Digital Asset Management (DAM) Definitions, Benefits, Technologies & Success Metrics AN EXECUTIVE GUIDE DEFINITIONS BENEFITS STANDARDS TYPES OF DAM SYSTEMS HOW DAM SYSTEMS OPERATE LEADING SOFTWARE & SERVICES PROVIDERS IMPORTANCE OF METADATA DAM POSITIONING IN ECM HOSTED SOLUTIONS KEY SUCCESS METRICS RESOURCES FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH This Executive Guide is intended to provide managers with a fundamental understanding and update on digital asset management (DAM) solutions, so that they may informatively oversee policies, procedures and solution evaluations.
Executive Overview The creation of digital content has been exploding and will continue to grow profoundly as new marketing and distribution channels emerge and mature. The pace of change along with globalization fostered by increased Internet use are critical challenges for today s organizations. Effectively managing and using digital content is increasingly essential to minimizing labor cost and maximizing return on marketing investment. Digital Asset Management (DAM) is the process of using software tools and metrics to efficiently manage digital assets such as logos, ads, product images, photographs, videos and PowerPoint files. Benefits derived from implementing DAM solutions include labors savings, consistent branding and messaging, management and distribution of digital media, anytime-anywhere access, and creation of new revenue streams. Key metrics provide a measurement of the success of the DAM solution, and insight into usage, repurposing and total benefit of the system. There are various classes or categories of DAM solution providers, ranging from high-end enterprise wide solutions to workgroup and desktop solutions, available both as hosted, ondemand services to installed systems. DAM is considered a subset of Enterprise Content Management (ECM), which is a broader categorization that includes management, searching and disposition of all content, extending to include scanned documents, business records, reports, web content and more. This Executive Guide is intended to educate, update and inform managers charged with controlling and managing digital assets in their organization. 1
Digital Asset Management Introduction Digital Asset Management (DAM) is the organization, management, distribution and controlling of digital assets from a central repository. DAM is more specifically a set of software tools which enable a process to organize the creation, distribution, management, archiving and disposal of rich media assets. Digital Assets are comprised of various file types including, but not limited to, the following: Audio & video recordings Desktop design and publishing files such as Auto CAD, Quark, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, PageMaker, In-Design, PDF, and various other file formats. Logos Labels Product images Photographs PowerPoint files The term assets in digital asset management describes rich media files such as images, photos, video and audio; whereas a file generally refers to scanned documents, email messages, electronic records, or word processing and spreadsheet documents. DAM includes decision support and the management of digital asset processes such as ingesting, cataloguing, editing, re-touching and annotating, distributing, storing, retrieval and disposition of digital assets. Videos, animations, and music are examples of a subcategory of DAM termed media asset management (MAM). Digital asset management solutions consist of computer software and hardware that facilitate the processes involved in digital asset management. DAM also refers to the protocol for downloading, renaming, backing up, rating, grouping, archiving, optimizing, maintaining, thinning (reducing file size), and exporting digital asset files. Creative (advertising, media relations) agencies, publishers, broadcasters and media outlets have benefited from DAM solutions for more than a decade. They use DAM to produce and manage media assets including managing usage and authorization (digital rights), modifying, enhancing or retouching images, and editing digital videos, audio and photos. 2
Originally, DAM solutions were often developed in-house, and were cumbersome to use and expensive to maintain. Also, many organizations were forced to compromise by utilizing lesser-featured electronic document management or enterprise content management (ECM) systems that were not initially architected to handle the large files of media assets. Benefits of Digital Asset Management Deployments DAM solutions streamline operations and facilitate brand consistency efforts while providing cost savings in managing digital assets. Examples of benefits include: 1) Labor Savings by cutting out duplicative media creations efforts, i.e. media assets are easily searched and found and often a previously created digital asset can be re-purposed, or perhaps modified for a new use. 2) Consistent branding and messaging by ensuring that everywhere your organization is represented in the public space, the image, look, and message are current and consistent. This is particularly challenging in today s Internet environment. Features such as version control, asset repurposing, and approval processes ensure that organizations maintain consistent use and re-expression of all digital assets, including web content, podcasts, marketing collateral and corporate videos to web. 3) Management and distribution of digital media media professionals can search and locate the digital media they need for creation or modification and distribute it to the right location simply, requiring just a few mouse clicks. More sophisticated, feature-rich DAM systems allow for multi-site digital media warehousing, as well as the ability to provide multiple repositories for automatic synchronization of multiple assets and their associated metadata. They accomplish this by using a distributed architecture. 