When I mention a dam, most of you imagine a lake, a source of power or one of our most popular landmarks, the Hoover Dam. But let’s turn our sights to the sky and chat about a cloud-based DAM (Digital Asset Management) system. A DAM system is the way a company chooses to manage, retrieve and distribute their digital assets. There are many types of DAM solutions, but my favorite is a cloud-based, SaaS (software as a service) that stores and manages your digital assets.
Top 10 reasons I love a cloud-based DAM:
1. Easy to Use: A user-friendly, feature-rich solution that saves time and makes it easier to find and access digital assets.
2. Searchability: You don’t need to know an exact file path to find something. Metadata and file names will aid your search. Most DAMs automatically scan PDFs, Word and PowerPoint documents for content/metadata.
3. Preview Icons: You can view searchable assets by a list or by preview thumbnails. You can review the asset content without downloading the entire file.
4. Preview Videos: Quickly and easily preview videos online without having to take the time to download.
5. Capacity: Capacity is expandable, based on your need.
6. Multiple File Types: Convert or generate different file type conversions with the click of a button.
7. Shopping Cart Functionality: Shopping cart feature to easily order and deliver assets securely via the Internet.
8. SaaS Solution: It’s a cloud-based solution, so an aging server does not limit growth.
9. Upload Multiple Files Easily: Upload multiple files at once with drag-and-drop uploading.
10. Various User Roles: Definable roles to easily manage who sees what.
A good DAM can power your company by saving you time and money, easily maintaining brand consistency across all channels and most importantly, protecting your investment in all of your digital assets.