The DAM Revolution Heats Up

In all business segments, trends and fads come and go with the seasons. Once in a while, however, a trend becomes a paradigm shift and has such an enormous impact on our business that it makes everyone stop dead in their tracks.

Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a shift of this caliber: a trend that is on the verge of exploding into a revolution. Regardless of who you are and what you do in the cycle of brand development or management, you cannot hide from DAM's effect. This one development is going to change the way you think and work. The challenge you'll face is how to manage the process to

that point.

The Digital Asset Management concept is simple. It's a library that stores digital assets in an organized fashion, so that they can be searched and retrieved effectively, and/or associated asset information—metadata—may be captured. Do remember, though, that some of the more powerful DAM solutions offer more than this, and becoming familiar with what is available, possible and useable is like finding a needle in a haystack. The key is to define what you want, need and expect from the system, and to ensure this information is shared with the appropriate people.

Tips & tricks for your DAM expedition

If you know exactly what you want from a DAM system, then you're ahead of the game. For the rest of us, a needs analysis is time consuming and cumbersome, yet worth every minute.

First of all, you need to research and document the areas of the process that will immediately benefit from a DAM solution. From enabling a faster approval process to automatic notification, to having the DAM system track asset use automatically, every possible benefit must be listed. Then, consult with others who have already walked this path. DAM solutions suppliers will certainly give copious amounts of information and advice, but at this stage, be careful to avoid being brainwashed or sold on one solution over another.