Ulster University is a complex and large Higher Education institution based in Northern Ireland. It maintains a dual focus on research and teaching while actively driving exemplary social mobility and civic engagement. Ulster University’s highly secure signage system is used across their multi-campus estate, including within lecture theatres, university halls, libraries, gyms, receptions, and cafes. Broadcasting advertisements, cultural information and events using landscape and portrait video and stills across dozens of screens using the NowSignage CMS platform.
The university faced significant challenges with its incumbent digital signage system, which operated across three campuses, including the need for frequent manual resets of multiple Android media players and signage systems. This led to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction among university staff and students and unreliability. Legacy technical debt and concerns around Cyber Security prompted the Digital Services team to seek an alternative solution.
Project
Audio Visual and Unified Communication solutions experts Pure AV secured the tender for providing general teaching technologies at Ulster University and recommended Amino’s digital signage solutions. Security, service quality and reliability were identified as key factors in the selection process. Amino offered a simple but flexible set of products to meet the technical requirements and their reputation for security, quality and remote management provided Ulster University the confidence that the solution was the right fit for deployment within their new flagship campus in Belfast, and campuses in Derry~Londonderry, and Coleraine. After successful on-site demos Ulster University selected Amino's H200 media players powered by the Orchestrate remote management platform.
The deployment involved:
- Amino H200 Media Players for digital signage playback
- Orchestrate Cloud-Based Remote Management Platform
- Integration with NowSignage Digital Signage CMS
Implementation
The implementation process was fast and seamless, facilitated by direct collaboration with Amino's team. Extensive demos and training sessions were provided to the university's technical support team, ensuring they were well-equipped to manage the new system. Amino’s ‘exemplary support team’ played a crucial role, offering prompt responses and remotely registering devices via Orchestrate to streamline the installation.
Results
Post-installation, the reliability of the digital signage system improved dramatically. Outages, which were previously a frequent occurrence, were virtually eliminated. The remote management capabilities allowed for efficient support across all three campuses, reducing the need for dedicated on-site technical staff.
Key Benefits
By implementing Amino's solution, Ulster University achieved several key benefits:
- Reduced On-Site Visits: Remote management meant that the need for technicians to visit the site was significantly reduced.
- Reduced Support Overhead: The time and resource previously spent troubleshooting was significantly minimized.
- Improved Reliability: Issues with blank screens were eliminated improving the perception of the system among staff and students.
- Enhanced Security: Amino’s approach to regular firmware updates including maintaining the latest security patch level enhanced the system’s security and addressed the concerns of network operations team.
Customer Feedback
The university valued the direct access to Amino's technical support team, which provided reassurance and confidence in the solution. The ability to test the system with demo hardware before purchase was particularly appreciated. The technical expertise and responsive support from Amino were highlighted as key factors in the project's success.
Norman Blair, Project Manager and Head of Digital Services, Greater Belfast Development Programme:
"It's massively flexible. In fact, it is so multi-functional and easy to use, the university is considering how else to use Amino’s technology for marketing and event support like livestreaming graduations and wayfinding to support our Health & Safety requirements. It’s been a real gamechanger for us. Once you start using it you think, ‘Oh, I wonder if it can do that?’ And you know what, it probably can!"
Mark Taglietti, Chief Digital Information Officer:
"Our partnerships with Pure AV and Amino have resulted in significant improvements in our ability to engage, communicate and distribute content across our university. Whilst at the same time reducing content management, support and administrative overheads within our support teams. A great product backed by valued partners who are delivering digital and technical transformation."
Conclusion
Ulster University modernized their digital signage infrastructure by selecting Amino's reliable hardware and software platform. This deployment highlights the power of Amino Orchestrate for enabling robust remote management.
There are plans to expand the digital signage system further, driven by interest from administrative and teaching departments. The flexibility and ease of management of Amino's system has created many possibilities for additional uses, such as streaming graduation ceremonies and improving wayfinding within the university.
Rowan Brunger, Amino Sales Director:
"This higher education deployment shows that our customers value the adaptability, security and manageability of Amino devices; these are fundamental to our products. The first phase replaced players in Ulster University’s campus totems, but they were so satisfied with Amino's quality and service, that they have standardized on this solution for new digital signage deployments, enabled by the adaptability of our products. We are really looking forward to helping them expand how they use this technology across the campuses."
