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Why Digital Asset Management
What is Digital Asset Management?
Data becomes a digital asset when it is essential, and therefore valuable, to the running of a businesses or organization. Digital assets might be products, proprietary company information, or corporate identity materials. They can take the form of photos, graphics, music and video files, text builders, presentations, PR materials, logos, confidential client information – even 3-D simulations.
Digital Asset Management (DAM) combines the most suitable technologies and methods into an integrated process that enables you to store, retrieve, and use your digital assets easily and efficiently. In its simplest sense, DAM is content management. In different business worlds we talk about Media Asset Management (MAM) or Brand Asset Management (BAM). DAM, as a concept and practice, applies to the content management needs, practices, and functions of all industries.
DAM functions
The most important functions of a DAM software solution are those that enable you to:
- Import and export data
- Perform format conversions
- Manage information through the use of metadata
- Archive data
- Use metadata as a means to search for and display actual data
- Perform version control through data processing
- Compile simple data into packets
In order to archive and retrieve digital assets in a way that makes sense, it becomes very important that those assets are linked to the right metadata. Metadata is a short description that briefly identifies actual data in terms of content, authorship, copyright holder, date/time of last edit, size, price, and other factors, depending upon the type of data and its role in your business. A good DAM program will enable you to automatically produce the portions of information that you need.
When initiating large, complex projects, the ability to set and control data access rights takes on even greater importance. For example, you may want to establish a certain employee’s access right to retouch digital photos, while making sure that photo prices can’t be altered, or you may want to ensure that the data you allow your clients and customers access to, remains in read-only mode. DAM concerns itself with access rights management.
DAM can also be used to model operational procedures, facilitating the implementation of workflow management.
For example, a trigger can be programmed which ensures that Worker “B” receives an automatic email notification whenever Worker “A” completes a new graphics file. At this point, Worker “B” is now free to attach the file to metadata. Alternately, provision can also be made for the automatic generation of metadata for completed files. Once metadata is attached to the file, an automated email notifies Worker “C,” who is now free to proof the digital asset, price it, and release it for customer access.
How will digital asset management benefit your organization and its projects?
Digital Asset Management
- simplifies the archiving of digital assets
- supports the creation of searchable metadata, and links it to the corresponding digital assets
- speeds up asset retrieval
- prevents the utilization of assets or versions of assets which are obsolete
- simplifies the assignment and management of access rights
- gives you more power to protect your copyrights and to enforce your licenses
- automates work procedures and optimizes workflow for your projects
- increases productivity, thereby reducing the cost of doing business
- virtually pays for itself – making possible a rapid return on investment
Cumulus software, a Canto product, is the world’s leading software program
for digital asset management. We’re more than happy to advise you upon
purchase of your customized version. We’ll take care of the installation,
and integrate the software to best optimize your workflow.
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