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Internal communication has undergone a massive shift. While it used to refer to the monthly newsletter or the posters in the breakroom, today internal comms is the core of many organizations. 

But as internal comms evolves, the definition of secure communication is changing. It is no longer enough to just have an encrypted chat app or a password-protected intranet. For an organization to truly be secure, it needs to think about how information is distributed, who has access to the tools that send it, and how to reach the 80% of the global workforce that doesn’t sit behind a desk with a corporate-managed laptop.

As such, creating a robust internal communication strategy requires a balance between two groups that don’t always speak the same language: the Comms team, who want maximum reach and engagement, and the IT team, who want maximum control and security. 

The growing security challenges of shadow communication

At work we often rely on quick and accessible data. And when this data isn’t accessible it can slow us down or even prevent us from doing our jobs properly. Today, one of the greatest threats to enterprise security comes in the form of the workaround or miscommunication.  

When corporate tools are difficult to use, slow to access, or simply unavailable to certain segments of the workforce, employees find their own ways to talk. This is known as shadow communication and it often goes in tandem with it’s more insidious cousin, shadow IT.

For context: Consider a manufacturing plant or a retail environment. If a floor manager needs to send an urgent update about a shift change or a safety protocol, and the official corporate app requires a multi-step login process on a personal phone, that manager will likely turn to a WhatsApp group or personal email.

While this solves the immediate problem of getting the word out, it creates a massive security vacuum. Personal apps do not follow corporate retention policies. They aren't subject to legal discovery. 

And most importantly, and worryingly, when an employee leaves the company, their access to those informal groups often remains, leaving sensitive company data in the pockets of former staff.

The financial and legal cost of a comms-based data breach is rising. The average cost of a data breach in 2025 was $4.4 million according to a study by IBM, and the biggest vulnerability is often the user rather than the system.

But it’s not even the cost to rectify the data breach. Between GDPR in Europe and various state-level privacy laws in the US, the mishandling of internal data can result in seven-figure fines, massive reputational damage and worse - and it goes beyond password protection and cybersecurity tools.

Putting it simply, a secure communication strategy isn't just about protecting trade secrets; it is about protecting the company’s bottom line and it’s existence. 

The pillars of a secure internal comms tech stack

When it comes to moving away from shadow comms, IT and Comms teams need to build a sanctioned tech stack that is as easy to use as a consumer app but as secure as a banking platform. This starts with three non-negotiable pillars.

Encryption is the baseline. It ensures that the message sent from a CEO’s laptop is only readable by the intended recipients. In 2026, data in transit, the journey the message takes from point A to point B, must be encrypted using modern standards like TLS 1.3. 

However, data at rest, the messages sitting on a server, needs equal protection. 

A truly secure stack ensures that even if a server is compromised, the data within it remains an unreadable scramble of characters.

The era of having a separate username and password for every internal tool is over. For an enterprise to remain secure, every communication tool must integrate with a Centralized Identity Provider through Single Sign-On (SSO). 

This allows IT managers to maintain a single source of truth for who is in the company and what they can see. If an employee is offboarded from the main system, their access to any software CMS, the intranet, and the internal chat tools is revoked instantly and globally.

Not everyone needs the keys to the entire kingdom. A secure system uses Role-Based Access Control to ensure that a local HR manager can update the menu in the cafeteria without accidentally having the power to broadcast a company-wide emergency alert. 

RBAC minimizes the blast radius of human error. By limiting permissions to the bare minimum required for a job, you significantly reduce the risk of a compromised account causing widespread damage.

We typically think of email and Slack as the gold standard of communication, but from a security perspective, they are what we call active channels. They require a user to log in, interact and, crucially, click.

Because these channels are interactive, they are the primary targets for phishing. And phishing remains the number one entry point for malware in the enterprise - accounting for around 90% of all cyber attacks.

Every inbox, chat group or messaging app is a potential doorway for an attacker. Even with the best training, it only takes one stressed and distracted employee clicking a malicious link in an internal-looking email to compromise a whole network.

