Learn the pros and cons of Digital Asset Management (DAM)they do not tell you about and how to choose the best DAM solution for your organization.
Let's be real: we all need a DAMs. Whether you're a small business owner or part of a larger company, DAMs give you easy access to your photos and videos across multiple devices. They allow you to find the media you need quickly and easily.
What Is Meant By Digital Asset Management ( DAM)?
DAM is a technology that helps businesses securely store, track and manage their digital assets. It can also help you find and reuse assets, and share them with others.
They can also reduce costs over time and increase efficiency within your organization. That being said, there are some drawbacks to implementing DAM systems that should be considered before making any decisions about going digital or sticking with traditional methods for organizing your files
The Cons of a Digital Asset Management (DAM) System
There are a few potential cons to using a DAM system. Here are some of the disadvantages of a DAM system:
- Expensive upfront costs
- A long implementation process
- Complex software
- Not fully utilized
1. Expensive upfront costs
You may be wondering whether you should implement a DAM, but let's be honest: it's not cheap. Your budget will vary depending on the size of your company and the complexity of your system, but most DAMs are expensive to install and maintain. Many companies don't even have one because they're unwilling to shell out for this kind of investment.
One way around this initial cost is by using a free trial or demo version before committing to an enterprise-level version (that could run into several hundred thousand dollars). You can also try out different cloud-based solutions that offer free storage and management tools until you find one that meets all of your needs without breaking bank accounts.
Another option is investing only in certain parts—like photo libraries and video libraries—and leaving other assets out of the mix altogether if they aren't important enough or don't warrant additional attention beyond what's already available through existing channels like email attachments or cloud storage services like Dropbox/Google Drive/OneDrive etcetera).
2. A long implementation process
A long implementation process is often due to the complexity of the software. However, this isn’t always the case. What you may not realize is that digital asset management software can be easy-to-use and customizable for your needs.
When choosing a DAM, it's important to understand what kind of customizations are available so you can make sure your DAM will meet all of your needs in terms of flexibility and versatility.
In addition to being complex, some DAMs have specific pricing models (such as hourly labour) which can lead to unexpected costs if they're not clearly outlined before signing up for an account with them
3. Complex software
Software of any variety is complicated, and DAM software is no exception. Most people who work in the field will readily agree that it’s difficult to manage all the different components and functions required by a digital asset management system. But there are reasons why DAM can be more complex than others:
Because your DAM system must be able to handle many different formats and types of media, it needs to be flexible enough to accommodate all kinds of files—not just images and videos but also audio files, PDFs, text documents and more.
Because each piece of content can have several versions (that might change over time), every version must be tracked so you know which one is current at any one time. For example, if someone uploads a new version of an image file but forgets or neglects to update metadata like title or description details when they do so (which happens often!).
Then there may not be enough information within their metadata fields for search engines like Google Images when someone searches for “cat photos”. Because those images don’t appear unless they contain keywords associated with cats!
4. Not fully utilized
DAM systems are often not fully utilized, as they are used only for the creation and storage of digital assets. DAMs do not enable companies to generate new value from their assets by bringing them together with other assets in one place, thereby generating greater efficiencies. Companies may also not be making use of their DAM to its full potential because they don’t have a clear vision for how it should be used.
The Pros of a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system
So, you've decided to go digital. Your business has been on the fence about whether or not a DAM system is right for them and now you're considering it.
The pros far outweigh the cons in the long run, so it's important to weigh your options before making a decision. Here are some of the significant pros of a DAM system:
- Easy searchability
- Organized system
- Daily use
Easy searchability
Searching for digital assets is easier than ever. Today's enterprise-grade DAM suites allow you to search for items through a variety of parameters, including metadata and keywords. Metadata is the information about an item that's stored in its file or embedded as part of its document. Keywords are searchable words used to describe an asset—think "cat," "dog" and "pet."
Organized system
The best DAMs allow you to organize your assets, your team and workflow, and even your time. After all, the point of asset management software is to give you an organized system for managing all these things.
Daily use
If you’re using a DAM, chances are it’s easy to find the assets and information you need. You can search across metadata fields, or restrict your search to a specific category or type of asset. You can even search for assets in other projects that may be relevant to your current project, even if they don’t have metadata associated with them yet.
What Are The Benefits of Using Digital Asset Management?
There are several benefits to using a DAM system, including:
- Finding what you need faster. With a DAM, you can search for assets by type or tag and filter your results based on different parameters. This allows you to locate exactly what you're looking for in your library quickly and easily.
- Saving time and money. By keeping track of all your digital assets in one place, DAM software helps reduce the amount of wasted time spent searching through boxes or folders full of old hard drives trying to find something specific—and it makes it easier to access those resources when they're needed. If an item is out-of-date or no longer relevant, removing it from the library means less clutter for future projects as well; this ultimately saves space on servers where these files are stored (freeing up valuable hardware resources).
Conclusion
DAMs have their pros and cons, but the pros far outweigh the cons in the long run. They’re easy to use, which encourages staff members to use them more often.
They also allow you to track and manage your digital assets from one platform, making it easier for you to find what you need when needed. Their search capabilities are powerful and can help narrow down the number of files that would otherwise take hours or days' worth of research
DAM is a great tool for any company to use, but it can be complicated and costly. It’s important to do your research before making any decisions about which software is right for you and whether it’s worth the upfront cost. We hope we’ve given you some food for thought about DAM systems and their pros and cons.
