potential new customers play an important role, it must also constantly keep an eye on the competition. Competitive analyses were already part of a company’s tasks before the digital transformation, but in the course of digitization, this subarea is weighted more heavily than ever before. New trends are regularly established and there are changes in marketing, which means that companies that do not take these trends into account will be at a competitive disadvantage.

        The short-lived needs of the target group also require a flexible rendition of advertising in order to appeal to precisely these needs and target people. Classic advertising methods such as flyers or banners reach their limits here. The design and printing process takes more time than content creation for digital advertising, and adaptation options are few and far between. Every time a trend changes, new flyers or posters are required and the entire process behind them takes a lot of time.

        Taking digital billboards as an example, it shows how uncomplicated modern ways of advertising are: Throughout the day it is possible to display ads for target group A and in the evening businesses can reach target group B. The content of digital signage is adaptive and unbound – even service providers take advantage of that because they are given the possibility to display the latest information on a specific topic.

         

        Mobile availability

        Having access to content everytime and everywhere – the flexibility of tablets and smartphones has a positive impact on businesses’ reach. Banners almost exclusively reach people from one region and flyers barely make it outside the neighbors post box. Things work differently with digital advertising: The target group searches for something on google and then goes to facebook – thanks to social ads a company from Vienna reaches customers from Munich.

         

        Efficiency in terms of costs

        The purchase of a mobile display might appear expensive and social ads can also cost businesses a lot of money. But the adaptability creates space for test phases. Especially social ads provide advantages because the measurability of results gives a better insight and therefore creates potential for improvement.

         

        More discreet

        Digital advertising primarily reaches people who have a potential interest in services or products. Google ads are only visible for people who searched for something specific and digital ads aren’t intrusive either. However, it’s a different story with a flier in the post box and advertising breaks on TV are also annoying (because they interrupt the most exciting scenes of a movie).

        Communication: Thanks to digital marketing it is uncomplicated and businesses reach more potential customers | © Headway

         

        What are the costs of digital advertising?

        Companies better calculate more generously at the beginning, because the first step requires some test phases that cost money accordingly. However, it must be weighed up which goals a company sets. If the focus is on lead generation, more budget is required than if brand awareness is to be expanded.

        The cost aspect must always be considered on a case-by-case basis. The more extensive the strategy and the advertising measures that go with it, the more expensive it is to implement. Much more important than the costs, however, is the efficient use of the available budget. In the long term, the measurability of digital marketing measures allows for good potential savings and better targeting of advertising to the target group.

        Not every form of digital advertising grants good measurability, however, but the potential for savings can be seen in other ways. Let’s take the digital billboard as an example: it’s hard to track how many people buy a product in a clothing store through advertising displays, but parallel processes for evaluating the target group enable more effective reproduction of content. If analyses show that mainly younger people visit a shopping center in the afternoon at 3 p.m. and middle-aged people tend to visit in the evening from 7 p.m. onwards, the flexibility in content playback allows the content to be aligned with the target group accordingly.

         

        Offline marketing vs. online marketing: Which one is better?

        It’s wrong to say that all classic marketing methods are bad because they are the fundamental approach to digital marketing and many businesses use flyers as well as banners successfully. In comparison, digital marketing only provides advantages.

        That mainly shows in the possibilities to adapt, mobile availability, measurability of results and efficiency. The investment in classic marketing is a risk because businesses can’t determine concrete numbers. Sure, not every method provides good measurability but a holistic digital marketing strategy does.

        However, there are also two disadvantages in offline marketing. On the one hand it’s complicated to start the right way. Those who have never occupied themselves with digital marketing 101 might need a consultant or many hours of research to find the best strategies for their own business. Another disadvantage are the high expectations – especially small businesses expect too many new customers once they created their own website or started with social media. The rising competition makes that a tough challenge because the good places in google and social media channels are limited.

        However, search engines and social media aren’t the only ways to use digital marketing. In the end, a good strategy combines the strengths of many different areas. In case a company has always been successful with events it of course can still be part of a holistic strategy.

