Digital Asset Management (DAM) Software is, at a minimum, a repository for marketing assets. Typically this includes brand media, images and video, or any digital object that relates to the enterprise's brand and image.
Alternately this type of software might be described as brand management software. Its nearest cousin is enterprise asset management (EAM) software. However with DAM systems, the emphasis is not only upon storing assets but on aggregating, arranging, updating, editing, and deploying them. The overall purpose is to strengthen the image of the company and its products via creative marketing and media.
Most DAM platforms have features around the following areas of functionality:
The DAM presents an up-to-date, synchronized and highly searchable repository for marketing assets. This is core to the design of all DAM platforms. As enterprise assets proliferate the DAM should help keep the corporate librarian in control.
Access to the repository is intuitive so that assets are discoverable. Access is controlled so that assets are safe. This is important because often creative is outsourced to third parties. Thus a DAM should be easy to navigate but difficult to violate with restrictions like one-time download, limited-access windows, and more.
DAMs should intelligently support categorization of digital assets with various tools (e.g. facial recognition, tagging) that support rapid sorting and discovery of these visual assets. This speeds content retrieval, combination, and deployment workflow.
A key part of the DAM platform’s organizational scheme is an intelligent search feature. Search filters take advantage of all that metadata.
The DAM should present controls to govern how brand assets are used, ensuring compliance with corporate and brand standards.
Digital Asset Management platforms should support the collaboration, editing, and approval process with workflow controls and dashboard interfaces. This is very similar to project management suites but for the kinds of assets (e.g. video, images) typically edited and approved by a DAM.
Digital Asset Management Platforms are also creative and deployment/distribution platforms, preparing media to go live. For this reason, they must integrate with the web content management systems (WCMS) used by the enterprise. Or sometimes vendors offer suite products with integrated DAM and WCMS.
DAM pricing is complex because of the number of factors to be taken into consideration. As with all business software, it’s extremely important to have a good sense of the organization’s needs as a starting point. It’s also important to understand the quantity and type of digital assets to be managed, the media workflows, and the people who will be administering and using the system. An enterprise-level SaaS DAM can cost upwards of $30,000 per year. SMB versions are significantly cheaper.
Adobe Experience Manager is a combined web content management system and digital asset management system. The combined applications of Adobe Experience Manager Sites and Adobe Experience Manager Assets is offered by the vendor as an end-to-end solution for managing and delivering marketing content.
Bynder helps brands to distribute their marketing materials, manage creations and facilitate brand consistency. Bynder is a solution for marketing that comes with best in class digital asset management, creative project management, brand identity guidelines, product information management and web-t…
Aprimo is a leader in global marketing operations technology. Aprimo’s performance-driven marketing operations and digital asset management software is designed to give marketers the advantage to govern and grow their brand.According to the vendor, Aprimo delivers the advantage with its innovative M…
TelemetryTV is a digital signage platform built for the modern communicator who needs to engage audiences, generate awareness, or give their community a voice. TelemetryTV allows users to broadcast dynamic content easily by streaming video, images, social feeds, turnkey apps, and data-driven dashb…
WebDAM is the flagship digital asset management (DAM) platform from the company of the same name in San Mateo, California, which was acquired by Shutterstock in March 2014.
Cloudinary is an image and video management tool enabling users to manage, optimize, and deliver images, videos and other media across every device and channel.
Salsify is designed to enable suppliers to send their product content to retailers. The solution provides a central place to create, manage and publish product information - including product attributes, marketing copy, datasheets and other files.
North Plains Systems in Toronto now offers and supports Xinet, a digital asset management platform with an emphasis on collaboration and sharing. The California company Xinet, the platform's original developer, was acquired by North Plains Systems in 2012.
Extensis headquartered in Portland, Oregon offers Portfolio, their digital asset management (DAM) platform.
CONTENTdm is a DAM for libraries, from OCLC headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
The Widen Collective is a cloud-based digital asset management platform designed to help marketers efficiently create, manage, distribute, and analyze all forms of marketing content. The vendor states the integrated suite of software applications will enable organizations to create impactful, measu…
Frontify is brand management software in the cloud. The purpose of Frontify is to gather all essential brand tools in one place, such as style guides, UI patterns, media assets, etc., with the goal of making brand information more accessible and simplifying the life of everyone working with a brand.…
Brandfolder in Denver, Colorado offers their eponymous digital asset management (DAM) platform.
Flight is a cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) from Canto headquartered in San Francisco, a somewhat lighter and low cost alternative to their flagship DAM, Cumulus.
Filecamp is a cloud-based Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution with unlimited users. According to the vendor, with Filecamp you can easily showcase and share your files with your clients or with other parts of your organization. Every customer can have its own custom branding and password protect…
Avid Technology headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts offers Interplay Media Asset Manager, a digital asset management (DAM) platform.
Avid offers MediaCentral, a suite of enterprise digital and media asset management applications supporting asset creation, location, arranging, and publication workflow.
Bloomreach Experience Manager (formerly Hippo) is an open-source Java based content management system, available under the ASL 2.0, though many modules are only available under a commercial license. The product was acquired by BloomReach in late 2016 and is offered and maintained by BloomReach.
HP MediaBin is a digital asset management (DAM) offering from Hewlett-Packard.
Cumulus from San Francisco based company Canto is a digital asset management (DAM) offering.
Workfront Library enables teams to manage work, review and approve assets, and distribute them throughout the enterprise, all in one place.
Pics.io is a solution for managing all digital assets. With this solution, users can find their creative files, collaborate with colleagues on new projects, and share their work with clients and partners. Key features include: creation website portfolio, version control, and revision tools. The vend…
pCloud is a cloud- based digital asset management platform that provides access to all digital content including images,video, audio, documents, and more, anytime, anywhere, on any device. Users can keep important files safe and centralized in one place, and share with team members, clients, etc. ac…
Elvis DAM is a scalable digital asset management (DAM) solution, offering Filtered Search, Collaboration features, Image Editing, Metadata management, Approval Process control, Version control and Asset Sharing.
Nuxeo headquartered in Brooklyn offers their eponymous enterprise content management (ECM) platform.