Why Displaying Data via Digital Signage is Critical
Leading a company today looks incredibly different than it did just a decade ago, thanks to the availability of data for decision-making. And, while data is far more accessible now than it ever has been, the power truly lies in real-time data. At Skykit, we rely on our real-time data to not only help improve customer service, manage products and optimize operations, but also, and perhaps most importantly, monitor and maintain our IT infrastructure. This is arguably one of the most valuable uses of real-time data any company has, as real-time data enables organizations to obtain more comprehensive visibility and insight into the performance of their complicated networks.
However, what I’ve found is that the amount of real-time data available can be as overwhelming as helpful. It wasn’t until we invested in data and analytics tools, that we truly had comprehensive visibility to analyze our real-time data streams. Like all tools, data visualization tools have limitations, particularly in how many employees across an organization can access, review and analyze the outputs from these tools.
The Challenge of Displaying Data
A few years ago, we had a customer approach us about displaying their key metrics and dashboards on screens throughout their corporate campus. They were using a popular data analytics tool, but the reach was extremely limited. Simply generating a URL and sharing that through Skykit’s digital signage system didn’t meet security standards. We needed a way to authenticate to these dashboards.
Our team got to work. It wasn’t always an easy road as authenticating to a number of SaaS-based tools presented technical challenges along the way. However, our engineering team delivered and solved the challenges presented by this first customer, nearly two years ago. Their screens were readily showing their data and dashboards, and we had freed their data.
So, we took it to other customers. What we found was that many organizations want to display their data and dashboards on digital displays. And, they had found a way to do it, spending countless hours gaining access to remote computers, authenticating, and presenting these real-time dashboards on a screen near the factory floor, for example. Their IT teams would repeat the process again when there was a session timeout, which was quite frequent.
This approach challenged even the best IT and data teams. And, it simply did not scale across one site with many screens, and certainly not across hundreds or thousands of locations.
Engage Employees with Data, No Matter Where They Are
When we started building our Dashboard Connections solution, we tested it in-house and made our sales and customer support dashboards available across all of our screens. Immediately, I saw employees talking about the numbers – asking questions, volunteering ideas to consider, and truly engaging with the KPIs that impact our business. That’s when I knew we had something special, something engaging, and something new and unique for digital signage.
But, the engagement isn’t just happening in our offices. As we are operating in a hybrid working model, we have leaders and employees moving between their homes and our office. With the capability we have built-in Skykit Beam to securely connect with dashboards, we can bring our real-time data into our home offices via 10” displays. I have an SKD10 in my home office. It connects to our dashboards, just as our larger in-office displays do, and ensures I have a real-time view of our key operational data.
Our customers have a very similar experience once their real-time data and dashboards are live on their digital signage. Employees are more engaged. Questions are being asked. Real-time data is driving quick decisions when issues arise. What’s more, I enjoy hearing from customers about how they have gotten creative in where they display their dashboards. They are no longer relegated just to C-Suite offices. Dashboards are popping up on screens in sales floors, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and more.
With our secure and scalable solution, Dashboard Connections, we have unlocked the next evolution of using real-time data. Our development team continues to meet and exceed customer expectations – bringing new connections to SaaS-based solutions each and every day. So our customers aren’t limited in the information they can display. We’re proud of the role that Skykit is playing in the evolution of real-time data displays and digital signage.
Connect with our dashboard experts to capitalize on your real-time data displays with Skykit Beam.