This is where many organizations realize they have a gap. They are over-reliant on channels that require high levels of user interaction, which simultaneously increases the surface area for a security breach.

The passive security advantage and the moat of digital signage

This brings us to a tool that is often overlooked in both internal comms and security conversations: digital signage. While often viewed simply as a way to show slides or metrics, digital signage offers a unique architectural advantage known as passive security.

Unlike a mobile app or an email client, a digital signage screen does not require an employee to enter credentials to view it. It is a broadcast-only medium. This means there is no login for a hacker to phish and no inbox for a user to click a bad link. 

Moving high-priority information such as safety alerts or KPI updates to a screen reduces one cyber attack vector. Because data is visible there’s no need to login, and no unnessecary access to a potentially compromised login.

Network segmentation and the deskless moat

For IT managers, the biggest fear is lateral movement by hackers. Once they have access to one device they can quickly and easily use it to hop to another - and another... 

Digital signage players, like the ScreenCloud Station P1 Pro or PIXI, allow for total network segmentation. 

You can place your signage network on a completely separate VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) that has no path to your core database or financial servers. If a screen is physically tampered with, it is isolated. 

It’s a communication tool that lives outside your most sensitive zones while still being managed centrally.

Digital signage is inherently a one-way street. Data flows from the secure CMS to the screen, but no data flows back from the screen to the network. This read-only environment, or Narrowcasting, is a dream for security professionals because it eliminates the possibility of the endpoint being used as a source of data exfiltration.

Secure internal communication for the deskless workforce

In sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, the security challenge is even more acute. Workers in these industries often do not have company email addresses or regular access to corporate devices. 

And so, to reach them, companies often resort to allowing personal device use on the floor - a massive security and safety risk.

Digital signage manages and potentially solves this by providing a company managed window into the organization. 

You can display real-time data from secure sources like PowerBI, SharePoint or other data tools without ever giving the end-user direct access to those platforms. The screen acts as a secure proxy, showing the information people need to see without providing the keys to the software behind it.

7 Best practices for IT and comms alignment

Whatever tools you’re using for internal comms, you need to be sure your tools are both engaging and bulletproof. Whether you’re choosing messaging tools, intranet platforms or project management software, make sure to follow these seven steps to bridge the gap between departments:

Prioritize SOC2 Compliance: Prioritize vendors that have undergone independent security audits. SOC2 Type II compliance is the industry standard for ensuring a service provider manages your data securely.

Regular Firmware Updates: Treat all of your hardware like you treat your laptops. Ensure your digital signage hardware is capable of automated, remote firmware updates to patch vulnerabilities as soon as they are discovered.

Audit Your Access Regularly: Once a quarter, the Comms and IT teams should sit down to review who has admin rights in your communication tools. You will almost always find accounts that can be downgraded.

Use Hardware Designed for the Enterprise: Consumer-grade devices (like Chromecasts or basic smart TVs) are not built for enterprise security. Use dedicated media players that support enterprise-grade WPA2/WPA3 Wi-Fi and ethernet authentication.

Enforce SSO Everywhere: If a tool doesn't support your SSO provider (Okta, Azure AD, etc.), it shouldn't be part of your stack.

Train for Physical Security: Security isn't just digital. Ensure that media players are mounted securely and that USB ports on public-facing screens are disabled or blocked.

Create a Crisis Loop: Have a pre-set plan for how an emergency alert is triggered. If a security breach is detected, how do you instantly clear all screens and broadcast instructions? This should be a one-button process.

Making security an enabler, not a barrier

The most secure communication system in the world is useless if nobody uses it. If security measures are too clunky, employees will revert to the shadow comms we looked at earlier. The goal of a modern enterprise should be to make the secure path the easiest path.

By leveraging a mix of active channels (like encrypted chat and intranet access) and passive channels (like secure digital signage), you create a communication ecosystem that is both resilient and pervasive. You protect your data while still reaching every employee, from the main office to the warehouse floor.

Security should not be a barrier to great internal communication; it should be the foundation it’s built on. 