         

        Conclusion: A lasting trend that requires innovation

        The comfort zone is a dangerous place especially in marketing. If there is one disadvantage in digital marketing it’s to ignore current trends. However, a turnaround is not accomplished from one day to the next and businesses have time to adapt.

        Digital advertising is superior to offline marketing, no matter if we talk about flexibility, costs or mobility. The only disadvantage is the amount of given possibilities and that companies choose the wrong ones. However, the ones who are prepared will not fail.

        Article → Cloud based solutions B2B: Digital signage and more

         

        FAQ

        Following we will answer the most frequently asked questions about digital advertising.

        How much does digital advertising cost?

        It depends on how much money you spend and what you want to achieve. You can start with just a few euros but if you want a positive return on investment you will have to invest a few thousand euros each month to succeed.

        Which of the following is an example of digital advertising?

        Digital advertising includes all media which can be used to market products or services, so facebook ads, google ads, social media, newsletter marketing, content or videos.

        Contact us

         

          Pictures: © Canva.com

          User Experience: How to improve it in 2023 994 537 Christian

          User Experience: How to improve it in 2023

          USER EXPERIENCE:
          HOW TO IMPROVE IT IN 2023

          Applying User Experience methods is an important step for every business. FRAMR gives you advice on what to consider.

          In this article:

          1. User Experience: How to improve it in 2023
          2. What is User Experience?
          3. Why is User Experience important?
          4. How to improve User Experience: Tips and tricks
          5. User Experience and how to improve it on mobile devices
          6. How to measure User Experience?
          7. Conclusion
          8. FAQ

           

          User Experience: How to improve it in 2023

          Growing competition requires innovation and outside the box thinking. Only about 15 years ago companies with a website had a strong and tight position on the market. In 2023, this belongs to the past. Customers are given more possibilities and in every niche there is lots of competition. Search engine optimization and social media are the first steps, but one aspect is often overlooked: Getting the target group to not leave the website and interact with call to action buttons and / or contact fields. In this article we’ll give you valuable information on how to improve your User Experience and which opportunities you have.

           

          UX Design

          UX Design: An important factor in terms of mobility | © Amélie Mourichon

           

          What is User Experience?

          Most people have heard of User Experience (UX), especially regarding websites and their usability. That answers the question about the definition: User Experience sums up all aspects of user interaction and usability with a product or service. That doesn’t only include the experience with apps or websites but how users interact with a product or service as a whole. User Experience is measured by communication between business and customer, possibilities in mobility, how easy it is to interact with a website and how short the ways are to call to actions (e. g. contact form, newsletter button etc.).

           

          Why is User Experience important?

          It is no secret that user experience was an important topic even before digitization, but the focus was on other aspects. User experience was taken for granted because analog applications were considered easy to use and on-site contact with companies meant there was appropriate help from staff. In the digital age, however, the focus is on automated processes and it is precisely this that causes difficulties for many users / customers.

          Such difficulties are particularly apparent with websites: The dwell time of visitors is shortening due to growing competition. Consumers know that they are only a few clicks away from a comparable provider and accordingly look for uncomplicated solutions. Companies often find themselves in the situation where their website generates a lot of visitors, but the bounce rate is relatively high. The solution is obvious: no focus on user experience. And since user experience is also a competitive criterion, there are additional disadvantages compared to competitors.

          So the need for user experience exists because otherwise your competitors will have advantages over you and at the same time customer satisfaction will also drop. Google is also increasingly shifting the focus of content marketing to usability – for years, search engine optimized content was considered the most important aspect of good content, but core updates from 2023 (e.g. helpful content) aim to prioritize user-oriented texts and content.

           

          How to improve User Experience: Tips and tricks

          The high bounce rate of websites requires the right and especially solution oriented behavior. With our following tips you’ll reduce the Google Analytics bounce rate of your website as well as you will improve your company’s image.

