DEEL Media is a leading provider of enterprise digital signage solutions with over 15 years of experience delivering end-to-end services from hardware and installation to content management. With clients in industries ranging from restaurants and convenience stores to movie theaters and retail, DEEL Media’s Carbon™ CMS platform powers thousands of internet-connected devices (IoT devices) driving tens of thousands of screens across three continents.

Maintaining efficient remote support and management for this global fleet of digital signs is critical to its success. However, as the network of deployed screens grew, DEEL Media’s team found that traditional solutions were struggling to keep up with their remote access needs.

Providing real-time support for digital signs in the field can be challenging. Screens can reside in a variety of locations like convenience stores, quick-serve restaurants, and cinemas, often sitting behind firewalls or on isolated networks that make them difficult to reach remotely. Legacy VPNs and remote access tools were cumbersome to manage, did not scale efficiently, and often too slow or unreliable for this purpose.

In practice, the support team frequently had to coordinate complex network configurations or depend on antiquated solutions. “Before Tailscale, we often encountered issues where our support team would spend valuable time determining roundabout ways to reach a device,” notes Chris Foster, EVP of Product & Technology at DEEL Media. “Sometimes that meant connecting to one device and then having to attempt ‘hopping’ to another that could not establish a remote connection.” Clearly, a new approach was needed to connect to these remote devices quickly, securely, and on demand.

Evaluating options and choosing Tailscale

Chris and his team began searching for a networking solution that could simplify remote access to their distributed signage while solving security goals at the same time. They evaluated a variety of VPN and remote access products, but most solutions fell short of DEEL Media’s unique requirements. Any viable tool needed to traverse NATs and firewalls effortlessly, enforce strong security, and allow ad-hoc connectivity without permanent network tunnels. According to Chris, “Tailscale’s willingness and effort to work closely with us on our specific use case goals quickly stood out, making them our ideal choice.”

The company’s reputation was compelling, and early tests showed it could securely connect devices with minimal configuration.

“Tailscale was essentially plug-and-play for us. Once we worked out the workflow we deployed it on our machines, and in no time we had a secure mesh network without messing with firewall rules or complex setup,” Chris recalls. Just as importantly, Tailscale’s identity-based approach meant that DEEL Media could authenticate users via their existing SSO and manage access centrally, eliminating the need to create and distribute VPN credentials for every device or technician.

After a brief trial, the decision was clear. “Tailscale was the only solution that let us seamlessly connect to a device on demand and then disconnect when we’re done. Providing just-in-time access. No other product offered this kind of flexibility,” says Chris. With Tailscale’s help, DEEL Media stood up a proof of concept and then a full rollout with very little friction. The Tailscale team’s support during onboarding made the transition even easier. In a matter of weeks, DEEL Media had migrated its remote access workflow to Tailscale, laying the foundation for a major transformation in how the company handles remote device support.

On-demand support via a custom workflow

Implementing Tailscale enabled an innovative support workflow that DEEL Media previously could only dream of. Now, when a player device at a client location needs troubleshooting, the solution is straightforward: connect through Tailscale.

Each device in the field has the lightweight Tailscale agent installed. Whenever the support team needs to access a particular screen, they prompt that device to join the tailnet temporarily, instantly making it accessible over Tailscale’s secure mesh. The moment it comes online, the device is assigned a Tailscale IP address. A support engineer can use that IP or corresponding hostname to reach the device directly with their preferred remote management tool.

All of this happens without any changes to the site’s firewall or network configuration since Tailscale navigates through NAT and establishes a peer-to-peer connection automatically.

“If a device issue is reported, our team can have it online through Tailscale in seconds. We get its Tailscale IP immediately and can remote in to diagnose and fix the issue right away, then disconnect once we’re done. It’s a night-and-day difference from our previous solution”

Critically, DEEL Media made support sessions ephemeral – Tailscale’s flexibility enabled a custom connect-disconnect workflow that no other vendor could support. They can now issue one-time authentication keys for a device’s Tailscale client, so that a device joins the network only when needed and automatically revokes access afterward. This means no persistent connection is left open – a key security consideration for both DEEL Media and its clients. During the session, Tailscale’s access control lists (ACLs) ensure only designated support engineers can reach the device, and nothing else. Each support interaction is contained, auditable, and as secure as if the technician were plugged in on-site, but without anyone having to travel.

Faster support, happier clients

Since adopting Tailscale, DEEL Media’s remote support workflow has been greatly enhanced. The time and effort required to establish remote connectivity has been drastically simplified while adding enhanced security measures.

“With Tailscale we have enhanced our support engineers toolset, simplifying remote connectivity while improving security,” he shares, noting how much easier it is to manage remote device connections.

Security and control have improved alongside speed. By using Tailscale’s identity-based access and ACL features, DEEL Media operates on a least-privilege access model. Technicians are granted access only to the specific devices they need, for only as long as needed. This was a stark improvement over legacy approaches, where a VPN often granted broad network access by default. The support team also appreciates that they no longer have to maintain a patchwork of VPN profiles or shared login credentials. Everything is tied into their existing identity system, and access can be granted or revoked with a few clicks.

Perhaps most importantly, the new workflow is scalable. As DEEL Media continues to deploy more screens for new projects, each device can be onboarded to the Tailscale network easily. There’s no need to configure new network tunnels or worry about the underlying network at each site – if the device has an internet connection, it can be reached. This scalability gives DEEL Media confidence that their support process will hold up as the business grows.

“At this point, Tailscale is a core part of how we operate day-to-day,” Chris says. “It’s hard to imagine managing our network of devices without it now.”

A brighter future with effortless connectivity

DEEL Media’s journey highlights how rethinking network access with the right tool can unlock entirely new workflows. By leveraging Tailscale’s unique capabilities, the company overcame a critical support challenge that no traditional VPN or remote access product could solve. The result is a faster, safer, and more efficient support system that keeps digital signage shining brightly for DEEL Media’s clients. With Tailscale in place, DEEL Media has not only improved its current operations but also gained a flexible foundation for the future – one where connecting to any device, anywhere, is as seamless as turning on a screen.