Screenly Changelog Episode 6

Discover the latest developments from Screenly, including new features, event highlights, and ongoing initiatives around digital signage security.

December 16, 2024 by dmountcastle

Screenly Changelog Episode 6 Industry News: Portugal company summit, Ubuntu Summit 2023, Screenly for Events, Secure by Design, and Digital Signage Experience 2024

Screenly Changelog Episode 6 Feature Releases: Edge App Branding, PagerDuty, Slack, and PDF support

In a recent episode of the Screenly team's "Changelog" podcast, Viktor and Daniel discussed the company's latest developments, recent industry events, and ongoing initiatives around digital signage security. From battling storm-related internet outages to attending major community summits, here's a detailed look at what's been happening behind the scenes at Screenly.

A company summit in Portugal

The Screenly team recently gathered for their annual company summit in Lisbon, Portugal. The summit allowed colleagues—both long-standing team members and newer faces—to connect and collaborate in person. Beyond productive workshops, the team also enjoyed cultural outings such as visiting the Pena Palace and sampling authentic Portuguese cuisine.

Ubuntu Summit 2023: Powering the event with Screenly

Screenly took a major step forward at this year's Ubuntu Summit, held annually to showcase cutting-edge projects and solutions. Canonical, Ubuntu's publisher, approached Screenly to run digital signage for the entire event. This involved a seamless content management system that allowed exhibitors to pre-upload their materials. By the time everyone arrived at the venue, each booth's displays were up and running—no last-minute tech hassles or frantic cable management needed. Additionally, the event organizers used the signage to redirect attendees to keynotes and important sessions, demonstrating how versatile and dynamic digital signage can be.

Introducing Screenly for Events

The Ubuntu Summit project led to the creation of a new offering called Screenly for Events. This service allows event organizers to rent pre-configured digital signage players from Screenly. The idea: simply ship the players to the event location, and the Screenly team handles all the backend setup and content management. Ideal for mid-sized conferences (around 30–50 screens), this turnkey solution helps both event planners and exhibitors avoid last-minute technical headaches and ensures a polished, professional experience for attendees.

Deepening ties with Ubuntu and Canonical

Screenly's relationship with Canonical goes back many years, rooted in their pioneering use of Ubuntu Core for secure digital signage. Ubuntu Core's hardened IoT operating system provides a robust, secure base for Screenly's platform. This longstanding partnership underpins ongoing collaborations, such as co-exhibiting at trade shows and working together on security and compliance initiatives.

Security and the Secure by Design framework

In the world of digital signage, security often takes a back seat—until something goes wrong. Screenly is proactively addressing this through alignment with the U.S. government's Secure by Design principles. They're also heavily investing in Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) to bring transparency and trust to their software supply chain. By detailing every software component used in their platform, Screenly empowers clients to understand potential vulnerabilities and meet forthcoming regulatory requirements. Collaborations with Canonical and third-party security experts allow Screenly to stay ahead of compliance trends and protect their customers' brand reputations. Learn more about Screenly's participation in the Secure by Design program here.

Feature highlights: PagerDuty, Slack, and PDF support

To enhance its core platform, Screenly has rolled out several new features and integrations:

PagerDuty integration: Mission-critical environments often require real-time alerts. Screenly's revamped PagerDuty integration uses modern authentication (OAuth) and makes it easy for IT teams to get immediate alerts when a screen goes offline or encounters an issue. Learn more.
Slack integration: Recognizing that many organizations live inside chat platforms, Screenly now integrates with Slack. Alerts about signage issues can appear directly in designated Slack channels, making it easy for teams to coordinate responses without leaving their primary communication tool. Learn more.
PDF support overhaul: After initial attempts at PDF rendering proved clunky, Screenly rebuilt PDF support from the ground up. The new implementation allows users to upload a multi-page PDF, select the exact pages they want to display, and seamlessly show them as assets on their screens. It's a user-friendly, native solution that truly meets the Screenly quality standard. Learn more.

The evolution of Edge Apps and branding

Screenly's vision for Edge Apps continues to mature. These lightweight, on-device applications enable custom branding, local content rendering, and even user-specific branding cues—like automatically tailoring logos and color schemes based on a user's email domain. Edge Apps provide a foundation for future innovation, offering greater flexibility and personalization for a variety of digital signage scenarios.

Open source roots, enterprise-grade solutions

While Screenly is a commercial product, it maintains strong ties to the open-source community through its widely used open-source platform, Anthias by Screenly (formerly known as Screenly OSE). Many users start with the open-source edition and later transition to the enterprise platform for advanced features like SSO, robust user management, and security compliance. Screenly's commitment to open source and transparent development remains a core part of its identity, even as it meets the demands of large-scale, mission-critical deployments.

Digital Signage Experience 2024

Screenly recently exhibited at December's Digital Signage Experience (DSE) in Las Vegas with Canonical, and excitement is building for new projects and announcements. The company hinted at major developments in the pipeline, promising even more powerful solutions and integrations in the near future. Check out a Screenly interviewfrom our time at DSE2024.

That's all for now

From resurrecting features like the Chrome extension and perfecting PDF support, to forging new event-focused solutions and strengthening security frameworks, Screenly continues to raise the bar in the digital signage industry. Their forward-thinking approach, combined with a deep respect for open source, security, and user experience, positions them as a key player to watch in the dynamic world of digital signage technology.

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Apple podcast URL

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-0x06/id1822993066?i=1000714834436

Duration

PT56M43S

Episode number

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