           

          Communicate your USP and VP as direct and understandable as possible

          Your unique selling proposition (USP) and value proposition (VP) make you stand out in comparison to your competitors. When searching for the right product or service, the number one question of potential customers is: Why?
          There are many competitors on the market which all offer similar solutions – constantly improving your offer won’t make things better, what matters is the way to communicate the value to your target group.

          Every business has a unique selling proposition (What makes me stand out in comparison to my competitors?) and a value proposition (Which value / advantages can I provide to my target group?) with which you reach your potential customers. Ask yourself if it’s clear for customers to recognize both the USP and VP the moment they visit your website.

           

          Technical terms? Please not!

          As important as it is to represent your company as a serious business, too pragmatic texts won’t reach your audience. Technical terms, very long texts and boring content won’t reach your target group. Many businesses fall for the so-called “SEO trap”. That means companies optimize their texts based on SEO relevant criteria but forget to take a closer look at their target group. Sure, texts which are too “salesy” aren’t appealing either and especially technical products require less salesy texts than beauty products for example. But still, good texts awake emotions and needs in potential customers.

           

          Easy usage of the website

          A big sitemap, sub pages with too much content and an user unfriendly design – these aspects of User Experience is what website visitors notice first. In case a website appears too full, some visitors don’t know where to start or how to interact with it. Therefore, they will leave the website.

           

          Barrier free usage: Access for everyone

          Another positive aspect of digital progress is that everyone takes advantage of it, even human beings with handicaps. Specific apps and plugins for websites give access to functions for barrier free usage. These include functions such as reading texts, changing size of letters and optical changes.

           

          Responsive web design: Mobility is more important than ever before

          More than 70 per cent of website visits come from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Even though a responsive web design isn’t as appealing as the desktop version, optimizing a website’s design and content for mobile devices is crucial in 2023.

           

          Ask yourself the right questions

          In the first step, good User Experience is defined by a target group friendly website. The process goes beyond that because the product or service itself shouldn’t make the lives of consumers harder. But: To reach this step in the first place, interest of the target group is required and in 2023 the first contact of potential customers with a business is mostly through the website or other marketing methods such as paid ads or social media channels.

           

          Ask yourself the following questions to improve the User Experience:

          • How can I effectively communicate my product / services to potential customers?
          • How does the value of my products / services appear to my audience right away when they visit my website and how can I use, for instance, use cases to communicate advantages?
          • Do I consider important aspects such as mobility or barrier free experience?
          • Is it clear for my target group what to expect on my website?
          • Are the ways to the call to action button (contact form, newsletter subscription etc.) too long?
          • Does the content of paid ads and social media fit with the content on my website?
          • Can we use methods to improve communication (e. g. through chatbots)?

          The last question is important for the complete online performance: Even when using social media or paid ads, User Experience shouldn’t be a secondary thing. Bad written texts and hard to understand descriptions of products and services belong to the most common reasons why users don’t click on a website.

           

          Mobility

          Mobility: Don’t underestimate the impact on User Experience | © Taras Shypka

           

          User Experience and how to improve it on mobile devices

          Relevance of responsive web designs increases especially with the given possibilities in app design in comparison to just a few years ago. But more possibilities in IT and programming also means that products become more complex and that on the other hand requires a better focus on User Experience.

          But not only do the possibilities in app design expand because in the area of mobile devices there is also lots of progress. A good example is digital signage software.

          Digital-visual screens which display content through software – many know them as information terminals. Possibilities for users have developed in the past years and that offers more opportunities in general. Goal of digital screens is the compact display of easy to understand content and simple usage. But to improve User Experience even more there are smartphone integrations. FRAMR offers an uncomplicated as well as a very fast connection with the smartphone through QR code and a great User Experience thanks to cross platform design. Our team sets a good example for User Experience and makes an important move to use digital signage software independently.

           

          This is how you combine user experience and innovation

          The relevance of responsive web design continues to grow, especially because the possibilities in app design are more extensive than they were a few years ago. However, more possibilities in IT and software development also mean that products have more complex features, which in turn requires a closer look at the user experience.

