Best Digital Asset Management (DAM) Software & Tools

What is Digital Asset Management (DAM) Software?

Digital Asset Management software, or DAM software for short, is also referred to as Media Asset Management Software or File Management Software. It is a tool that allows users to store, analyze, approve, use, organize, deploy and also edit media content (assets) of all kinds. The organization of media content is usually handled by so-called metadata. Metadata, in the sense of a Digital Asset Management library, are the information used to describe or classify an asset. This can refer to color, image dimensions, audio or video duration and information about what the asset contains. The fundamental goal of using a Digital Asset Management tool is to structure or make more efficient the workflows and entire life cycle of a company's digital media files, including videos, images, audio files, design files, presentations, etc. Such systems sometimes offer various additional functions, such as workflow automation, usage tracking, and interfaces to other software, such as design programs or social media suite software.

Popular Digital Asset Management (DAM) Software:

• Canto

• CI HUB Connector

• Adgistics

• CELUM ContentHub

• Digizuite

• pixx.io

• FotoWare

• Widen Collective

• Kontainer

• Picturepark

• Bynder

• AdmiralCloud

Features and Benefits of Digital Asset Management Software:

These are the main benefits and features of DAM software:

• It enables comprehensive and efficient storage, provision, and organization of file formats, such as photos, audio, videos, and more.
• Digital asset management software allows users to label and sort files specifically and quickly find or use them as needed.
• It brings together tools for managing access rights to the use of media content, editing relevant files, importing and exporting files as well as automation, interfaces to other programs, and/or additional features useful in specific company contexts.
• Digital Asset Management Software enables easy integration into existing systems and platforms. Users can access their digital assets from anywhere, regardless of which operating system they use.
• Since many DAM systems are cloud-based, they offer excellent scalability. Companies can increase or decrease their capacity as needed without having to invest in physical infrastructure.
• The user interface of DAM software is often intuitively designed so that employees can access and use it without special training. In addition, the cloud-based storage solution offers the advantage that large amounts of digital assets can be handled without the need for expensive, physical storage space.

Why and when is Digital Asset Management Software important?

Surely, you know the following situation: You are planning a new campaign, are working on a product release or a website relaunch. In this context, probably very useful content comes to mind that you might have used for similar purposes in the past or generally saved in wise anticipation for any eventuality. Unfortunately, you can't remember where this suddenly much-desired asset was stored. You have to spend a long time finding it and ultimately fail. In fact, employees at businesses spend an average of 2.5 hours per day searching for files - costing millions of euros in lost work time each year. This inefficiency can factually mean a significant loss of productivity. With Digital Asset Management software and its optimal integration into specific processes, you can effectively counteract this. Without a central place to store and manage important corporate digital files, there is also an increased risk of web content becoming unnoticedly outdated because it may be managed manually outside a holistic system for organizing typical company processes. Digital Asset Management software ideally cooperates closely with other important programs so that files are always used precisely and context-relevantly. In the optimal case, it seamlessly integrates into well-functioning company processes and thus further improves them. With Digital Asset Management software, businesses get a central place where all important digital files can come together and be shared and kept up-to-date. In many cases, the files can be found in the search with a few keywords. This is made possible by the so-called metadata. DAM tools reduce time wastage and allow individual teams of the company that use the relevant files to focus more on the essentials - their core business. Especially in growing companies and teams, more and more digital files and media files usually accumulate. When the point is reached where it becomes difficult to trace which assets were created for what purpose, to find the right versions of assets or to keep control over who has access or how files are to be used purposefully, then it is probably time to introduce Digital Asset Management software.

Who uses which Digital Asset Management software?

Companies in many different sectors implement DAM systems - each with its own requirements and parameters. News organizations often need a product with powerful editing functions (especially for photos) and definable workflows for releases. A marketing department will probably primarily rely on a good search function, that all creative marketing materials can be saved in different file types, as well as the conversion into different file types for various purposes - perhaps through the connection with a CMS. A government institution will likely focus more on security and permission structures. Many DAM software are specialized in certain industries or optimized for their specific use cases. Other products focus exclusively on certain, very specific functionalities or offer a flexible platform, with the help of which an individual solution can be put together (Best-of-Breed). To find out which of the options is the right one for your own business, you should not primarily be guided by the many features. For truly efficient use, it is more important that the Digital Asset Management software meets precisely the requirements that exist in the corporate or application context. Often, less is more here, because too many functions can mean barriers and are sometimes also a waste of money. The teams that primarily work with Digital Asset Management software include the following:

• Creatives: Creative teams of all orientations can start the idea-finding process collaboratively in many DAM systems and some even offer tools that allow the direct creation of assets. External content can also be imported into the Digital Asset Management software. All assets are then provided with metadata, which makes it much easier for users to find and use them later.
• Specific management teams: In many large companies, the Digital Asset Management system is managed by specialized employees. They take care exclusively of related and other things connected with Digital Asset Management organization processes.
• Marketers: Digital content and other files that are organized within Digital Asset Management software often aim at use in typical areas of marketing tasks. Ideally, all images and layouts of the website as well as other marketing or advertising activities are stored in the system - and also files that are intended for use in future campaigns have their place. So marketers can always pull relevant brand assets from the DAM software into every linked system and work with them. A powerful export function and interfaces allow users to use the assets on websites, in presentations or also in the print area.

What specific benefits does Digital Asset Management provide?

Some of the main benefits of Digital Asset Management have already been highlighted, but the following will give more detail. Companies that use Digital Asset Management software benefit from the following three essential facts:

• It increases efficiency: In marketing, graphics and images are constantly needed to visually support text content. DAM software helps to increase productivity and efficiency in these processes, as the assets do not have to be searched for in complicated folder paths each time they are to be used. By housing all graphics and images in a central location - the Digital Asset Management software - both marketers and designers can focus on their core tasks, instead of wasting a lot of time searching. This makes processes and workflows more barrier-free - everything moves towards more holistic (collaboration) work.
• It helps the integrity and consistency of the brand: Company logos, color palettes, photos, videos and other assets are frequently used in marketing materials. Too often, old logos and outdated images are used because employees cannot find the updated versions or do not even know that they exist. A central storage place for all assets ensures that teams, partners, subsidiaries, agencies and possibly also customers always have access to the latest and truly intended files for them.
• It offers safe asset allocation: With images and other files that are randomly stored in emails and folders in the company network. it is impossible to know who has access to what or should have access. DAM software helps centralize and manage control over digital assets by providing the opportunity to set up permissions and different access levels for files. This security allows those responsible to specify exactly who has access to files and who does not. Precise guidelines can also be set on where and how they should be used. This is, of course, also very beneficial to the previously mentioned point of brand integrity and consistency.