There are several broad types of DAM systems, such as Brand Asset Management systems, Library Asset Management systems, Production Asset Management systems, Digital Supply Chain services, Cloud-based Digital Asset Management software, and On-premise Digital Asset Management systems.
Brand Asset Management (BAM) software systems are designed to focus on managing brand assets, mostly marketing and sales material such as product images, logos, and other marketing collaterals.
Library Asset Management (LAM) software systems are designed to ease the storage, indexing, and retrieval of numerous infrequently changing media assets. Other features include video and photo archiving.
Production Asset Management (PAM) software systems are designed to focus on organizing, storing, controlling, finding, and revision control of dynamic digital media productions.
Digital Supply Chain services are designed to focus on distributing digital content, such as music, videos, and games, to digital retailers. Any digital file can be handled and processed using DAM solutions. The most common digital assets include photos, videos, audio files, presentations, graphics, 3D files, PDF files, spreadsheets, documents, and Illustrator files.
Cloud-based Digital Asset Management systems often operate through a SaaS model and require no hardware or servers to maintain. These solutions are hosted entirely on the cloud, allowing users to access their assets from any device, including mobile. Cloud-based DAM is a cost-efficient and scalable option to securely store companies’ assets without the added costs of upkeep, upgrades, and maintenance. The advantages of cloud-based DAM systems include user access from multiple locations and access to the latest upgrades and features.
An On-premise Digital Asset Management system is hosted on the internal servers of the user. It needs additional storage space, backup and recovery processes, and IT support. On-premise DAM systems display high upfront costs for hardware, ongoing upgrades, and maintenance. An on-premise DAM system is suitable for those companies that can keep their assets within their own data centers and support the costs associated with large IT departments, maintenance, and upgrades. Generally speaking, on-premise DAM systems are more expensive than their cloud-based counterparts
The benefits of Digital Asset Management include:
- Single-window solution for the content and brand assets of a company
- Self-serve access to assets enables users to find all their digital assets more quickly and efficiently
- Improves project time-to-market through efficient team collaboration
- It gives easy access, complete control, robust security, and smooth management over the lifecycle of digital assets—from creation to archive
- Makes sure digital assets are secure, protected, and never get lost
- Makes repurposing content easier and faster
- Helps identify and correct the sensitive data that cannot be protected in the data movement processes
- Maintains and improves brand consistency
Leading Digital Asset Management solutions include Widen, Libris, Brandfolder, Canto, Image Relay Salsify, pCloud, Wiredrive, IntelligenceBank, and Bynder Digital Asset Management. Digital Asset Management software brings with it indispensable capabilities that help realize the true value of content through strategic benefits, tactical benefits, and quantifiable returns.
