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By: Sagar Sharma

Questions To Ask While Picking A DAM Solution For Your Business

Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is designed to help rein in file chaos, video, centralizing images, and other assets in the user-friendly media library. Every user of this system can get more out of the digital assets and achieve the goals.

Importance of Having DAM Solution

1. Data organization

The digital asset management tool allows in organizing all the content or product details that have creative importance. DAM solutions collect and sort all the data and organize based on the intuitive hierarchy for asset storage.

This ensures that no data is lost and the duplicate data is deleted. Digital Asset Management provides a single repository for digital asset storage that makes its access simple. DAM streamlines the collaborative processes thus increasing productivity in a short duration.

2. Use of Rich Metadata

Metadata acts as a source of rich product data. The DAM platform works with speed and ease for collecting all the essential data from thousands of files. Making use of specific keywords associated with the different digital assets makes the search easier.

Tagging the digital asset using metadata allows easy searching while saving time. This saved time can be used for other important tasks for the development of the product.

3. Maintaining Brand Consistency and integrity

The DAM solution allows keeping the digital assets updated and consistent across the different channels. It helps in eliminating outdated, low-quality, and unapproved assets. If the enterprise controls more than one agency, handling the brand consistency becomes difficult.

Digital Asset Management platform provides a centralized hub that allows the users to access the latest files making the communication fruitful sharing consistent data.

4. Increase Efficiency

Digital asset management solution helps in enhancing the visual appeal. The designing teams can focus on creating new designs to build quality digital assets.

5. Security

DAM solutions provide security in protecting the different digital assets like images, videos, and datasheets securely. Digital Asset Management allows storing the data at a centralized location and managed across by the different users based on the permissions and access granted. These access permissions ensure the data remains safe.

6. Asset usage analytics

Asset usage analytics plays an important role in making the decisions for the digital media depending on the file performance. The instantaneous data helps in providing the insights that will allow the organization in making better decisions for the next plans.

It provides insights into the performance of the assets across the different channels. It allows in comparing and interpreting the data from the different sources.

7. Scalability

With the growth in the business as the number of products increases, the product data also increases. Due to the increase in competition, there is a need to provide the details of the digital asset for all the products. Handling all this digital data manually can be tiresome and time-consuming.

Digital Asset Management allows for easy scalability. It can handle enormous data for small, medium, or enterprise-size businesses. DAM solutions have the power to manage the increased data with great efficiency.

To explore more reasons for considering an advanced DAM solution for your business, don’t miss to visit Why Do You Need a Digital Asset Management Platform?

How to Choose A DAM Solution For Your Business?

As a beginner to the software packages in the digital asset management category, you have to be conscious about several important things and make a well-informed decision to pick and invest in one of the most suitable digital asset management systems.

Here is the set of questions you need to ask for choosing the right DAM solutions.

1. Is it searchable?

The complete assets in the media library would not do much good when you cannot find them on time. An effective search function is very important. An advanced Digital Asset Management system filters by file type, author, project, date, and other things along with the standard keyword searches.

If you wish to get a first-class digital asset management solution at any time, then you have to be conscious about how to properly and successfully use the facilities available at this time. You can save both time and money when you use this software as efficiently as possible.

2. Is it customizable?

Organizations have a distinctive ecosystem of procedures, processes, and people. Your DAM system must fit your needs and be customizable especially in some important fields for categorizing assets.

You can get so many favorable things when you update external portals with your logo, imagery, and colors to fit the brand.

Easy customization on time is one of the most important benefits to all users of the most effective DAM system.

3. Will it scale?

Everyone has to know how the Digital Asset Management system scales with them as their asset collection increases before they decide to invest in such a system. You must know whether to add storage further at the push of a button. You can add a maximum number of users when your team expands.

You require a centralized media library especially when your company grows well and lets every member of staff access it. You can pick the DAM system designed to serve you for years to come.

4. How do you input the appropriate metadata?

An outstanding digital asset management system does not just store any asset. This is because it puts them in context. In general, metadata is extra information you give for each asset. The metadata includes dates, keywords, copyright, approval status, product line, and other information helpful to the organization.

If your Digital Asset Management system provides automatic metadata management for organizing files accurately, then you can get the most outstanding benefits. You will be happy when this system saves you from any large-scale data entry project.

5. How steep is the learning curve?

Every user of the best Digital Asset Management library can open it to anybody and individuals who require accessing such assets as long as they know how to use it. End users can hit the ground running with an intuitive interface.

Keep in mind that a complex DAM system requires proper training regardless of whether you administer this system or you are the end-user of this system.

