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This extra hop becomes even more relevant for video. On-site DAM proponents argue that the Cloud will slow you down. And while it’s true that moving video from the ground to the Cloud will likely be slower than moving it across your LAN, this transfer usually happens only once per video. Once a video is inside your DAM, video processing and streaming should be your primary concerns.
Organizations that plan to edit DAM-based video might be an exception. In their cases, an on-site DAM might work better. But these organizations usually prefer to use their video editing software to manage work-in-progress video, moving it into the DAM only after a project is complete.
The Cloud is Insecure
An on-site DAM that has been modernized with Web access add-ons is no more secure than a Cloud-based DAM. In fact, these older DAMs can become even less secure than their Cloud-based counterparts, and for reasons you might not expect.
Pre-Web DAMs might not be properly configured (or even designed) to safely host the entire planet. Configuring permissions on these older DAMs can be confusing at best. Check the wrong box and a security breach could be your own doing. Worse, you might not ever know you’ve done anything wrong.
Not all security breaches arrive with fanfare. Many are quiet, non-destructive and virtually undetectable. Unless you have people specifically monitoring for such activity, you might never know when, for example, a former employee who now works for a competitor still has access to your DAM.
Cloud-based providers expect trouble, so they watch for it. This certainly doesn’t prevent Cloud hacks entirely, but it does increase the likelihood that such a breach will be caught and managed in less time than it takes your IT buddy to return from Comic-Con to deal with your on-site break-in.
Don’t Let Cloud versus On-site Make Your Decision
Let your DAM initiative planning decide which option is best for you. As part of your planning you’ll determine things like staff availability, long-term budget estimates, technical resources and more. Once you have a clearer picture of your DAM reality, you’ll be better equipped to choose the right DAM software, be it Cloud, on-site or a hybrid of the two.
As a starting point for a discussion about digital asset management, arguing the merits of Cloud DAM versus on-site is like arguing the merits of a truck versus a cargo jet before you have any idea what you need to ship, or to where.
Image courtesy of jayfish (Shutterstock)
Editor's Note: David knows his DAM. To read more, see Digital Asset Management's Missing Context of Discussion
About the Author
David Diamond is the author of DAM Survival Guide, a digital asset management book that details DAM initiative planning. He also directs global marketing for DAM software vendor Picturepark. Visit DAMSurvivalGuide.com to learn more.
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