          A good example of this is digital signage solutions. These are digital-visual screens that play out content thanks to software. The goal of digital signage is the compact reproduction of easy-to-understand content and good usability to promote interaction between the company and the user. To improve the interaction with users, digital signage combines other innovative methods from marketing, for example gamification.

          FRAMR enables a straightforward as well as split-second connection with various hardware devices and provides a simple-interactive user experience through cross platform design. Our team leads by example in user experience and moves away from the location-based use of a terminal, we also offer a wide variety of different functions.

           

          How to measure User Experience?

          Measurement of results provides important information on how successful the chosen (marketing) methods are and that creates new possibilities to save more money. To measure User Experience, the bounce rate of websites is a factor to take a closer look at. In case users find your website, you can be sure your marketing does well. However, if the interaction rate is low / or the Google Analytics bounce rate is more than 60 per cent in comparison then you should improve the User Experience.

          But don’t only take a look at User Experience when you analyze the results because other factors have an impact as well. It’s possible that someone finds your website through keywords that don’t really represent your offer. Here it gets clear to figure out which causes lead to the given numbers or which reasons speak for an either good or bad execution of User Experience.

          Article → Hardware and software: Differences and connections

           

          Conclusion

          User Experience: More than just a word in 2023. It dominates the competition between companies. Thanks to digitalization we are given the possibility to create more complex products and market them in many different ways which requires further explanation of their usage. Most businesses are aware of that and use qualified UX designers who build up your marketing step by step.

           

          FAQ

          Still some things unclear about User Experience? Following we will answer the most frequently asked questions regarding the topic of this article.

          Why to think about usability and user experience?

          User experience and usability help to make the interaction between businesses and their target groups easier. That promises advantages in competition as well as it will have a positive impact on the image of a company.

          What is the difference between usability and user experience?

          Usability only describes the process during the interaction with a product or service. User Experience on the other hand goes beyond that and targets the subjective experience during the complete interaction process with a product or service.

          Contact us

           

            Pictures: © Canva.com

            Content Delivery Network: Definition, usage and advantages 994 537 Florian Friedl

            Content Delivery Network: Definition, usage and advantages

            CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK: DEFINITION, USAGE AND ADVANTAGES

            What is a content delivery network and what advantages does it offer? We have the answers to frequently asked questions and compare the best providers.

            In this article:

            1. What is a content delivery network?
            2. The history of content delivery networks
            3. How does a CDN work?
            4. Operational areas
            5. Which of the following is an advantage of a content delivery network?
            6. Which of the following is a disadvantage of a content delivery network?
            7. Which providers are available?
            8. Finding the right CDN provider
            9. How much does a CDN cost?
            10. Conclusion
            11. FAQ

             

            The most important facts in a nutshell

            • Main purpose of a content delivery network is to provide and play content in very short time
            • A main server distributes content to replication servers
            • Some advantages of CDN are savings in costs, shorter loading times and failure safety

             

            Content delivery network: The smart solution for providing data

            Server overloading, long loading times and high costs – providing content comes with many challenges. To provide content easier and to relieve companies financially, there is a good solution: Content delivery network. But what is a CDN and what are the advantages? In this article we will answer all questions about how CDN works, advantages and which providers are available for businesses.

             

            What is a Content Delivery Network?

            A content delivery network, short CDN, is a network of computers that are linked together worldwide. Through the connection with a provider, a link to all CDN servers is created. The distribution of retrieved data is carried out by a central computer which transfers the saved data to a replication server. When users retrieve specific data, a request-routing-system ensures that the data is transferred through the most appropriate replication server. The only thing that matters here is proximity to the user – data is always provided by the replication-server which is the closest to the user to ensure a fast transfer of data. Namely, the goal of CDN is to reduce loading times and to save costs.

             

            The history of content delivery networks

            The history of the content delivery network leads back to the year 1998. After the internet became publicly accessible, the company Akamai Technologies introduced the first content delivery network. Transfer of data required much more time back then and technology wasn’t as developed as in 2022. The company knew that solutions to shorten this process were necessary. Already back in this time CDN followed the goal to provide content faster and to use bandwidth more efficiently.