ScreenCloud: Your secure communication partner

Digital signage has become a key part of the internal communication infrastructure for many enterprises. By seamlessly integrating with popular intranet tools, messaging apps, Business Intelligence solutions and other sources of real time information, comms teams can surface updates, data and team news when and where its needed.

And because ScreenCloud offers the highest standards of security, we’re trusted by some of the world’s biggest organizations, from healthcare and financial services, to manufacturing and technology.

If you’re looking for a digital signage solution that meets and exceeds most security standards, book a demo today.

Keeping your internal communications secure is a common challenge for business IT teams. Find out about reducing risks and using digital signage to improve internal comms.

The Enterprise Guide to Secure Internal Communication

As digital signage has moved from a passive display medium to a more functional source of information, IT professionals need to factor in the security of these networks.

Not every digital signage solution comes quite as secure as ScreenCloud. So whether you’re using your digital signage network to display internal comms, stream data or play promotional content, we’re going to dig into how to manage your digital signage security. 

For years, the industry viewed digital signage as a passive medium, essentially a television running a loop. Today, modern signage is a sophisticated IoT ecosystem consisting of media players, cloud-based content management systems (CMS), and integrated data feeds.

In large-scale environments such as healthcare facilities, airports and transport hubs or the modern global enterprise, these screens are often high-traffic, public-facing assets. This visibility makes them a prime target for brandjacking, where unauthorized parties gain access to display offensive or misleading information. 

Beyond the immediate PR fallout, an unsecured media player can serve as a beachhead for lateral movement, allowing a sophisticated actor to pivot from a public screen to a private internal network.

The challenge: Digital signage as a vulnerability

Understanding how secure digital signage is requires a look at the three primary layers of risk: physical, network, and software.

Physical security is often the most overlooked. In education or transport settings, media players are frequently tucked behind screens in accessible areas. Without hardened hardware, an attacker with physical access to a USB port can bypass software controls or install malicious firmware.

From a network perspective, the risk lies in connectivity. Many legacy systems rely on standard Wi-Fi or local servers that lack modern encryption. If the signage network is not properly partitioned, a compromise at the screen level could potentially expose sensitive data residing on the same subnet.

Software vulnerabilities are perhaps the most persistent threat. Consumer-grade operating systems, such as unpatched versions of Android or Windows, carry existing security holes that are easily exploited if the CMS does not provide automated, over-the-air updates.

Best practices for enterprise grade security

And so, to mitigate these risks, IT teams in large organizations need to prioritize a secure by design architecture across their whole network, includiung their digital signage. This means:

The most effective way to contain a potential breach is to isolate the digital signage network. One of the best ways to do this is connecting your digital signage media players via a dedicated VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) with strictly defined firewall rules. 

This keeps your digital signage separate from critical systems and helps you ensure that even if a player is compromised, it has no path to reach the organization’s core databases or employee workstations.

In a global enterprise, hundreds of users may have different levels of control over different parts of the network. And, of course, relying on shared passwords is a massive liability. 

Making sure your digital signage supports Single Sign-On (SSO) and SAML integration allows IT departments to centralize user management. This also ensures that access is easily revoked the moment an employee leaves the company and enables Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to limit who can publish content to specific high-stakes screens.

Moving away from general-purpose operating systems in favor of a hardened, purpose-built OS, such as ScreenCloud OS, reduces the attack surface. 

A stripped-back, Linux or Android-based environment removes unnecessary services and bloatware that often serve as entry points for malware. Our proprietary digital signage media players are designed with this security and control in mind.

Security is not a static state but a continuous process. An enterprise CMS must support automated remote updates to ensure that every player in the fleet is running the latest security patches. Furthermore, all data, whether at rest or in transit between the CMS and the player, must be protected by industry-standard encryption protocols (AES and TLS).

For IT leaders in regulated industries like healthcare and finance, trust but verify is the operating principle. This is where third-party validation becomes essential.

Choosing a partner that maintains SOC2 Type 2 compliance provides objective proof that the provider has established rigorous controls regarding data security, availability, and processing integrity. A SOC2 report is more than a badge; it is an extensive audit of how a company handles your data over time, providing the transparency required for modern risk assessments.

