The Benefits of Digital Asset Management systems

Modern DAM/MAM solutions provide a multitude of benefits that are invaluable for organizations:

•  A central place to store files and keep them secure (the file vault or repository)
•  A place where users can find files efficiently and easily
•  A place where users can actually use their files directly in their applications (rather than having first to download them)
•  A self-service file repository that displays to the users exactly what he has the right to see, nothing less and nothing more
•  A monitored file repository that lets the user request files for approval
•  A place where the same file will be used many times for different purposes, thus reducing the need for file creation and the related cost
•  A tool that encourages sharing among peers, affiliates, and even divisions
•  A tool for brand enforcement, since only files are made available that conform to the latest brand guidelines
•  A tool that supports multi-channel usage from any source that has access rights
•  Two-way digital rights management (DRM) prevents usage of expired rights in third party or company owned material (DRM liability and receivables)

How do you get that DAM data into the system? If you have a lot of data, the path to quickest results is to load all the files onto hard-drives and send them to the vendor who will hopefully transfer your files for free. If you have selected an efficient DAM/MAM, it should be far easier to organize the files online then on individual machines. After all, this is what DAM/MAM vendors promise. In a goodDAM/MAM, you can compare files side by side and see previews that let you decide without having to open every file. A file transfer needs to retain your original folders, thus making it easy for you to recognize your structure and get the initial setup going. From then on, you can add and expand. In our experience, selecting individual files on a local machine to be transferred results usually in a lengthy and overwhelming process that sets the system up for failure. The quicker all files are in the system, the faster you will be showing results. Make sure that the originators of the files are also those that perform the initial organization of their section.

Choosing a Media Asset Management System

•  Prioritize your wish-list and set goals
•  Have a DAM/MAM champion-in-chief
•  Define responsibilities of champion and participants
•  Establish some organizational DAM/MAM ground-rules
•  Set priority criteria for choosing a system
•  Look for ‘personalized’ expandability into different uses, teams, or groups
•  Check for APIs that allow for future system integration
•  Look for automated management processes
•  Look for automated user management
•  Systems need to be able to retain entire folder structures upon upload/transfer
•  Make sure that security features protect your sensitive data
•  Make sure that you are not exposed to data mining