If you’re working in a busy creative department, overseeing many projects and managing multiple files daily, it can be difficult to keep on track and remain organized. When it comes to working with graphics, video and audio in design and marketing departments, people must be using and sharing the correct and most up to date versions.
Using a Digital Asset Management system (DAM) can help you to keep all assets in one place. You can easily manage content and share the correct and up to date files with your team or clients. By using DAM, such as this tool, you can assure your messaging is consistent and content is easily accessible.
What is a digital asset?
The majority of us will own digital assets in one form or another, whether that be a photo, video, written document, or spreadsheet. A digital asset is not a physical entity but it can be owned and have value. To use an asset you must have the rights from the creator as well as the permission for use. The information behind the assets is usually contained in the metadata. This can tell you the filename, author and when the file was created. Design and marketing teams are always developing assets and content, so how do you track and manage different versions? This is where Digital Asset Management (DAM) comes in.
What is DAM software?
A DAM system provides a place to store and organize all your digital assets. It’s a central place for your team to quickly locate content in a safe and organized environment. This ensures that your team is working with the correct and most recent versions of an asset which should prevent errors and time from being wasted. A good DAM system makes sure the right people have access to the right content at the right time.
How to make the most of a DAM system
Maintaining the best practices is important when working with a DAM system. Assets must be able to be inputted individually or in groups and metadata should be allowed to be edited either individually or on a mass scale. DAM systems can store assets as both binary and metadata, as well as render or transform assets into new forms. DAM software can also relate assets to one another and keep track of different versions of the original asset. You should also be able to preview documents before downloading or opening them.
DAM and MAM – what’s the difference?
There can be confusion associated with Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Media Asset Management (MAM) systems. They are both used to store assets in a central space, making it easier to locate files but MAM is primarily used for audio and video content. DAM was created to manage static assets such as graphics or photography, although it can now also manage video or audio content, and more.