            Although goals of usage were similar, CDN was primarily used for e-commerce, streaming and software downloads. Only with the growing relevance of mobile computing and cloud computing the usage of CDN expanded. They enabled the delivery of complex web content. That ultimately was conditioned that there were more CDN providers and the progress in this area got bigger as well. Nowadays, CDN is used in different areas, no matter if it’s streaming, e-commerce or providing content.

            The progress is most evident in the dynamic content. In principle, it is rather difficult to save dynamic content on a server because it’s individual. A good example is the cart of online shops which differs between the buyers. That makes it difficult to provide cloud saved content. Through routing paths there is still the opportunity to provide content of such processes via a CDN. In the future, there will be even more advantages in the field of dynamic content because businesses know how important individuality and usability are.

             

            How does CDN work?

            For functionality of CDN there are two important factors to make it work, one of them being the distribution system and the other one being the replication-server. The distribution system ensures that data is always up to date and that it will be transferred to replication servers. During this process the request-routing-system comes into play to make sure that user inquiries land on the right servers and provide content as fast as possible.

            The transmission process takes place via two possibilities. On the one hand, a content delivery network can distribute data directly to replication servers. Alternatively, the main server sends a message to servers so that content is retrievable everytime. The second opportunity guarantees a more efficient use of bandwidth because the main server has to process less data.

             

            Operation areas of content delivery network

            Many people associate using a CDN with improving performance of a website but this isn’t the only operation area for which a content delivery network can be used. Depending on the provider, there are different functions available, no matter if it’s getting access to content or expanding safety infrastructures.

            Businesses use CDN for providing content, streaming, e-commerce and improving performance of mobile websites. But there is one common goal all CDN providers aim for: Fulfilling requirements of a business. CDN indeed is a competitive factor because businesses that work most efficiently, will also reach the best and measurable results and successively improve their performance.

             

            Which of the following is an advantage of a content delivery network?

            • Reduced loading times
            • Less costs
            • Caching
            • Better usage
            • Reduced amounts of data
            • Failure safety
            • Improved referencing
            • More safety

             

            Reduced loading times

            The example of pictures for websites is evident for the strengths of CDN. Loading time is a relevant ranking factor for Google and even pictures have an impact on that. The right format, proper coding and the usage of CDN improve the loading times of websites because content is provided much faster.

            All of that works as follows: Websites pull pictures (or other content) from an origin server which is mostly located far away and therefore lengthens the loading times. CDN offers a good alternative because pictures are provided by the nearest server. Users claim this data from the server which provides pictures the fastest.

            Less costs

            With the usage of CDN, the origin server has to process less data through which expensive traffic is prevented and the amount of used bandwidth is reduced.

             

            Caching

            When data is requested, the content delivery network transfers a copy from the cache server which is the nearest to the user.

             

            Better usage

            Caching and the user friendly provision of retrieved data allows fast access through which the usage is improved. A CDN recognizes which data set is the most relevant for website visitors and loads this content already before the first interaction. That promises better user interaction during the interaction with a website.

             

            Reduced amounts of data

            CDN delivers data in compressed form. Because of that, data is delivered much faster and loading times are shortened.

             

            Failure safety

            The usage of CDN reduces the load of the main server. This distribution of loads across several sub-servers reduces the risk of downtime and any kinds of failures. This saves maintenance work, for which further costs are incurred.

             

            Improved referencing

            Providing content through a CDN happens faster, because they combine requested data to packages.

             

            More safety

            An often overlooked advantage is the aspect of safety. A CDN helps to protect the main server from virus attacks and other cyber threads.

             

            Which of the following is a disadvantage of a content delivery network?

            Using a content delivery network comes with many advantages but there are also disadvantages as well as challenges which a CDN (partly) can’t handle.