ScreenCloud: Leading the way in secure digital signage

Within the IT ecosystem, digital signage has become a visibility layer for internal communications. ScreenCloud is engineered for the security-conscious enterprise, providing IT teams with the  controls required to manage global screen networks with confidence. 

As a SOC2 Type 2 compliant provider, we prioritize infrastructure integrity through end-to-end encryption, SAML-based Single Sign-On, and granular role-based access. Our purpose-built ScreenCloud OS further reduces risk by offering a hardened, Linux-based environment that eliminates common IoT vulnerabilities. 

And with integrated Remote Device Management and automated patching, ScreenCloud ensures your digital signage remains a secure, high-performance asset rather than a network liability.

Try ScreenCloud for free or book a demo today.

Secure your enterprise network with our guide to digital signage security best practices. Learn how SOC2, network segmentation, and SSO protect your endpoints.

The CTO's Guide to Digital Signage Security

Every enterprise has its approved apps, platforms, and processes. Yet, our research shows that in nearly every workplace, employees find their own ways around them. Maybe it’s a WhatsApp group for faster updates, a Google Drive instead of the corporate file system, or even a private chat thread.

This is shadow IT: staff using unauthorized tools and systems to get work done.

On the surface, it might not seem like a big deal. But shadow IT carries real risks, from data security breaches to compliance failures. It also fragments productivity, leaving employees scattered across apps that leadership can’t see or manage.

That’s why ScreenCloud and Unily partnered with Censuswide, an international market research consultancy, to study the issue in depth. The survey assessed the wants, needs, and opinions of 800 frontline workers across North America, all from organizations with 10,000+ employees and revenues of $10 billion or more. The findings reveal the hidden drivers behind shadow IT, especially among frontline and deskless workers who often feel underserved by the tools they’re given.

In this blog, we’ll explore why shadow IT happens, what it costs businesses, and what organizations can do to address it, backed by data from our study.

You can find the full study, "Disconnected and disengaged: The economic cost of frontline friction" here.

What is Shadow IT (and why it matters more now than ever)

Shadow IT is the use of software, apps, or devices that haven’t been approved by a company’s IT department. This could include everything from a private Slack channel, file sharing through Dropbox, or WhatsApp groups to coordinate shifts. 

In many cases, shadow IT helps employees solve real problems: to collaborate faster, get information in real time, or simply avoid clunky corporate tools. But, by skirting the company's secure information technology systems, it puts data and productivity at risk.

The concept of shadow IT isn't new. It has been around for as long as employees have been finding workarounds to official systems. But the rise of cloud-based apps and mobile devices has made it much easier for staff to install and use their preferred solutions.

For enterprises, the stakes are much higher today than they were even a decade ago. Large organizations face stricter compliance requirements, larger attack surfaces for cyber threats, and more complex communication challenges. 

If you add hybrid work and frontline environments where employees don’t always have access to email or corporate chat, the temptation to create shadow IT only increases.

During our study, 91% of telecommunications employees admit to using personal devices or non-company apps to share company information. 83% of manufacturing employees and 81% of aviation employees agree. In short, Shadow IT has grown beyond an IT problem into a business problem. 

It impacts how quickly employees can collaborate, how secure data remains, and how connected or disconnected workers feel within the enterprise.

1. Messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger

Employees set up their own group chats to share updates quickly, especially in frontline or shift-based environments. These are fast and familiar, but completely invisible to IT.

2. Cloud storage tools like Dropbox or Google Drive

Staff use personal accounts to share files because they find them easier than the company’s approved system. This creates security and compliance risks if sensitive data is involved.

From project management tools to scheduling apps, employees often sign up for free trials or low-cost subscriptions on their own. While these tools solve immediate problems, they fragment workflows and bypass enterprise oversight.

