Just like a subway train in Singapore, the DAM Lowdown arrives on time this week with: Enterprise Demand for DAM Solutions Driving Growth at ADAM Software, Nuxeo's DAM Platform Gets an Upgrade to Version 1.3, 13 Cost Areas of DAM Systems, EMC and Box.net Announce Partnership and Quick Hits.
Enterprise Demand Drives Growth at ADAM Software
As the complexity of managing digital assets goes up for enterprise customers, so too does the amount of revenue that ADAM Software (news, site) brings in the door. How much revenue are we talking about? Try 72% annual growth over the past two years.
How would you like a few more numbers?
- In 2010, ADAM Software increased its turnover to US$ 6.1 million from US$ 4.0 million in 2009, and revenue has risen 3x since 2008.
- Profitability grew by 175% year on year to over US$ 1.0 million EBITDA in 2010 -- representing over 16% of turnover.
- Reference customers include companies such as Stanley, Microsoft, Eidos, LEGO and adidas -- okay, those aren't numbers but they are impressive nonetheless.
What is ADAM Software going to do with all this money? The short and near-term answer is to grow the team. ADAM Software will recruit 18 people in 2011 with a focus on quality assurance and business development.
You can add ADAM Software to the growing list of DAM software companies to watch.
Nuxeo Revs DAM Platform to 1.3
The R&D group at Nuxeo (news, site) -- everyone's favorite open source ECM vendor that's not Alfresco -- released an update to the Nuxeo DAM platform last week. Along with the obligatory bug fixes and stability updates, there are three key enhancements in this version:
- An Installation Wizard -- We are nothing if not creatures of habit, and when we install a piece of software, we want to see a wizard. Nuxeo obliges this innate desire while command-line cowboys shake their head at the point-and-click masses. But enough drama. The newly added installation wizard for Nuxeo DAM helps administrators configure often-used parameters such as database and email while offering the ability to sign up for Nuxeo Connect.
- A Java Based Launcher with Embedded Shell -- To go along with the fancy new installer wizard, there is a now a controller GUI that gives administrators the ability to start and stop the server, monitor server log files and gain access to the "Automation Shell."
- A Shared Repository -- Gone are the days when a user has to have one repository for Nuxeo document management and a separate repository for Nuxeo digital asset management. With Nuxeo DAM 1.3, users can now set up one repository and share it for documents and digital assets -- I wonder why it mattered in previous versions?
Enough words, here's a screencast of the new platform:
13 Cost Areas of DAM Systems
Following up last week's debut in the DAM Lowdown, North Plains's Joshua Duhl posts on the DAM Insider Blog about the "The 13 Areas of Cost for a DAM System." I will post just the 13 cost areas here, but I encourage you to read the piece for yourself because Duhl covers each point in detail along with providing context about the genesis of the list.
- Software cost
- Technical infrastructure
- Installation and configuration
- Customization
- Integration (with other systems)
- Migration (of existing system and data)
- Initial product training
- Ongoing product training
- Maintenance (software)
- Business support
- Technical support
- Hosting
- Project management
EMC, Box.net Announce Partnership
When you see a headline about an alliance between EMC and Box.net, you may be wondering, why is this in the DAM Lowdown? Please allow me to explain.
First of all, EMC's dalliances with DAM are well chronicled by the fine staff here at CMSWire.com. EMC consistently grew its Media Workplace product, then took it to another level via a partnership with Fatwire.
Secondly, as you have seen repeatedly in the DAM Lowdown, almost every DAM solution comes with a cloud component. It seems like no one wants to manage servers in-house any more.
Put those two points together and you can see why I am covering this burgeoning partnership in the Lowdown. EMC has the product and the customer base. Box.net has the cloud platform. EMC offers flexibility to its customers while Box.net sells more bandwidth and storage.
Am I speculating? To quote Captain Jack Sparrow: "Only a little."
Learning Opportunities
Quick Hits
This week's Quick Hits include two product updates, a partnership announcement and a lucky DAM vendor gets chosen for a project.
Phase One Media Pro Released
Phase One buys Expression Media from Microsoft last year -- that's not a misprint -- and now releases an update to the software that Expression Media originally created using the original name -- Media Pro. I am confused too, but check out the updated photo manager anyway.
Modula4 Partners with Woodwing
Woodwing Software (news, site) has been investing heavily in new and improved products. Modula4, and its track record of providing workflow solutions for clients, joins Woodwing as a reseller to help see some return on that investment.
"The Licensing Company" Chooses Mediabox
When the aptly named The Licensing Company needed to streamline its approvals workflow and improve the delivery of style guide assets, it chose Mediabox for both product approvals and digital asset management.
Third-Party DAM Solution for SharePoint Gets an Update
For all the things SharePoint is good at, managing digital assets is not one of them. Thankfully there is an ecosystem of third-party add-ons to help fill the gaps in functionality. Bamboo Solutions offers version 1.3 of its popular SharePoint Video Library to help SharePoint users manage audio and video files.
Feedback
The bad news is that last week's column brought zero comments, and zero Facebook Likes -- even though I asked for one specifically. However, the good news is that the Twitter support remains strong. Therefore, in honor of the Twitterverse, I am going to stop fixating on comments and Facebook Likes and celebrate the tweets.
Twitter Shoutout of the Week
As a new addition to the column, I will use this spot to recognize one of my Twitter supporters every week. This week's winner of the Twitter Shoutout of the Week is...
@DaBigCheeze -- Also known as Kyle Bailey from Vancouver, British Columbia, Kyle has successfully ruined the personal branding efforts of cheesemakers around the globe. Nice work Kyle, and thanks for tweeting the Lowdown.
As always, thanks for your time and attention. I will see you next week.