DS for the Russian Council

Version imprimable

In order to modernise its internal communications, the Council of the Federation in Moscow has launched a digital signage network powered by Scala.
 
Working with Scala Certified Partner Dismart, the Council installed a five-screen digital network that was intended to increase its efficiency for information and news distribution, and also to help reduce expenses associated with paper and printing.
 
The Federation Council is the Upper House of the Russian Parliament. The senators and government workers of the Council traditionally received announcements, time schedules and session information through paper copies. The information quantity of the Upper House is very high, creating a large, labour-intensive correspondence trail. The huge quantity of printing and the labour involved incurred immense costs.
 
Besides the cost factor, time plays a major role, because virtually all information pieces are important and time-sensitive. The production and distribution of information on paper takes a lot of time, resulting in outdated news items and information.
 
When the governing body of the council decided to use digital signage as a solution to these problems, they turned to Dismart, an experienced company organised to offer a full range of services ranging from network delivery and installation to content development, consultation and technical support.
 
Dismart chose Scala 5 as the best software solution to meet the Council’s digital signage needs. The Council currently uses the Scala Content Manager and Designer for content development and translations, and it uses three Scala Players to broadcast the news and information. To capture the largest possible audience, the Council installed screens in high-traffic areas, including near elevators, in the restaurant and outside the conference hall.
 
The screens provide timetable information regarding meetings and the discussion topics of the meetings, the decisions that were made during the meetings, news from the Council of the Federation, and general news items from around the country and the world.
 
Moving forward, the Council is exploring adding an emergency alert component so that the digital network can also operate as a crisis center, providing senators and government workers with up-to-date information in case of urgent situations.
 
The Council’s strategy to switch from paper to digital communications has had two positive effects on the Russian Parliament’s image. It provided a good example of executing a cost-effective communication policy that preserves public funds, and it demonstrated that the Council is contributing to the environmental protection of Russia by moving away from using paper as its main communications medium.
 
In the future, the Council plans to increase the number of players and screens as their communication needs grow.