Why employees turn to shadow IT (findings from our study)

Our study with Unily revealed that employees don’t turn to shadow IT because they want to break rules. They do it because the official systems provided to them aren’t meeting their needs. Here’s a chart from the study that highlights the top 5 reasons employees use personal devices or non-company apps:

Employees want to collaborate quickly and efficiently. If sending a file through the official platform takes multiple steps, while a personal app does it in seconds, most people will choose the faster option. 

Up to 48% of employees state that they’ve previously shared work information because there were no convenient IT-approved alternatives.

This isn’t about defiance; it’s about productivity. When deadlines are tight, convenience wins every time.

Another surprising insight from the study was how often employees rely on personal apps during emergencies. Whether it’s a weather warning or a sudden operational change, 45% of staff feel they get faster, clearer updates through their own channels. If the company’s official systems can’t deliver critical information in real time, employees will find their own way.

35% of employees simply said they don’t like the user experience of the tools their company provided. This could mean the apps are outdated, difficult to use, or not suited to the way frontline workers operate. If workers can’t trust official systems to do the job, they’ll default to what they know works.

A clunky interface or slow performance is enough to turn employees away from official tools. Modern consumer apps set a high bar for usability, and when enterprise platforms don’t measure up, workers naturally gravitate to alternatives. For 20% of employees, shadow IT is just a way of finding a better user experience.

In some enterprises, the problem is more basic: there simply aren’t official tools for certain tasks. Without a clear channel for collaboration or communication, employees are forced to improvise. Shadow IT fills the gaps that the organization hasn’t addressed.

Shadow IT isn’t just an inconvenience for IT teams. It creates wide-reaching problems across the business.

Here are some of the biggest risks shadow IT brings:

Security threats and data breaches: Unauthorized apps often lack enterprise-grade protections, leaving sensitive data vulnerable and creating entry points for cyberattacks.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) noncompliance: For businesses operating in or with the EU, shadow IT can easily breach GDPR requirements on how personal data is collected, stored, and shared. This can result in significant penalties and reputational damage.

Compliance failures: Using unapproved platforms can put companies in violation of industry regulations without anyone realizing it.

Fragmented productivity: Teams operating on different apps miss updates, duplicate work, and lose alignment.

Loss of visibility: IT and leadership lose oversight of where data lives and how it’s being shared, making risk management nearly impossible.

Employees rarely announce that they’ve set up their own WhatsApp groups or started using a free cloud service. Still, there are practical ways to identify shadow IT across the business. Here are 5 of them:

Network monitoring: IT teams can track unusual traffic patterns or connections to unauthorized cloud services. This helps flag tools that employees may be using without approval.

Expense audits: Small subscription charges on expense reports or corporate credit cards can point to unapproved SaaS tools being purchased by teams without the IT team’s approval.

Employee surveys: Sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective. That means asking staff what tools they use outside of the company's cloud environments.

Access reviews: Regularly reviewing login records and authentication logs helps identify accounts linked to unauthorized apps.

Usage analytics: Monitoring productivity tools and system integrations can reveal gaps where employees are turning to external solutions.

The key isn’t just detection but understanding the “why.” Once enterprises know which tools employees are using, they can dig deeper into why those tools were chosen, and use that insight to provide better, official alternatives.

Our joint study with Unily showed that shadow IT thrives when official tools don’t match what employees actually want. When asked what features they value most in an employee app, frontline workers prioritized things like access to payslips and holiday booking (32%), company news and updates (32%), and the ability to instant message co-workers (32%). Quick access to company documents and leadership communications were close behind at 28%.

These responses highlight the gap: employees aren’t looking for fringe features. They want intuitive, everyday tools that help them stay informed, connected, and productive. When those needs aren’t met, shadow IT fills the space. Tackling it means addressing these wants head-on.

Here are some practical steps enterprises can take, backed by the study’s findings:

Create a central hub: Streamline communication, collaboration, and documents into a single, accessible platform. This reduces the temptation for employees to juggle multiple unofficial apps.

Prioritize ease of use: Employees will always choose tools that are fast and intuitive. An official system should make it simple to search for information or contact colleagues, especially for frontline staff who don’t sit at a desk.