             

            No control

            Managing data on your own server comes with the advantage of having control over it. Through usage of a CDN, this advantage gets lost because data of a main server is distributed to a replication-server and customers have no impact on the processes. Providers of CDN might be reliable but when the rare case of disruptions and failures occur, customers can’t do anything about it.

             

            Dynamic content limit

            Individual customized content barely can’t be provided by a content delivery network. One example is the carts of online shops. Each customer places an individual order, therefore it’s not possible for a CDN to save data in a cache server.

            But even here there are solutions available, so called workarounds. CDN accelerates the data transfer and provides routing paths through which dynamic content can be delivered.

            Dynamic Content Limit

             

            Which providers are available?

            Competition in CDN is growing and there are many different providers on the market, each with their own advantages. To give you better insights, we have compared the following five providers:

            • Cloudflare
            • Fastly CDN
            • Microsoft Azure CDN
            • StackPath CDN
            • Amazon CloudFont

             

            Cloudflare

            Cloudflare is probably the most known CDN provider. Even when you’re not too familiar with the topic, you might have heard of this company, which partly has to do with its stock performance in 2021. The company is from the USA and is focused on improving performance of websites. as well as expanding security. This CDN is, for example, safe from DDoS attacks. Cloudflare also promises shorter loading times.

            Price-wise there are three different alternatives when using Cloudflare, a free plan as well as the pro and business variant. The pro variant costs 20 euros each month, the business version is 200 euros. In case you only want regular functions, the free plan will be enough. Other than that, you can choose from many additional functions as well as you can choose the individual customized enterprise content delivery network.

             

            Fastly CDN

            Fastly CDN promises what the name insists. The provider uses edge cloud computing to analyze and process data even faster. In addition to that, fastly offers the opportunity to compress pictures. In terms of safety, Fastly CDN is a very good choice – the provider is safe from DDos attacks and offers a web application firewall.

            Fastly offers a free test phase. After that you can choose from three different packages, namely enterprise, essential and professional. Information about prices is accessible after you have registered on the website of Fastly CDN. But very important: Fastly offers individual memberships for which the prices are determined by the used bandwidth and the amount of used file requests.

             

            Microsoft Azure CDN

            Microsoft is namely the first giant of this list and that promises high performance. Microsoft Azure is safe from cyber attacks and the capacity of distribution data is almost unlimited. Because of that, the provider is especially recommended for bigger businesses. This becomes clear when you take a closer look at the price: At first, registered businesses receive a 200 US dollar gift card for using the CDN, after that the prices are determined by individual needs.

             

            StackPath CDN

            The focus of StackPath CDN is speed, safety and control. According to disclosures of the provider, StackPath reduces latency up to 60 per cent and also improves the performance of websites, apps, games and streams. The prices are a shoutout to all competitors: Only 15 euros each month. However, pricing mostly depends on your individual needs.

             

            Amazon CloudFront

            Amazon is an empire and has been involved into many projects outside of e-commerce, including building their own content delivery network. The biggest strength of Amazon CloudFront is the individuality and the opportunities in programming for developers. During the first year Amazon CloudFront is free but only for data transfers up to 50 MB and 2 million requests within a month. After the free test phase ends, pricing depends on individual needs and wishes.

            There are many other providers for CDN, one of them being Google. Competition in this field is growing but all providers consider to offer safe as well as high quality solutions which make customers happy. Whatever CDN you will choose, all of them offer their own individual strengths.

             

            Finding the right CDN provider

            Choosing the right CDN provider depends on many different factors. Usage and advantages are primarily important because the different providers are all specialized and offer holistic solutions for specific fields. When comparing providers with similar range of services, price and quality of service matter the most. The providers from our comparison all offer fair conditions but differ in the amount of transferred data and focuses. Best you can do is to compare different providers and make your decision based on individual wishes.

            In Europe, the topic of data security is important which is why businesses should always have an eye on how to execute it. The providers from our list all consider data security based on European standards but taking a second look at more unknown providers is highly recommended to be safe and avoid expensive warning letters.

             

            How much is a CDN?

