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This article aims at a detailed yet succinct exposition of the world of digital asset management. What is it all about? Who makes use of it? What purpose does it serve anyway? Is it worth it? This article seeks to clarify a few doubts, confirm some hearsays and discard a bunch of rumors concerning digital asset management.
Digital assets are very pivotal to the growth of any organization or business that has made it a point of duty to adapt to their customer’s changing needs and demands. The world is in the digital era where all processes and activities are carried out using an online platform. This applies to every sector and industry of human endeavor.
What are digital assets?
Digital assets are assets that are stored in a digital format. They include videos, texts, presentations, documents, trademarks and logos.
As a result, companies are now exposed to a truckload of files and effectively handling them using manual techniques may be a grueling task. Hence, these files need to be managed by a software called digital asset management software. A digital asset management software or tool sorts, arranges, organizes, labels, and stores digital assets. A good example is Daminion.
What can I do with digital asset management software?
With digital asset software, you can manage and maximize the potential of unused, undervalued, or mismanaged company data. You can also automate your workflow and day-to-day business activities ranging from file upload, performance analytics, and storage.
Also with this tool, you can easily collaborate with other members of your team and leave comments when appropriate. A digital asset tool also ensures productivity and saves time thereby increasing efficiency and work rate. One of the reasons why most establishments would spend thousands of dollars on a D.A.M.S is its ability to ensure Returns of investment since the sole aim of every business is to maximize profit and minimize losses.
With excellent digital management software, you can easily protect your assets from theft and intellectual property issues-particularly plagiarism and passing off. Issues of the sort can be prevented with end-to-end encryption or regular password insertion. If you’re onboard, there’s a list of top DAM software out there and you can check out your choices.
Things to consider before choosing a D.A.M.S
Strategy they say is the art of war. You have to plan every procedure meticulously to prevent events that may significantly affect the quality of your business and your overall image. Here are things you should do:
Define your users
The first step is to define your users. Who are your users? What are their needs? How will this system solve their needs and problems? What industry is my software targeting? These are fundamental questions to be asked before you set up a digital asset management software. After all, the software is not a magic wand that grants fanciful wishes in Disneyland.
Evaluate your assets to ensure scalability
Also, you need a thorough evaluation of your assets. You need to sort your company’s assets amidst the truckload of assets you possess in your archives. In doing this, you may discover a hidden goldmine.
This process brings discovery and awareness as you realize that some assets are just lying fallow in your archives. When you dispose or delete redundant data you are creating more space for subsequent ones to come in. This is a cost-effective mechanism seeing that scalability is important.
Make a feasible plan of action
You also have to make feasible plans and visions. When you have a vision it is easy to channel or tweak the software to achieve a successful realization of your D.A.M goals. You also have to assign a team to handle your assets in conjunction with the software. Managing digital assets is not a one-man job.
Perks to look out for while choosing a software
Looking out for the best options concerning digital asset management software can be draining. However, when you are armed with knowledge concerning the features such software should possess and boast of, the selection phase becomes easier and stress-free. Some of these important features include:
Compatibility
Your digital asset management software should be able to accommodate a wide array of digital assets formats. Daminion offers these features with its rare capability to accommodate over 100+ varieties of digital assets.
Storage and Data categorization
Also, the storage space should be reasonable and must be able to suit your needs as an establishment. You don’t want to channel money that could be deployed to other useful ventures on scaling.
The software should also boast an efficient data categorization system. You don’t want to spend all day hitting keys on the keyboard curiously while desperately searching for a file. It should be equipped with an effective tagging system and a smart search engine( mostly advanced search) to enhance data recovery and access.
Cloud-based or In-house?
Perhaps one of the most pivotal decisions you can confront is the choice of your server. Do you want a cloud-based or an in-house server? Each of them has its associated benefits. If your establishment has a space constraint then an in-house server would not serve your data needs. It also brings with it the additional cost of an IT personnel. A cloud-based server would be a good fit for such a company. As long as there is a stable and excellent internet connection you can work with your files as you wish.
This solution is especially beneficial in cases where your company has several branches or annexes. A cloud-based solution gives you the luxury of working and accessing the files remotely. It presents the opportunity for easy scalability. With a cloud-based digital asset management system, you can request your service provider to upgrade the storage capacities to meet your growing catalog and library of digital assets.
In most cases, you’d have to physically replace your in-house server to accommodate your data needs which come with an extra cost.
Wrapping up
It should be noted that there is no one-way approach to making the best digital asset management choices. Nothing is cast in stone so you have to weigh the options to see the solution which would suit your business needs and current organizational structure.
