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 we...
The "new" Aprimo was re-established in 2016, following investment company Marlin's acquisition of the Teradata Integrated Marketing Suite from Teradata Inc. The original enterprise marketing operations offering, formerly called Aprimo before Teradata acquired it in 2012, is now called Aprimo agai...
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.
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.
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.
Brandfolder in Denver, Colorado offers their eponymous digital asset management (DAM) platform.
CONTENTdm is a DAM for libraries, from OCLC headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
Frontify provides brand management software in the cloud. The vendor says they simplify the life of everyone working with a brand by gathering all essential tools in one single place.
HP MediaBin is a digital asset management (DAM) offering from Hewlett-Packard.
Avid Technology headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts offers Interplay Media Asset Manager, a digital asset management (DAM) platform.
Widen is a content technology company that powers the content that builds an organization's brand. Leveraging cloud-based resources, Widen delivers configurable, scalable, and cost-effective digital asset management solutions to help users easily search, find, share and analyze visual content. Wi...
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.
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.
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.
Enterprise work and project management software company Workfront, headquartered in Lehi, Utah, launched Workfront DAM, a digital asset management platform, in July 2015.
Filecamp is a leader in digital asset management (DAM) software, with customers that include many of the World's top brands. Filecamp gives marketing teams a simple, visual way to centralize, organize and share all their digital brand assets, empowering them to save valuable time and gain a compe...
Cumulus from San Francisco based company Canto is a digital asset management (DAM) offering.
Extensis headquartered in Portland, Oregon offers Portfolio, their digital asset management (DAM) platform.
TopTechPhoto provides digital asset management and collaboration solutions for creatives.
MediaSilo is an online video sharing, collaboration and asset management platform for creative professionals.
CleanPix is a web-based Digital Asset Management (cloud) tool that enables companies to control and share their media-ready files with professionals around the world. It is designed for PR, marketing and communication professionals who need to ensure correct usage of their pictures, videos, PDFs,...
Dalet Media Life is a digital asset management (DAM) offering from the French company Dalet Digital Media Systems.
MediaBeacon is a digital asset management platform (DAM) now owned and supported by Esko since 2015.
Asset Bank is a digital asset management (DAM) platform from UK company Bright Interactive.