DAM – Digital Asset Management
“Digital asset management (DAM) software plans and manages the creation, approval, organisation and distribution of all types of content (text, graphics, images, videos and audio) from a single system.” – Gartner, June 2023
What is Digital Asset Management (DAM) software?
Digital Asset Management (DAM) software allows for the storage, organisation and distribution of digital assets within an organisation. These assets can be tagged and categorised allowing painless discovery for future use by means of a robust internal searching tool. This structured digital library provides an environment that allows users to store assets in a logical manner that saves huge amounts of time and effort as this assets can be easily found and repurposed by many different users across the organisation.
Pros of Digital Asset Management software
Centralised asset storage:
- Having a centralised repository for all digital assets helps to reduce the risk of scattered files across many platforms and ensures a single source of truth.
- Having easy access to stored files will enhance work efficiency and collaboration.
Organisation and retrieval:
- Advanced organisational features, such as tagging and categorisation, help to retrieve assets quickly.
- The internal search built into the DAM will save time and productivity by removing the need for manual searching.
Control and tracking:
- Version control allows asset changes and updates to be managed and tracked over time.
- Users will be working with the latest asset versions reducing the risk of using out of date or inconsistent content.
Brand consistency:
- Only approved brand assets are added to the DAM which keeps the output consistent and of a high quality.
- Permissions can be applied to folders allowing users to find and use the assets relevant to them.
Improved collaboration:
- All assets can be found and used across the various different platforms by numerous teams, both within and outwith the University.
- Having assets ready to go will greatly improve productivity with the added bonus of the users trusting the material.
Time and cost savings:
- Time spent finding the correct assets to use is greatly reduced.
- Saves cost by having assets available to any platform, which will not only improve efficiency but will also prevent duplicate work with numerous image sets living in different repositories throughout the organisation.
Cons of Digital Asset Management software
Implementation challenges:
- The initial setup may require a considerable amount of resources and time to implement.
- Users may need training.
- Consideration is needed when deciding on how new assets are added, tagged and categorised.
Cost of acquisition and maintenance:
- The software itself may be expensive.
- There may be additional costs due to ongoing maintenance and updates.
Customization complexity:
- The system may require a high degree of technical expertise to configure.
- If there is a lot of customization required, this could also drive up costs and complexity.
Resistance to change:
- Some team members may be happy with the way they currently work and may not see the value in this change.
- Any new system that changes the working method can be slow to gain traction.
Conclusion
In the digital age, where content is king, the benefits of Digital Asset Management software far outweigh the potential drawbacks. By establishing a centralized, streamlined, and collaborative workspace, DAM software enables organisations to effectively handle the complexities of digital asset management.
Despite the initial challenges of implementation and adoption, the continuing benefits in terms of enhanced productivity, consistent branding, and overall workflow improvement position DAM software as a valuable asset for businesses aiming to excel in the digital world.