            Prices of a content delivery network vary and depend on the provider. Standard tarifs begin at about 15 up to 20 euros each month, business tarifs cost up to 200 euros each month. In addition, many providers base their pricing on the locations – in other words, the monthly rate is based on the region from which you run your business. But the amount of data transferred and individual needs are also taken into account in pricing.

             

            Conclusion

            The demand for using content delivery networks has soared in recent years, especially with the growing prominence of providers such as Cloudflare. Users have many advantages with CDN, one of them being the uncomplicated access to content through which loading times are limited and working processes become more efficient.

            But you shouldn’t underestimate the effort that comes with using a content delivery network at first. Also, businesses have less control over processes which are completed by a CDN. Therefore it is recommended to take a closer look at all the available providers and to check how they treat the topic of data security.

             

            FAQ

            Lastly, we will answer the most frequently asked questions about content delivery networks.

            What is Caching?

            The cache is a buffer memory that provides access to a background medium. It makes sure that the renewed access to data is faster and thus the loading times are reduced.

            What is a replication server?

            The process of replication describes the saving of the same data on many different servers. A replication server serves as a kind of distributor of data, which is transferred via a main server and forwarded to computers. Replication gives users the ability to access data quickly.

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              Sources

              https://www.computerweekly.com/de/definition/CDN-Content-Delivery-Network#:~:text=Eine%20Vielzahl%20von%20Unternehmen%20nutzt,f%C3%BCr%20eine%20Reihe%20weiterer%20Anwendungen.

              https://www.ionos.de/digitalguide/hosting/hosting-technik/was-ist-ein-content-delivery-network-cdn/

              Pictures: © Canva.com

              Surace Barista Caffé/Bar/Eatery 1024 576 Manuel Renje

              Surace Barista Caffé/Bar/Eatery

              Excellent quality – in terms of coffee, but also in terms of the signage system! The wall-sized display Panasonic TH-55VF2H with the built-in, almost invisible FRAMR.Player SDM shows breakfast, lunch or dinner menu depending on the time of day. All displayed content is conveniently managed and scheduled by the customer in FRAMR.Cockpit.

               

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                FRAMR developer Lukas Aumair about Digital Signage 849 566 Linda

                FRAMR developer Lukas Aumair about Digital Signage

                FRAMR DEVELOPER LUKAS AUMAIR ABOUT DIGITAL SIGNAGE

                Digital signage offers new chances on the market and is all about innovation in times of digitization.

                Guide for the interview:

                1. What is FRAMR and how was the idea behind it developed?
                2. Which steps were to consider during development?
                3. What about the current demand for digital signage products?
                4. Why do more businesses rely on digital billboards?
                5. Recommendations of Lukas Aumair
                6. Which industries take the most advantage of digital signage?
                7. How can working processes be simplified?
                8. What are the future perspectives of digital signage?

                 

                Digital signage, software and more – for many businesses it’s the unknown but for Lukas Aumair it’s daily business. In the FRAMR interview, the CEO of Megatechnik professional multimedia GmbH describes how important digital signage will be for businesses in the future and which chances can be used. Other than that, he also talks further about important advantages regarding digital advertising.

                Lukas Aumair

                Lukas Aumair: Developer of FRAMR and CEO of Megatechnik multimedia professional GmbH

                 

                What is FRAMR and how was the idea behind it developed?

                A digital working environment requires the right solutions but many businesses fail in that area. Digital screens are known to most people, although not necessarily under the Term “Digital Signage”. What most people don’t see on the outside: The processes behind the development of software to display content on a digital screen require detailed programming as well as a qualified team. At the end, everything needs to work properly, starting from the idea through to marketing.

                “The content management team of our company looked for a solution to remotely manage content of digital screens in a mall. All solutions on the market were locally installed and therefore only accessible under unsafe as well as complicated conditions and the usability was bad.”

                The thoughts of Lukas Aumair to get to the idea make clear which challenges his team had to face. Missing usability and flexibility are common problems in digitalization but FRAMR takes an approach to these challenges.