4) Anytime, anywhere web-based access professionals can access their files quickly and easily from any web browser. It is even possible to create new revenue streams by marketing digital assets such as videos and podcasts on the web. With proper digital rights management to control use and distribution, organizations can even distribute digital masters and other types of licensed assets via secure web access. More sophisticated DAM systems also include e-commerce capabilities for ordering and fulfillment with no human intervention required, providing revenue with low costs. 5) Creation of new revenue streams Existing content can be repurposed and marketed using innovative web marketing techniques avoiding re-creation costs and maximizing return on investment for digital assets and lengthening their useful life span. 3
DAM: A subset of Enterprise Content Management (ECM). DAM is considered a subset of Enterprise Content Management (ECM), which is a broader categorization that includes management, searching and disposition of all content, extending to include scanned documents, business records, reports, web content, word processing and spreadsheet files and more. ECM solutions offer a way to centrally mange and control all content, a set of technologies under a unified architecture, so that, for instance, when a product description is updated, all places within the enterprise that rely on that description will be updated consistently and immediately, regardless of content format or physical location of files. ECM provides a broad architecture for integrating a wide broad range of content management technologies and content formats. ECM also allows for the efficient searching across all platforms in the enterprise, referred to as a federated search capability. Both DAM and ECM solutions index metadata, which is data about data that describes a document or asset for indexing purposes, and DAM and ECM both include workflow, a sophisticated routing capability for improving business process efficiency; and they both maintain version control; and also an audit trail to track who has accessed or edited a particular document or asset, when they did, and what actions they took. Unstructured information that which is not able to be searched readily, as databases or reports may be. Examples include scanned images, and other static content like MS Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, but also video and audio files. Because digital assets include audio and video, as well as large graphics files, DAM is considered a component of ECM. True DAM software contains functionality with closely coupled deep integration with creative authoring applications such as Quark or Adobe Creative Suite 3. When routing and workflow capabilities are added, DAM software becomes quite useful in optimizing business processes, particularly within marketing departments or external creative agencies. How DAM Solutions Operate Using DAM software, a user can open a stored digital photo in the central repository directly from an authoring application, such as Adobe Photoshop. Re-touching and edits can be made, and when completed, the new version can be saved directly through the native 4
application. At each step, the access and usage rights follow the photo and are specific to each (type of) user. Once archived, an automatic notification can be sent via email about the changes that were made. If there are additional users who need to add to and edit the photo, workflow and automatically route the image to the next work step, and through the entire process until it is complete and can be sent to its ultimate destination perhaps a website or magazine to appear as an advertisement. Upon completion of the work to the image, it, and all previous versions are available for reuse and repurposing by all team members who have the rights and permissions to do so. Using a proxy copy, which is a low resolution rendition of the original image, reduces file size when accessed for reference purposes, thus reducing the load on the network when collaboration is in process. More About Metadata for Digital Assets In DAM software, digital assets (photos, videos, audio, etc.) are kept track of by associated metadata. This allows for easy searching and grouping of like or similar digital assets that have already been created when starting a new project. Reusing previous finished work helps lower creative labor costs, and also improves branding consistency. The level of detail in the metadata depends on how robust the DAM software is, and the level of sophistication of the user or original creator. Metadata describes the asset content (what is it about? what ad campaign did it run in? which product is it representing?) and also how it is compressed in size for transmission and use (known as encoding and decoding), such as JPEG or MPEG format; and who owns it, that is, the creation and modification history digital asset, also known as provenance. There are some standards for metadata structure and content of rich media assets, such as PBCore and Dublin Core. 5