Strengthen internal brand trust: Reinforce core values through reliable communication. When employees feel informed and valued, they’re less likely to turn to personal apps for updates.

Enable real-time collaboration: Build platforms that support instant messaging, quick updates, and fast responses across locations and teams. This will immediately address one of the top reasons employees fall back on WhatsApp or Messenger.

Guarantee equal access: Select tools that are device-agnostic and available beyond a computer, so frontline and deskless employees have the same access as office-based staff.

Shadow IT can’t be eliminated by restrictions alone. It requires enterprises to meet employees where they are, with the tools and experiences they’ve already shown they want. 

The study makes it clear: employees want simple, reliable tools that help them stay connected. Shadow IT grows when those needs aren’t met. That’s where ScreenCloud steps in.

ScreenCloud provides enterprises with an official channel that delivers the features employees are already asking for:

A central hub for updates: Company news, leadership communications, and critical alerts can be published instantly to screens across locations, so nobody is left in the dark.

Ease of use: With an intuitive interface, ScreenCloud doesn’t require training or complex onboarding. Employees get the information they need without frustration.

Equal access for all: Digital signage ensures frontline and deskless staff have the same visibility as office-based employees; no need to rely on personal devices or apps.

Real-time communication: From urgent weather alerts to live sales dashboards, ScreenCloud supports the instant, engaging updates employees said they want.

Brand reinforcement: Screens double as a channel for reinforcing culture and values, making employees feel connected to the business as a whole.

ScreenCloud is also highly compatible with Unily, the best Employee Experience Platform. This means your employees’ engagement doesn’t have to stop when they put down their devices or step away from their desks. 

Download the full study: Disconnected and disengaged: The economic cost of frontline friction and see the data behind these insights. Or, book a demo today to discover how ScreenCloud can help your enterprise replace shadow IT with communication tools your employees actually want to use.

A common example is employees using WhatsApp or Google Drive instead of approved enterprise tools. Any platform that doesn't align with company access controls and is invisible to the IT team is an example of shadow IT because it poses security risks.

Yes. Shadow IT introduces security risks because unapproved tools aren’t monitored by security teams. This makes it harder to detect vulnerabilities, implement security measures, or prevent data loss.

Absolutely. When sensitive data is shared outside the corporate network through unauthorized apps, data can fall through the company's security gaps creating compliance concerns and potential legal exposure.

Can shadow IT result in compliance issues?

They can be. Cloud storage apps like Dropbox, when used without approval lead to to security gaps and fragmented workflows if not overseen by IT.

Are cloud based services an example of shadow IT?

Shadow IT is costing businesses more than they realize. Our ScreenCloud + Unily study reveals the numbers behind why it happens, and how companies can fix it with the right tools.

How to Tackle the Problem of Shadow IT in Modern Businesses

Setting up screens around your space used to mean running both power and data cables to every single device. Not anymore.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) makes it possible to send both electricity and network data through a single cable. That one change has made it easier and cheaper to install things like digital displays, security cameras, and even smart lighting in places where regular outlets just aren’t practical.

But not all PoE setups are the same. There are different standards, each with their own limits. Use the wrong one, and your device might not turn on at all.

This guide breaks it all down, so you can pick the right type of PoE for your needs.

Power over internet standards are rules that define how much power can be delivered over an Ethernet cable. They're set by the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), and they help keep things consistent from one device to the next.

The original PoE standard came out in 2003. It allowed low-power devices like early VoIP phones and simple cameras to get just enough power through their data cable. Since then, newer versions have added increased power for more demanding tech.

Each PoE standard sets a limit. It tells you how many watts a device can safely receive, and how much power a switch or injector needs to provide. 

Well, too little power means the device won’t function, and too much can cause damage if things aren’t built to handle it.

You’ll find PoE powering a wide range of devices, including:

Touchscreen kiosks and self-serve terminals

PoE makes it easier to install these devices in tight spaces, high walls, or anywhere you’d rather not deal with extra outlets or power cords.

