Efficient Asset Management Thanks to MAM and DAM

1. What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?
2. What is Media Asset Management (MAM)?
3. What functions does a DAM system include?
4. What functions does a MAM system include?
5. When is DAM and when is MAM suitable?
6. Case examples: How can both systems be used in a company?
7. How can DAM and MAM complement each other?
8. Which tools are suitable for DAM and MAM?
9. Conclusion and Outlook: MAM and DAM - Treasure and hub for digital assets

The daily need for digital media is enormous, as is their value for your company, because they are supposed to visualize your products and services in a high-quality and consistent manner. This is exactly what your customers expect.

MAM and DAM systems make this task child's play by providing a central storage and media supply, simplifying your processes, and much more. Here you will learn exactly what is meant by Digital Asset Management and Media Asset Management, what advantages and functions they offer and how the two systems complement each other.

What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?

First, the basic definitions: Digital Asset Management (DAM) refers to processes that are used for the effective organization, storage, management and distribution of digital assets within your company. A DAM software solution facilitates and optimizes access to digital resources such as pictures, videos, audio files and documents.

DAM systems are used to facilitate the collaboration and exchange of digital assets between employees and partners. In addition, DAM systems offer a variety of functions to effectively control workflows and to guarantee high version control and release quality.

Picture: The DAM Process

What is Media Asset Management (MAM)?

Media Asset Management (MAM) is similar to Digital Asset Management (DAM), but is specialized in the management and creation of media content such as image, audio and video files. The system provides functions for the organization, management, storage and provision of media content to simplify the work of creative teams and media productions.

A MAM system also includes advanced features such as automatic meta-data extraction, transcoding, file format conversions, editing tools, asset tracking and helps your company streamline all workflows.

What functions does a DAM system include?

A DAM system includes a variety of functions that are necessary for the management of digital assets. Here are the key ones:

1. Metadata Management: A DAM system can store metadata such as descriptions, keywords, categories and author information for each asset, and allows you to quick and efficient search and organization of assets.
2. File organization and storage: The software solution enables the storage and organization of your digital assets in a central repository. Files are organized into folders or categories and enable intuitive navigation and management.
3. Access control: The DAM system creates an access restriction of assets to different user groups. For example, only certain departments or users may have access to assets assigned to them.
4. Version control: A DAM system manages and tracks the versioning of your assets to ensure that you always use the latest version of an asset.
5. Workflow Tools: The system also provides you with workflow tools to facilitate the collaboration between your teams. For example, approval workflows can be set up to make only released assets playable.
6. Integrations: A DAM system can be integrated with other systems such as PIM, CMS, CRM and project management tools to ensure seamless collaboration and information exchange.
7. Reporting and Analysis: Do you want to know how your assets are used? The DAM system generates reports and analyzes to provide insights into the use of assets. This allows you to support decisions in asset management and production.

What functions does a MAM system include?

Media Asset Management, as a system for managing your media content, includes the following core functions:

1. Metadata management: The MAM system allows the storage of metadata for each asset, and allows you a quick and efficient search and organization of media content.
2. Transcoding and conversion: The system can automatically transcode and convert your media content into various formats to ensure that the content is available in various formats and resolutions.
3. Tools for Editing: Media Asset Management provides you with tools for editing and optimizing media content. In this way, you can quickly perform basic tasks such as cutting, merging or adjusting color.
4. Workflow Tools: With the help of provided workflows, MAM facilitates the collaboration between team members. For example, publishing processes can be set up to deliver the finished media asset through various channels.
5. Access control: As with the DAM system, the MAM regulates access to media content for defined user groups.
6. Integrations: Through the integration of MAM systems with other systems such as Content Management Systems (CMS), Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRM) and project management tools, you ensure seamless collaboration and effective information exchange.
7. Reporting and Analysis: The MAM system also provides you with insightful performance evaluations of the use of digital assets, such as views, clicks, sales or downloads. Analysis that helps you to make decisions and adapt marketing and sales strategies.

Picture: MAM Function

When is DAM and when is MAM suitable?

Picture: DAM vs. MAM

The decision whether a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system or a Media Asset Management (MAM) system is better suited depends on the specific requirements and needs of your company.

A DAM system is particularly well suited when the main focus is on the general management of digital assets that are frequently used by various departments and teams within the company.

In contrast, a MAM system is better suited if you primarily process audio and video material, such as raw material, cut scenes, sound effects and graphics. A MAM system supports your production processes from start to finish and offers functions and workflows to improve the efficiency and quality of the produced content.

In many cases, however, it can also make sense to combine both systems, in order to create a comprehensive solution for managing and producing digital assets. Below we provide concrete examples.

