Managing Users for Zone and Scene Restrictions

From a recent user:

I have a quote request from a major hotel chain launching a digital signage network. They would like to restrict control on specific screen zones for each hotel manager. They want to control the bulk of the screens content, but would like the hotel manager to have access to a specific zone [or scene] on the display.

Luckily, there is a solution for these types of specific restricted project demands. We’ve discussed the importance of role-based administration for out-of-home media before. There are a number of scenarios where restricting roles to this granular of a level would be absolutely required. Most of them involve the larger deployments from a central locale, where the end-user is only given control over a specific screen area or perhaps is only given the ability to create and upload content, not schedule control or change the content loop.

As digital signage networks become more mainstream, the demand for this particular feature will prove even more necessary. Think for a moment of the various scenarios and/or reasons such a feature would be required:

• Hotel Chains–see original comment at the outset of this post.
• Digital Menu Boards–where the restaurant owner is only given access keys to ensure they’re not messing with pictures images or potential prices, if it’s a top-down organization.
• Ad Networks–Many an ad network maintain tight control over their screen and advertising assets–especially those who own the display and player hardware. In this case, they may wish to provide limited access to a particular screen zone or time-allotted scene on the scheduled content loop.
• Call Centers–Screen zone control is perfect for call centers and other corporate communications venue install where a local manager would require access to perhaps a portion of the screen while corporate controlled the remaining screen real estate.
• Others? There are certainly others that my minimal brainstorming session missed.

We’ve implemented a secure solution for providing the most granular role-based access you could ask for in our digital signage software solution. In fact, our video tutorials outline just “how to” provide limited access to various users. Those who’ve had specific success or failure in the area of zone/scene control, we’d love to hear your input in the comments below.