There are three main PoE standards to know: PoE, PoE+, and PoE++. Each one supports a different amount of power, which means not every standard works with every device.

This is the original PoE standard, and is also known as Type 1. It delivers a maximum power of 15.4 watts per port. After accounting for a bit of loss over the cable, the connected device usually gets around 12.95 watts.

Also known as Type 2, this version came out in 2009. It bumps things up to 30 watts of power per port, with about 25.5 watts available to the device itself.

Also known as Type 3 and Type 4 PoE, this is the latest standard, and the most powerful. It delivers between 60 watts (Type 3) and up to 100 watts (Type 4) per port, depending on your setup, and is great for devices with higher power requirements.

The right PoE standard depends on the different devices you’re powering, and how much wattage that device needs to run reliably. Go too low, and things won’t turn on. Go too high with incompatible equipment, and you’re wasting resources (or worse, risking damage).

Here’s a quick guide to which standard fits best, based on the kind of gear you’re deploying:

This one’s ideal for low-power devices that don’t need a lot of juice to stay online.

Small-format digital signage (like tablets or shelf-edge screens)

In general, if it’s a single-function device with no video, interactivity, or wireless broadcasting, PoE usually gets the job done.

A step up in power, PoE+ opens the door for more complex devices.

PTZ security cameras with zoom and motion

Multi-band access points handling heavier traffic

All-in-one screens that combine display and computing in one device

For many digital signage projects, especially those in retail, healthcare, or education, PoE+ offers a solid balance of power and flexibility.

Read more: Benefits of digital signage in retail

When you're working with power-hungry tech, this is the standard you want.

Multi-output media players powering several screens

Thin clients or mini PCs deployed across office floors

High-performance Wi-Fi 6/6E access points

PoE++ is especially helpful for digital signage teams rolling out large-format displays, video walls, or screens in tough environments where reliability is critical.

Read more: How to roll out digital signage

Coming up next, we’ll look at how this all connects to digital signage, what kind of PoE setup works best, and what to watch out for in your rollout.

If you’ve ever run an ac power and ethernet cable separately to a screen mounted six feet up a wall, you already know the headache PoE can save.

Power over Ethernet lets you power digital signage players, and in some cases, even the display itself using a single Ethernet cable. That makes installations faster, cleaner, and easier to scale.

Here’s how Power over Ethernet fits into typical digital signage setups:

Media players: Many small-form signage players, especially Android or Linux-based devices, fall within PoE or PoE+ power limits. That makes them easy to mount behind screens or tuck inside enclosures with no nearby outlet.

All-in-one displays: Some commercial displays come with built-in media players and PoE support. These are great for lobbies, meeting rooms, or retail shelf displays.

Touch panels and kiosks: If your signage includes interactivity like wayfinding screens or check-in kiosks, PoE+ or PoE++ often delivers the wattage needed to keep them responsive and stable.

Low-profile installations: In spaces where aesthetics matter (think hospitality, healthcare, or high-end retail), PoE cuts down on visible cables and bulky power bricks.

It’s also worth thinking about infrastructure. 

A PoE switch or injector gives you central control over power and networking, which means easier maintenance and troubleshooting down the line.

And if you're rolling out dozens or hundreds of screens, centralizing power through PoE makes scaling much less painful.

Learn the key differences between PoE, PoE+, and PoE++ (IEEE 802.3af/at/bt). Find out which PoE standard is best for your devices.

I.T.

The Enterprise Guide to Secure Internal Communication

The CTO's Guide to Digital Signage Security

How to Tackle the Problem of Shadow IT in Modern Businesses

PoE Standards Explained: Which One Should You Use?

Why Every Business Team Needs an IT Hero!

What is an IT Modernization Strategy - The Complete Guide

ScreenCloud OS 3.0 Pre-Release Available Now

Displays 101: What to Know When Buying Business TVs

ScreenCloud OS: The Essential Enterprise Tool for IT Leaders Driving Digital Transformation

Employee Engagement & the Deskless Workforce

The Neuroscience of Visual Media

Unleashing the Hidden Dashboard