Questions to Ask When Selecting a Digital Asset Management System

It might not be very safe to evaluate digital asset management systems. The sheer diversity of options might be bewildering from established solution providers to recent entrants. 

In this post, we’ll explain what you should know before choosing a DAM product, assist you in selecting the features and capabilities that best suit your requirements, and provide you with the resources you need to win support for DAM across your company.

Most businesses searching for a DAM share the same fundamental need: to store, arrange, and exchange material in a way that improves centralized control, saves time, and reduces needless administration. But much as the unique needs of every customer, the capability of any particular DAM platform might vary widely. It is critical that you first understand your brand’s requirements for a digital asset management system.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to identify the precise team processes you want to enhance. Also, you want to identify which DAM capabilities may assist in alleviating these pain points before you start investigating which DAM provider best matches your company. You may learn about the functional needs to look for in a DAM solution from this article.

Requirements for a digital asset management system

When comparing DAM solutions, you must consider how to choose a digital asset management system. In addition, you should firmly understand your business’s unique asset management needs. Your firm’s aims and objectives should align with these standards. During the evaluation phase, you should keep the following digital asset management features in mind:

Customization

Customization and scalability. Examine your DAM’s scalability to ensure it can expand as your business does and adapt to changing demands. Also, it should provide customization choices to fit your business’s branding, processes, and particular asset management needs. Using custom assets allows you to easily personalize the content you use for eCommerce and make customers feel more at home.

Metadata Management

Metadata management and asset organization are key. A powerful DAM system should include options for organizing materials, such as metadata tagging, folder systems, and good search features. It should enable simple asset retrieval based on predetermined criteria and handle various file kinds.

Access Control

Control of access and security. It is critical that you protect your digital assets. Because it preserves essential and proprietary information, a DAM system should include robust security features. For example. it should include access restrictions, permissions management, and encryption.

Integration Capabilities

Integration skills are necessary to properly use a DAM. In addition, integration with current software and systems must be seamless. A DAM system should be compatible with your organization’s  other softwares. These include marketing automation software, content management systems (CMS), customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and other pertinent technologies.

Composable Options

Options for Headless/Composable. A headless/composable DAM consists of several distinct services that you may mix and match depending on the needs. Conversely to being closely tied, this gives developers more freedom to design customized solutions that are particular to their business.

Accessible UI

Usable interface. A user-friendly interface is necessary to enable widespread adoption. Users of your DAM system should be able to upload, manage, and distribute assets efficiently without instruction or technical knowledge.

How to choose a digital asset management system

Here is a list of factors to consider when meeting the requirements for  a digital asset management system. These will help you make the process simpler so you can shop with confidence and select the DAM solution that’s best for your team:

• Find out how a DAM system will scale alongside you as your asset collection expands before you commit to it. How many digital asset management options are there? Is it possible to increase extra storage at the touch of a button?
• An innovative DAM system can sort by author, date, project, file type, and more in addition to conventional keyword searches, so consider extraordinary searching abilities. Evaluate the various types of digital asset management systems.
• Think about how simple it is to implement adjustments. Is it merely changing a setting, or does it need a lot of specialized code?
• With an easy-to-use UI, end users can get started right away. So, always opt for a UI-friendly DAM system.
• For simple asset generation and editing, look for out-of-the-box connections with design programs like Adobe. Share photographs directly from your library using social media connectors.
• Verify that your DAM system offers automatic metadata management to appropriately arrange files and spare you from time-consuming data input tasks.

Other tips…

• If you deal with many video assets, be confident to try out several DAM systems before you acquire them.
• To set up, maintain, and provide proper protection for servers, on-site DAM systems demand significant IT resources. Fortunately, assets are safely hosted on the cloud via software as a Service (SaaS) DAM vendors.
• Make sure your DAM mobile app has all the functionality you want if you intend to use it. Some apps only provide a stripped-down version with fewer features.
• Establish who owns your updated media collection and who will have access to what assets and approve their use. Supervisors need to be able to manage who may access what in a DAM library for it to serve the entire business.
• Administrators must have full access to all resources and the authority to authorize their use. Other users could require access to specific assets, libraries, or low-resolution copies of photographs.
• Make sure your DAM supplier employs appropriate encryption and security methods to keep your digital assets safe. A trustworthy DAM supplier shouldn’t be reluctant to talk about security.
• Select a reputable provider with experience offering DAM services to well-known companies. DAM is a complicated topic; developing the knowledge necessary to provide excellent customer service takes time.

Features of digital asset management

The functionality and overall requirements for a digital asset management system (DAMS) is constantly evolving. What are the fundamental digital asset management features, though? 

Here are some critical components of the DAM system or digital asset management features to look out for:

Search

Even if you know what you’re searching for, locating the correct item without digital asset management might take some time. But if you have a DAM system in place, it makes it simpler to find your content. To help people find your assets more quickly, you can make it so attributes are produced automatically or manually added to your object. A clean and precise category structure is another essential component that makes searching stress-free.

Organize

A digital asset management platform’s primary function is to consolidate and arrange your assets in a single, accessible library so everyone can easily find them. It’s about maximizing the DAM’s sophisticated searching, downloading, and sharing features to ensure your assets save and staff, partners, and agencies effectively utilize them to reach each asset’s full potential.

Download

Naturally, any assets in the DAM are only worthwhile if your team can utilize them. Thanks to a digital asset management system, your digital assets are downloaded quickly and easily in the precise file format and quality you want.

Share

While working together, sharing a few low-resolution images with employees, business partners, or agencies is not an issue. However, emailing files might be problematic if you work on a vast PPT deck or movie. You may distribute your huge files in several ways with a DAM system:

• Email
• Lightboxes
• Brand Portals

Version Control

Additionally, DAMS can save, track, and go back to a prior version of an asset at any moment. Administrators may also keep tabs on who is accessing, sharing, and altering material using a DAM system. They also offer thorough histories for every asset, including viewing and commenting, so you are always aware of who has been engaging with an item at any moment.

Access Control

The structure of the access control system in a digital asset management system is a fundamental characteristic that sets it apart from other storage systems. Digital asset management solutions enable you to build user groups to ensure the appropriate individuals handle your possessions at the proper time. 

These are just a few factors to consider when discerning how to choose a digital asset management system. 

Types of digital asset management systems

Different systems provide a variety of features of digital asset management that support diverse project management workflows and marketing strategies. Here are some of the most common types of digital asset management options:

Marketing Resource Management

Software called marketing resource management, or MRM, integrates marketing people, different procedures, and tech into one large framework. Firms may measure, manage, and communicate their marketing activities to maximize resources and deliberate strategies.

Brand Management

Marketers utilize brand management software to ensure that coworkers and outside partners reflect the brand with uniform words and images. In a DAM system, various brand resources may be saved and managed.

Product Information Management

A product’s specifications, descriptions, and other content are put together and distributed through product information management, or PIM, Software. Additionally, it aids companies in creating accurate, alluring product listings for their international e-commerce platforms.

Video Management

Video asset management software supports the storage and control of video files throughout their entire lifespan, from production to archiving. Due to the size of video files, VAM software must make it easier for teams to access, share, and distribute this material.

Bottom Line

There are distinct and numerous features that a digital asset management system offers to a firm. Therefore, one must carefully evaluate their business requirements to choose the best DAM system to help them excel. Contact us at Pimberly for the most skilled and efficient DAM software or tools for better integration.