What really changes when you leave on-premises
An on-premises signage server feels safe because it is inside the building. In practice it is a machine someone has to patch, back up and watch for years, usually on top of other work, and it has to accept connections from every screen and every person who manages content. In the cloud that machine is the vendor's, and so is the job of keeping it current. What you take on instead is trust in the vendor: where your content is stored, who can reach it, and whether a problem on the vendor's side could reach your screens. Those are the right questions, and each one has a concrete answer below.
How Screenly answers each concern
The concerns teams raise most often when they move signage off their own server, in the order they usually come up.
- 01
Nothing reaches into your network
Applies to: All screens
Screens make outbound connections only, so no port is opened on your firewall and no server of yours faces the screens or the internet. On a restricted network you allow a short list of hostnames, and any number of screens run behind one public IP.
IT requirements - 02
Patched every day, by Screenly
Screenly's servers are short-lived and replaced every 24 hours, so each one runs with current patches, and the environment is scanned for vulnerabilities continuously. On ScreenlyOS devices the operating system updates itself with signed, transactional updates, so the screens on the wall stay current too.
- 03
No password to steal
The usual way into a cloud system is a stolen or phished password. Screenly accounts have had no passwords since 21 May 2026: people sign in with a passkey, a one-time email code bound to their browser session, single sign-on or SAML with your own identity provider.
- 04
Screens only trust Screenly, and only signed updates
Applies to: ScreenlyOS
Every ScreenlyOS device and the Screenly service prove who they are to each other with mutual TLS before anything is exchanged, and a device rejects any update that is not cryptographically signed. A server that only pretends to be Screenly gets nowhere with your screens.
- 05
Where your content is stored
Screenly runs on Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, and processes customer data in the United States. Access to it is limited to the people who need it to run the service, under confidentiality obligations, and the controls around it are audited for SOC 2 Type II and certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
Privacy policy - 06
Access you control and can check
Every member has a role, access can end on a set date, and each site or department can be its own workspace. On the Enterprise plan, audit logs show each action a user took and when.
Screenly for Enterprise - 07
Screens keep playing without the cloud
Applies to: ScreenlyOS
Files and schedules are stored on the device, so a ScreenlyOS screen keeps playing the right content at the right time through an internet outage or an outage on Screenly's side. Only changes, and live content such as a web page, wait for the connection.
- 08
Incidents, in public
Screenly publishes security incidents and how it responded, such as the November 2025 magic link incident, and runs a bug bounty and vulnerability disclosure program.
Bug bounty
Your own server or Screenly
The same signage, run two ways.
| Topic | Your own server | Screenly |
|---|---|---|
| Patching the server | Your team, on its schedule | Screenly; servers replaced every 24 hours |
| Patching the screens | Your team, often in person | ScreenlyOS updates itself, signed |
| What is exposed | A server that every screen and editor must reach | No server of yours; screens connect outbound only |
| Where content is stored | Your building | AWS and Google Cloud, in the United States |
| Independent audit | Yours to arrange | SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
| Internet outage | Keeps working on the local network | ScreenlyOS screens keep playing; changes wait |
| Air-gapped site | Works | Not supported |
Questions
Is cloud digital signage secure?
Yes, when the vendor secures the device, the connection and the accounts and has an independent audit to show for it. With Screenly, screens connect outbound only, ScreenlyOS devices take only signed updates and use mutual TLS, accounts have no passwords, and the platform is audited for SOC 2 Type II and certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
Is cloud signage more secure than an on-premises server?
For most organizations, yes, because the weak point of on-premises signage is the server itself: it has to be patched and watched for years and has to accept connections from every screen. In the cloud there is no server of yours to expose, and keeping it current is the vendor's job every day.
Where is my content stored?
On Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, with customer data processed in the United States. Files and schedules are also stored on each ScreenlyOS device so it can play offline.
Can Screenly staff see my content?
Access is limited to the people who need it to run the service, and they are bound by confidentiality obligations. The controls are audited for SOC 2 Type II and certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
Do I need to open firewall ports for cloud signage?
No. Screens connect outbound over HTTPS only, so nothing is opened inbound. A restricted network allows a short list of hostnames.
When is on-premises signage the better choice?
When a site has no internet connection at all, such as an air-gapped plant, or when a rule requires the management system to run inside your own network. For those cases, see running signage on a local server.