What Is the Difference Between Various Digital Asset and Content Management Solutions? 1 Marketing resource management (MRM). This term is generally used by marketing automation providers. MRM technologies typically provide document storage and retrieval as a subset of a larger group of features supporting marketing operations activities (event management, campaign management, etc.) Digital asset management (DAM). Provides functionality to manage, store and retrieve structured and unstructured data. DAM is often used by marketing for digital archiving, document management and workflow (for collateral, text, photos, rich media, video, audio and more). Many DAM solutions integrate with creative tools to support the creative process. Marketing asset management (MAM). Provides DAM functionality that is exclusively focused on marketing applications and frequently integrates with collateral customization and marketing automation technologies to provide seamless asset management through content distribution workflow. Enterprise content management (ECM). Provides management for all unstructured information wherever that information exists in an organization. Suite providers of ECM help manage content for multiple business functions (sales, operations, finance, marketing, legal, etc.) Common functionalities include, DAM, web content management, document management, workflow and business processes, and records management. Web content management (WCM). A subset of ECM, these solutions typically provide functionality for managing and optimizing marketing content online. Web content management is usually a separate offering from DAM; however, many organizations leverage DAM or ECM as part of their overall Web content management strategy. 1 http://digitalassetmanagement.org.uk/2008/03/17/explore-the-strategic-value-of-dam-for-marketing-departments/ 6
Types of Digital Asset Management systems The following are categories of digital asset management systems: Brand asset management systems these systems focus on mostly marketing and advertising-related content, such as logos, marketing collateral or product images. These systems also help an organization re-use or re-purpose previously created content. This is a challenge mostly for larger size organizations where personnel may be geographically dispersed.. Digital supply chain systems these systems push digital content that is for sale, such as videos, podcasts, music, out to e-commerce websites and digital retailers. Library asset management systems these systems are mostly for storage of rich media assets for archival purposes, particularly those that do not change very often. Open source digital asset management software is DAM software that is free, and worked on and improved by volunteer programmers. Production asset management systems these systems are mostly for rich media assets that change quite often, such as those used in the production of digital media such as videos or music. And they contain robust features for revision control and tracking. Software as a Service (SaaS) Model or Hosted Provider SaaS organizations, also known as Application Service Providers (ASPs), provide digital asset management software as a hosted service. All hardware and software reside on the site of the SaaS provider and access is granted through a client branded login page at a customer specific URL. SaaS vendors are responsible for the following key elements. Technical support Software and hardware upgrades as the latest technology becomes available Security upgrades to ensure the safety of digital assets from external threats Disaster recovery processes Maintenance of storage and bandwidth directly effecting system performance Ongoing feature releases and system modifications SaaS providers in the digital asset management industry allow organizations to focus on the management, organization, and distribution of digital assets and global users opposed to focusing on both the aforementioned and the technology that drives optimal performance. Taking advantage of the hosted environment, SaaS providers release new versions rapidly 7
