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Whether you are running a high volume visual effects powerhouse or a small boutique post production studio, a solid Digital Asset Management tool should be at the core of your workflow. Managing efficiently the ingestion, annotation, cataloguing, storage, retrieval and distribution of digital assets will not only save you time but means you can quickly put your hands on the media you want to use and eliminates the need to recreate "lost assets".

Effective use of a DAM enables you to accelerate production cycles, eliminate workflow redundancies, and improve collaboration. All these things are going to help your business become more productive and more efficient.

So how can you achieve all this with DAM?

  1. All your assets are in one organized central location which can be layered with different levels of access.
  2. With all assets organized correctly, you can quickly find the assets you are looking for – without diving deep into a folder tree to find your media.
  3. You can maintain multiple versions and control the version history to ensure that you don't use any outdated material.
  4. Enables others to easily collaborate and view different versions to make edit decisions.
  5. Include and associate logos or brand assets.

MAM Lifecycle

So what are the types of DAM systems and how can they be applied?

  • SaaS:
    Cloud-based or web-based Digital Asset Management. This style of DAM is delivered via the Web meaning there is no hardware to maintain - it's scalable and can be accessed anywhere, which are some very attractive features. This is probably the best place to start on a budget, but be aware your connection speed may limit your ability to access your assets and it's wise to check to see if upgrades are included and what kind of fees there are for accessing your assets.
  • On premises:
    This style of DAM requires the purchase of specialized hardware to run a DAM application which gives you total control of how you administer your assets and leverages your internal IT support so there no hidden costs. Of course this means that you are also responsible for backups and making assets available to users.
  • Open source:
    Can be hosted on premise or by a third party with source code readily available and likely a community of committed users who share their insights and experiences with the software. This would require a lot more time and commitment to maintain and comes with security considerations also.

So it is clear that each type of DAM has its distinct advantages and disadvantages.

At Digistor we can advise the best solution for your needs and suggest the best hardware and software to ensure that your digital assets are carefully managed to give your business the competitive edge.

If you would like to discuss how your business could benefit from Digital Asset Management please contact our sales team.