6. Does the DAM system integrate with the other tools?

A proper integration does not fail to speed up the workflow, save users from the troubles of regularly exporting the assets only to upload them somewhere. It is a suitable time to explore and bear in mind various aspects of the dam solutions as comprehensively as possible. You can use the best integrations with the design tools especially Adobe for simple asset creation and editing on time.

This is advisable to use the social media integration facilities for sharing images straight from the library. You can use CMS integrations to publish assets on your website as quickly as possible. Your digital asset management system must offer a robust application programming interface to let developers connect it with any app their clients like,

7. It is cloud-based?

On-site digital asset management solutions need maximum IT resources to set up and maintain the complete servers and make certain enough security. You have to access the complete assets off-site on time and scale up when the company grows and buys the new hardware on time. You can focus on the manageable alternative for this issue right now. Software as a service digital asset management providers are dedicated to hosting assets very securely on the cloud.

There is no hardware to maintain. There is no barrier to entry for businesses with small IT teams. You have to only pay for the overall resources you access and use. You can easily add users and upgrade the overall storage capacity almost immediately without complexity in any way.

8. Is it video compatible?

Video is one of the most important parts of the effective content strategy in recent years beyond doubt. If you understand the significance of the video in your content, then you have to ensure that your digital asset management system has to handle the video content. You can preview the video files devoid of exporting them. You have to trim the video and download the clips you require.

You can consider whether this system uses PremierePro integration or not. You must know and remember that not every DAM system is video compatible. You have to check this facility when you have to work with lots of video assets.

9. Can you access assets on mobile devices?

All users of mobile gadgets like to get in touch with their kith and kin, learn, make informed decisions, develop business, and do other things on the go. Smart users of the number one digital asset management system nowadays can contact and consult with experts in the efficient use of the digital asset management system.

You can buy and use the best-in-class nature of the DAM system with a user-friendly interface that is accessible safely and quickly from any mobile device at any time.

New and regular users of laptops, tablets, and smartphones can connect with their team from anywhere at any time. They access whatever they require from anywhere. They ensure that the mobile app of the digital asset management system offers the complete features they require.

10. Can you assign different permissions to different users of the DAM?

Administrators have to control who can access what for the digital asset management library to serve the whole business. They require accessing everything and the ability for approving the complete assets for use.

They only need access to certain assets, certain libraries, or certain low-resolution versions of images. They keep in mind and make certain that flexible permissions help all to get what they need exactly.

11. How will the DAM system fit your business structure?

Dropping a digital asset management system into the present ecosystem of workflows and users may need some adjustments to how the current team operates. You have to be conscious about who requires accessing what assets at first, who must approve assets for use, and who has the ownership of the new and enhanced media library.

12. How will the DAM system speed up the workflow?

It is a suitable time to map out the complete processes and see what digital asset management could get rid of unnecessary steps. This approach helps you decide what elements to prioritize.

Your marketing team may consistently field requests for assets. You can explore the DAM system in various aspects and how it lets other teams self-service especially straight from a library of the media approved prior.

You can look for very flexible upload choices when you require getting images from photographers in the field onto social networking platforms. This facility helps everyone to add images directly to the library wherever they are.

13. Is the DAM secure?

You have to make certain that your digital asset management provider uses the proper encryption as well as security protocols to keep the digital assets safe. You must get answers to your questions and clarify your doubts about where your assets get stored, the security aspects of the data center, and other important things about the reputable DAM provider.

14. Does the DAM system have reporting and analytics?

You may have understood the importance of successfully centralizing the assets in one place. This is because such a thing is all about efficiency and gives you an overview of the asset library. The robust reporting and analytics offer the overall insights into how the assets are being properly used.

You may get a lot of mileage out of some assets and get interested in creating assets like them further. You have to find whether valuable assets are being underused or spot some patterns to refine the content strategy. DAM systems protect assets from misuse by keeping track of the person’s downloading issues.

15. How good is the customer support?

Prompt customer support from the digital asset management system provider is very important. You can prefer the DAM provider with true customer care and dedicated support staff. You must remember that DAM is an ongoing process. You have to ensure how quickly the customer support team responds and how such a team interacts with you before investing in the DAM system.

If you want to explore the leading DAM platforms that provide advanced features and functionality to manage your media files effectively, visit 11 Best Digital Asset Management that You Shouldn’t Miss to Use.

Bottom Line

Considering the benefits of using the digital asset management solution, the enterprise or brands should hire the DAM developer that will lead to better organization of their digital assets.

By asking the above-listed questions, you can pick the right DAM solution for your business.

Say goodbye to data chaos and embrace the power of PIM/MDM to supercharge your business growth!