The Changelog

Daniel Mountcastle and Screenly Co-founder and CEO Viktor Petersson are joined by Mark McDermott, co-founder and former CEO of ScreenCloud, to talk about digital signage security, cheap hardware and the future of content on screens.

Mark and Viktor met around 2014 as industry outsiders, both betting that consumer hardware like the Chromecast, Fire Stick and Raspberry Pi could replace the PC behind every screen. A decade later, both companies ship their own players. They explain why supporting every device sounds good in theory but rarely holds up across a real fleet.

The conversation then turns to security. Rising memory prices are pushing buyers toward low-cost players, and one $40 Android box took 30 seconds to compromise. Viktor and Mark discuss players that resell bandwidth when the TV is off, new EU rules that make vendors accountable for connected devices, and why a compromised player is more dangerous as a route into your network than as a hijacked display. Along the way, they share outages from the field, including a one-line update that blacked out screens for days.

Mark also shares why he sold ScreenCloud and where he thinks AI fits next. His answer starts with a question signage companies rarely ask: what is the product?

Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle sit down with Dominic Vogel, Founder of Vogel Cyber Leadership and Coaching and a fractional CISO, to unpack the realities of fractional CISO cybersecurity for SMBs.

The conversation explores why many small and mid-sized businesses struggle with cybersecurity despite significant spending. Dominic shares firsthand experience from manufacturing and SMB environments, where legacy systems, long technology lifecycles, and limited internal expertise create unique challenges. They cover how supply chain pressure, especially from large enterprises, is forcing companies to take security more seriously, and why compliance frameworks often fail to reflect real risk.

The episode also digs into practical issues operators face every day, including shadow IT, the rise of shadow AI, poor vendor incentives, and the gap between technical teams and business leadership. Effective cybersecurity, Dominic argues, is less about tools and more about visibility, prioritization, and clear communication. For teams managing infrastructure and distributed systems, this episode offers a grounded look at how to approach security as a business function, not just a technical checklist.

Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle sit down with Ido Green, Co-founder and CTO of Espresso Labs, to talk about what SMB cybersecurity compliance actually looks like in practice.

Most small businesses lack dedicated security staff, yet frameworks like CMMC, SOC 2, and ISO are increasingly required just to operate. Ido explains how Espresso Labs closes that gap - not just flagging issues, but resolving them automatically. The discussion covers compliance vs. actual security, AI-driven alert management, IoT attack surfaces, and the CMMC enforcement timeline.

Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle talk with Chris Carter, CEO and Chairman of Approyo, about SAP digital signage integration and what changes when ERP data is treated as a live input, not a static report.

Chris explains why SAP became the operational backbone for large organizations, then they dig into the "last mile" problem: dashboards that exist but rarely get seen. They cover how screens can make data visible for deskless teams, from retail back rooms to manufacturing floors, and why that visibility can shift daily behavior.

The conversation also touches security and AI. They look at the risks of moving sensitive business data into consumer AI tools, the importance of segmentation and hardened devices, and how edge-based execution can keep decisions fast while reducing exposure. If you're building with data, deploying devices at scale, or thinking about where AI fits, this episode is a practical map of the tradeoffs.

In this episode of The Changelog, host Daniel Mountcastle and Screenly CEO Viktor Petersson sit down with Jon Collins, VP of Engagement at GigaOm, to unpack how enterprise digital signage fits into modern IT environments. Jon brings a long view from decades in infrastructure and analysis, offering a grounded take on where screens belong in the broader operational picture.

The discussion moves from outages and cloud dependency to lifecycle management, patching, and the growing pressure of compliance frameworks like the CRA. Jon also highlights real examples from hospitals and smart offices, showing how signage becomes useful only when tied to accurate data, ownership, and clear processes.

For teams navigating risk, scale, or the noise around AI, this conversation provides a practical lens on what truly matters for enterprise digital signage today.

Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle sit down with Deacon Wardlow, Strategic Consultant at Vantage LED, to explore what really goes into deploying out-of-home digital signage at scale.

The conversation covers why OOH signage differs drastically from standard in-store displays—from environmental challenges to content ownership and lifecycle expectations. Deacon shares hard-won lessons from two decades in the space, including why many projects break down post-installation, and how overlooked decisions around hardware, network setup, and responsibility handoff can create bigger problems down the line.

They also dig into the security landscape for signage systems, exposing risks tied to outdated firmware, poor physical access control, and opaque supply chains. For teams rolling out screens in public or unmanaged environments, this episode offers clear takeaways on what to plan for and where things often go wrong.

How does a fully remote team build a platform that runs reliably in thousands of locations worldwide?

In this episode of The Changelog, Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle explore how Screenly's remote-first culture directly shapes the reliability and scalability of their digital signage platform.

They discuss what it takes to run distributed engineering and operations teams, why Screenly's annual summits matter, and how asynchronous work drives better focus and uptime. You'll also hear lessons from real deployments, including what breaks, what scales, and what the team has learned along the way.

If you're scaling infrastructure, managing remote teams, or evaluating signage solutions, this episode offers an inside look at how Screenly builds for reliability at every level.

In this episode, Viktor Petersson and Daniel Mountcastle talk with Florian Rotberg, Founder and Owner of invidis consulting, to break down the rising importance of managed digital signage in enterprise deployments.

The conversation explores how managed models outperform traditional AV-led approaches especially at scale. Florian shares lessons from advising global roll-outs, building the invidis Yearbook, and helping integrators adapt to IT-first expectations. They dig into security and compliance challenges, the shift from CapEx to OpEx, and the reality of service-level agreements in long-term signage operations.

The episode also covers how AI is already improving device management, what the EU's Cyber Resilience Act means for vendors, and why being a real managed service provider demands more than just remote access. If you're planning, managing, or evaluating digital signage at scale, this one's worth a listen.

Host Daniel Mountcastle is joined by Viktor Petersson and Screenly team's Salman Faris to explore how Edge Apps for digital signage are enabling developers to build custom signage experiences securely and at scale.

They unpack why the team built the Edge App framework, how developers can use it to quickly launch production-ready apps, and what best practices are built in from day one, from secret management to offline survival. Salman shares real-world apps from the Screenly Playground, including dashboards for Strava, CharlieHR, and foot traffic analytics with Sonar.

This episode is a clear look at how digital signage development is evolving. If you're deploying signage across diverse environments or care about building securely at the edge, this one's worth your time.

In this episode, host Daniel Mountcastle and CEO Viktor Petersson sit down with Dave Haynes (retired founder of Sixteen:Nine and industry legend) to reflect on his decades in digital signage and what the industry still gets wrong.