and multiple times per year versus internal implementations or installed software purchases releasing in intervals up to 18 months. Implementation of digital asset management systems using the SaaS model ensures quick realization of both time and cost savings due to rapid deployment and ongoing performance enhancements. Key Success Metrics for DAM Adoption The key metric can be expressed as measurable ratios: Digital Asset Activity Ratio: This compares the number of digital assets that have been ordered and the total number of digital assets stored in the DAM system. Digital Asset Consumption Ratio: Compares the number of digital assets ordered to the number of users that logged into the system over a specific time period Repurposing Ratio: Repurposing is a key component of digital asset management value. This ratio compares the number of active digital assets and the number of digital assets ordered for download. This can provide insight into the amount of content repurposing that is taking place over a period of time. User Activity Ratio: Compares the total number of logins to the number of users that have logged to gain insight into visitation frequency. Also, this metric also provides insight into how frequently users visit to browse or check back on new branded materials.. 8
Some Leading Providers of DAM Solutions Basic Functionality, Low Cost DAM Solution Providers 1. Day Software www.day.com - Communiqué DAM - Founded 1993 Basel, Switzerland. Active in standards establishment and open source. 2. Extensis www.extensis.com -Portfolio Server - Founded 1993, Portland, OR. Font management and DAM for desktops, workgroups, enterprises. 3. Microsoft www.microsoft.com - SharePoint Server 2007/2010 - Redmond, WA. 4. Nstein Technologies - www.nstein.com - Digital Asset Manager - Montreal, CAN. 5. Oracle www.oracle.com - Universal Content Management 10gR3 - Redwood Shores, CA. 6. VYRE - www.vyre.com - Unify Founded in 1997 in London, UK; specializes in web-based technologies for DAM, ECM, and enterprise search. Mid-Range DAM Solutions 1. ADAM Software - www.adamsoftware.net - ADAM - Deinze, Belgium; Rapid customization of DAM solutions by using ADAM software development kit (sdk). 2. Canto www.canto.com - Cumulus 8- Founded 1990, Berlin, Germany and San Francisco, CA. Cross-platform solution with over 1 million licenses sold. 3. WAVE Corporation www.wavecorp.com MediaBank Established 1987, Longwood, FL. 4. Widen www.widen.com Media Collective, - Madison, WI. Hosted/SaaS DAM solutions and premedia Services. Enterprise DAM from Specialized Providers 1. MediaBeacon www.mediabeacon.com - R3volution - Minneapolis, MN. Formerly BrighTech, Inc., established originally 1989. 2. North Plains - www.northplains.com TeleScope Toronto, Canada hosted (SaaS) and installed DAM. Est d 1994, 300,000+ users worldwide. 3. The FeedRoom www.feedroon.com ActiveMedia 7.5 hosted SaaS DAM. NYC, NY; - online streaming video and DAM 9
Enterprise DAM from ECM Suite Vendors 1. Autonomy www.autonomy.com -Virage MediaBin - San Francisco, CA, USA & Cambridge, UK. 2. EMC - Documentum www.documentum.com -Digital Asset Manager - Hopkinton, MA. 3. Open Text www.opentext.com - Artesia - Waterloo, Canada 4. ViewCast www.viewcast.com - ViewCast Media Server Plano, TX, acquired in 2009 from MN-based Ancept. Runs on IBM Content Manager. Specialized Niche Solutions 1. Apple www.apple.com - Final Cut Server ; Cupertino, CA 2. Chuckwalla www.chuckwalla.com - Chuckwalla Santa Clara, CA 3. Xinet www.xinet.com -WebNative Suite Berkeley, CA RESOURCES for Continued Updates and Research Journal of Digital Asset Management http://www.palgrave-journals.com/dam/index.html If your organization needs assistance in its DAM or ECM project, please feel free to contact Robert Smallwood, Partner, IMERGE Consulting, on his direct line at 504-324-2340 and let the team of professionals at IMERGE Consulting help you with your project needs. Initial assessments are at no cost or obligation. 10
Who we are IMERGE Consulting is North America's largest and most experienced team of consulting experts in the fields of electronic records, e-discovery, and enterprise content management (ECM). IMERGE is also a leading provider of education courses in records management, electronic document capture and e-discovery. IMERGE has offices in major cities including Toronto, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Cancun, Mexico. What we have achieved Our track record speaks for itself: We have completed more successful projects, published more articles and given more expert presentations than any other enterprise content management consulting firm in the world. We are proud that our organizations include some of the world s best and largest public and private organizations. Learn more about us at imergeconsult.com or contact an IMERGE professional today. About the Author Robert Smallwood, MBA, Master of Information Technology, Laureate of Information Technology is a founding Partner of IMERGE. Some past client organizations include major law firms, Bank of America, AT&T, Xerox and IBM. He is a past member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of AIIM International and has published more than 100 articles and given more than 50 conference presentations in ECM and record management topics. He is the author of the book, Taming the Email Tiger, and several others. Disclaimer The references provided in this book should not be considered as legal advice, and is only provided as a resource and starting reference point for further foundation to your organization s own research. All cited references should be verified and updated with your own legal counsel and findings as applicable. 11