                 

                Which steps were to consider during development?

                From the beginning the creation and concept of a scalable cloud system was important to offer clients from all over the world a good service. Also, FRAMR should be usable without software installation and be ready within seconds. Competitors partly still don’t make their services work without a team of educated technicians.

                Lastly, the usage of Linux over Microsoft was essentially to provide proper system safety. There is no worse situation in the field of digital signage than a “player” which doesn’t work properly after a windows update.

                 

                What about the current demand for digital signage products?

                A growing number of businesses rely on digital solutions because of the corona crisis. That also comes with a higher demand for digital signage. Financial support of states in the European Union fuels this trend.

                 

                Why do more businesses rely on digital billboards?

                In a fast living world and an agile working environment digital billboards offer faster reaction times to new events, a faster display of advertising as well as faster actions and available information for employees in comparison to classic print products. The exchange of content happens instantly whereas print products need to be printed in the first step and then be deployed manually. Other than that, a moving image is always a better eyecatcher than static posters. Lastly, with the right setup it is possible to change the little worlds for visitors / customers within seconds.

                 

                FRAMR Player

                 

                Recommendations of Lukas Aumair

                Basically, I recommend professional displays with continuous operation in order to provide sustainable and long term usage. For reasons of sustainability, it’s best for businesses to use passive cooling. I also recommend a short usage of extra hardware such as signal distribution and transmission routes – a direct configuration with displays through a player is better – for example with a HTML5-browser or FRAMR player.

                → Find out more about the application areas of digital signage and how your business will take advantage of it. 

                 

                Which industries take the most advantage of digital signage?

                Businesses with many display locations because the speed of digital signage can be used very well.

                 

                Are there any functions to simplify working processes in order to provide a better usability for customers?

                There are many options to support this goal. These are the following:

                • Cloud based solutions with mobile optimization to edit content from all over the world.
                • Scheduling of content enables complete planning of the playout to the point of creation.
                • Drag and drop functionality for an easy and intuitive usage.
                • Monitoring functions to supervise the usage of these functions.

                Article → 7 underestimated advantages of business digitalization

                 

                What will the possible future development of digital signage look like?

                Digital signage will be much more interactive and additional add-ons, for example new features, will improve the products. Other than that, it will be possible for digital signage to react to the environment and be controlled by it. Our FRAMR add-on “FRAMR Eye” for example recognizes personas through AI. Based on data, digital signage can locally decide if, for instance, a man or woman stands in front of the display and then can control the display of content.

                That comes with the following advantages:

                • Opportunity to personalize advertising
                • Data will only be processed locally and not be saved in cloud based systems
                • GDPR-compatibility

                In the future it will be important that Software of a specific digital signage provider will work on many different platforms, no matter if it’s LG, Panasonic, Android or any other provider. It will also be a future challenge to connect one digital signage software with many hardware devices. Today, professional displays offer integrated HTML5-browsers in which digital signage can directly be shown to some extent. Just a comparison to the early days: A player is connected with a display and provides content.

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                  Pizzetti Take Away 1024 768 Lukas Aumair

                  Pizzetti Take Away

                  At the Pizzetti takeaway franchise, frameless Panasonic TH-55VF2H displays spotlight tempting Italian treats to busy walk-in customers. Managing content through two FRAMR.Player PROs, each with two outputs, allows separate content on each screen in the highest quality – across all of the company’s locations.

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                    FRAMR. LED arc PlusCity 1024 768 Christian

                    FRAMR. LED arc PlusCity

                    PlusCity has the right twist in the form of LED walls and LED cubes. At the entrances to the PlusCity sun terraces, two special-format LED walls up to 7 meters wide have been installed for information and stimulate culinary pleasure. They illuminate in the literally.

                    On the LED arch the restaurants of the sun terrace and their promotions are advertised. Three rotatable LED cubes complete the picture of the impressive overall installation. The cubes can be played individually or as a whole and support the LED arch in an impressive way.

                    Article → Digital Signage Software: The future of communication?

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