Digital Asset Management (DAM) has seen a surge of elevated attention in 2010. But this is not the only year-in-review highlight we point out as we close the DAM books this year.
2010 is the Year of DAM's Rising Popularity
As more and more organizations realize the need to effectively manage all content types, including multimedia and digital assets, they start looking at specialized solutions to accomplish that mission.
DAM in 2010 stepped out of the realm of being a useful tool for only large media houses and made its way to organizations outside of the M&E vertical. There are many challenges to be solved as the need for DAM grows for anyone who needs to manage brand assets, images, videos, audio files.
A perfect illustration of that is one of the polls we conducted this year that revealed that the majority of organizations are still using file shares to manage their digital assets.
- Poll: Are You Currently Using a Digital Asset Management (DAM) System?
- DAM Lowdown: Metadata and Digital Assets, DAM as Non-Commodity
- Digital Asset Management - It's More Than Just a Photo Album
DAM Vendors Sans Frontiers
With DAM popularity rising, vendors started hopping around the globe to expand their horizons and persuade the markets of DAM goodness. Many saw opportunities outside of their home bases to extend customer acquisitions and increase revenues.
- ADAM Software Sets Up Its Digital Asset Management Shop in the US
- Brightcove Expands into Australia, Cites High Demand for Online Video
- VYRE Shines with Record Revenues in 2009
Usability is the Main DAM Challenge
People need DAM, but is DAM ready to give people all they need? Managing digital assets is not as straightforward as you may think. While you may have a DAMS that allows you to do that, is it an easy task?
Many DAM systems have good functionalities, but the majority of them have issues related to complex interfaces, multi-step processes and alignment with current workflows.
DAM vendors started to address UX issues by really concentrating on polishing their UIs in product releases that saw light in 2010. Other improvements included adding integration points and redesigning some of the functionalities to make them fit more seamlessly within the larger landscape of the organization.
- Poll Results: Usability is Top Digital Asset Management (DAM) Challenge
- Open Text Upgrades DAM Product with New UI, BPM Features
DAM and Web Engagement Management
As revealed in one of the latest pieces of research, companies look at DAM as a way to save money and improve operational efficiency and not only as an enhanced marketing vehicle. This has changed in only 12 months. Last year, organizations were identifying DAM as a means of increasing returns on marketing investment and ensuring brand consistency.
Two important strategies emerged :
- Centralized access to digital assets: The most successful companies appear to be companies where technologies to centralize marketing content have been implemented.
- Marketing performance assessment for each campaign: The most successful companies were those that consistently assessed their campaigns upon completion and adopted DAM for future campaigns based on asset utilization analytics.
And that is exactly why the role of Digital Asset Management (DAM) is huge in web engagement management and customer experience management. In reality, most organizations and DAM vendors are missing out on the potential of DAM+WEM. So many rich media and digital assets, so little DAM horsepower. DAM is a good addition to the overall CEM selling point, but DAM needs more love in the arms of WEM versus being treated as a siloed partner.
- WEM Perspectives: DAM Needs More Love
- The Changing Role of Digital Asset Management in Marketing
- Open Text Integrates Web Experience Management and Rich Media Management Platforms
- Perspectives: What the Adobe + Day Software Deal Means, Part 2
DAM and Web CMS and Enterprise CMS
DAM has always been interlinked with WCM and ECM. Many CMS vendors include native DAM functionalities, and even though they’re often quite basic, they do a decent job at minimal digital asset management that is sometimes sufficient for some organizations. This is changing at a more or less quicker pace, depending on a variety of factors.
Those CMS vendors that don’t have standalone DAM products or enough native DAM functionality went on to integrate with pure-play DAM vendors or to OEM.
- Do Enterprise CMS Products Offer Enough Digital Asset Management?
- FatWire Gets Updated Digital Asset Management Functionality via EMC
- MediaBeacon Integrates DAM Solution into IBM's Web CMS, PortalIs
- Day CQ 5.3 Aims to Brighten the Days of Techies and Marketers Alike
DAM and SharePoint
SharePoint is everywhere, whether you like it or not. Some organizations on the lookout consider SharePoint as a viable candidate to do a DAM job. But even with the release of the latest and greatest SharePoint 2010 is the software capable to manage digital assets the way you need it to? There are some noteworthy limitations that you should evaluate before you commit to this product.
- SharePoint 2010's DAM Good Enough for Your Organization?
- Supporting Rich Media in SharePoint 2007, 2010
DAM in 2010 and Beyond: Focus on Mobility, Video, Social and the Latest Standards
With video becoming more and more pervasive, Digital Asset Management (DAM) vendors should focus on greatly expanding video management capabilities. HTML5, being the next best thing after Flash, is also one of the focus area for support for many DAM vendors. The functionality for managing audio and video within the browser is growing, and will continue to proliferate in 2011. CMIS will continue to be on the forefront of interoperability for both ECM and DAM.
The trend for managing and delivering video in multiple renditions to be compatible with mobile devices, including iPhone and iPad, will continue beyond 2010. And, of course, there’s a focus on social and being able to manage digital assets effectively across social media channels.
- You Tube is Great For Video, But It's Not A Digital Asset Management System
- MediaCore Video Platform Adds Support for HTML5 Video
- Nuxeo DAM Goes GA, Touts CMIS Compliance
- Autonomy Upgrades MediaBin, Adds Meaning To Social Media Assets
- EMC Adds Social Media Features to Digital Asset Management Solution
Bonus: How to Select a DAM System and What to Consider
If you’re in the process of selecting a DAM system for your organization, keep this list of useful articles for when you get back to the office from holidays.
- The 6 Hidden Costs of Running a DAM System
- 6 Things to Consider When Selecting A Digital Asset Management Solution
- Digital Asset Management Defined