Case examples: How can both systems be used in a company?

To help you better understand how both MAM and DAM can support your business, here are two practical examples:

MAM and DAM - Example 1:

A company in the aviation industry manages digital assets such as technical documents, pictures and videos of airplanes in order to distribute them to engineers and maintenance teams and ensure that they are always up-to-date. The DAM System contributes to effectively organizing, cataloguing and distributing digital assets. Engineers and maintenance teams use the DAM to quickly and easily access the documents, pictures and videos they need for their work.

At the same time, a MAM system helps the company produce and manage training videos and simulations for pilots and maintenance teams. These make the training process more productive and effective and help employees better understand and perform their work. Above all, however, the MAM system ensures that the produced contents meet the high standards of the aviation industry.

In summary, the company uses the DAM system to manage digital assets such as technical documents, pictures and videos of airplanes centrally, and the MAM system for the production and management of training videos and simulations for pilots and maintenance teams. By combining both systems, the company creates a comprehensive solution for organizing digital assets that is tailored to the specific requirements and needs of the aviation industry.

MAM and DAM - Example 2:

As another example, imagine a company in the fashion industry that designs and sells clothing. The company needs to manage digital assets such as pictures, videos and graphics of products, marketing materials, lookbooks and campaigns in order to distribute them to designers, salespersons, retailers and customers and ensure that everyone is provided with the latest information.

The DAM system takes on this task and organizes, catalogs and distributes all digital assets. Designers can thus quickly and easily access previous collections and design elements, to integrate them into new collections, while salespersons and retailers could access pictures and videos of products to support their sales talks.

At the same time, the MAM system helps to produce and manage fashion and product photography. The workflow function supports taking and storing the photos, importing, categorizing and tagging them automatically. After the right photos have been selected, they can be edited and retouched via the MAM system. Comments and notes are added, different sizes and resolutions are exported and all editing processes are mapped for tracing.

In short, the fashion company uses the DAM to organize digital assets such as pictures, videos and graphics, and the MAM system to produce and manage fashion and product photography as well as marketing materials. This company too finds through DAM and MAM a significant process improvement and industry-specific challenges.

Are you looking for concrete strategies for your Digital Asset Management, read the article: DAM strategy.

How can DAM and MAM complement each other?

Although DAM and MAM are two different systems, they can perfectly complement each other and together ensure particularly effective management of digital assets.

One example arises from the support in the topic of compliance and data protection. While the DAM system manages assets and organizes its metadata, the MAM system ensures that applicable guidelines are observed in the asset production.

As also presented in the practical examples, DAM is the right answer to organize the general management and use of your media. If you need specific support in the ongoing production of your assets, you will find this in a MAM system.

Generally speaking, typical workflows, through the communication between DAM and MAM, can ensure that the right data is sent, productions are initiated and updates can be instigated.

For the seamless collaboration of the two systems to work, there are of course essential prerequisites. This includes the interoperability, which ensures that the systems are in principle able to communicate with each other.

Both systems should also access a central database, to avoid redundant storage. Uniform data structures, supported process automation and scalability for changed needs of your company are further prerequisites for a working collaboration of both systems.

Which tools are suitable for DAM and MAM?

To organize asset management in your company as well and furthermore to improve the essential processes there are various solutions. Since you know we are experts in pinpointing the functions of various tools, here are the ones for DAM and MAM:

AdmiralCloud

Canto

Kontainer

4ALLPORTAL

snaatch

Bynder

CELUM

pixx.io

Adobe Experience Manager

Cavok

Censhare

Fabasoft Vertragsmanagement

Online Media Net (OMN)

In the DAM category of the OMR Reviews you can find 58 software solutions including descriptions of services, screenshots, evaluations and price details. Additionally, our colleague has researched and uncovered in the article the best 8 Digital-Asset-Management-tools.

Conclusion and Outlook: MAM and DAM - Treasure and hub for digital assets

After the detailed consideration of the functions of DAM and MAM, you will agree, that they are important tools for managing and organizing digital media content. While DAM focuses on the management of digital assets in general, MAM is specifically focused on the organization of media content such as videos, pictures and audio files.

Media companies, marketing agencies, publishers, architecture and engineering offices are just a few examples that benefit from asset management. Moreover, it is essential in e-commerce to present products in digital form and to manage their assets in a targeted manner.

Looking at the current trend towards KI technologies, these will also influence MAM and DAM systems more and more and increase the efficiency in data administration and – procurement. If you're wondering today, which assets your customers use most, maybe KI algorithms have already created the new set.