The DAM Business Imperative

system.

DAM Technology

DAM systems share many attributes with more common document management systems. For example, both require user authentication and implement access controls based on user IDs and group affiliations. Both provide version control over managed files and enable users to search for files based on the content within the files, or data about the files (metadata). Both types of systems are best implemented in a multi-tiered fashion, with one or more Web servers on the front end, a scalable DAM or DM server providing application services in the middle and a relational database infrastructure on the back end.

But there are many important differences between DAM and DM systems. A DAM system is optimized for massive files representing content that is most readily identified visually with the help of "thumbnail" previews. By contrast, the documents with the typical DM system are comparatively small files, and are predominantly textual, so visual previews are essentially useless. More importantly, the users of DM systems are typically knowledge workers working collaboratively, on a daily basis, with colleagues on the creation of documents. DAM system users, on the other hand, will generally access the system individually when they need to find and retrieve specific media assets in the form that meets their current need.

To meet the needs of a business and its users effectively, an enterprise DAM system should provide the following essential attributes:

• Metadata flexibility. Relevant and consistent asset metadata, or data about your digital assets, is a critical success factor for an enterprise DAM ("full-text search" isn't particularly useful when searching for an image). Your DAM system should allow for administrators to add or remove new metadata categories at any time; changing your mind, or accommodating a new requirement, should not mean starting over. The system should also allow for access controls on individual metadata fields so that sensitive data about an asset may be maintained, but not made visible to certain groups who may still need access to the asset itself.
• Asset transformation services. Image and video content is typically edited and stored in one form, then transformed into a rendition of the original according to output requirements. For example, a high-resolution Adobe Photoshop asset must be transformed into a 300 pixel-wide JPEG image for a Web page, and a 600dpi CMYK EPS file for a printed brochure. The system also should be able to restrict which ways different groups can access different assets—some may only be allowed to download low-resolution renditions, but not the original asset.
• Scalability. A DAM system should be able to "scale up" to handle periods of peak load, where thousands of assets are being transformed and delivered to thousands of users. It should also be able to "scale out" where multiple servers are needed within distant geographies, allowing users to define business rules to determine how assets are replicated or cross-referenced between servers.
• Extensibility. A DAM system should meet your key requirements "out-of-the-box." But needs inevitably evolve over time, often including the necessity to provide DAM services to other systems and applications. A robust set of Web services are crucial for future business process integration and making the most of your DAM system over time (see "DAM relationships").
• Automated import/export functions. While many DAM systems are primarily used interactively, batch processing via "hot folders" and scheduled processes for exporting thousands of product images, in multiple formats, to online and printed catalog systems can be hugely beneficial in terms of speed-to-market and accuracy.
• Reporting flexibility. The way a DAM system is actually used within a given organization represents valuable information, from seeing who has accessed a particular asset and in what form, to summary reports regarding overall usage over time. 
• Flexibility in user management. The most efficient and reliable approach is for a DAM system to provide login authentication and access authorization based on a user's existing network login ID and group affiliations. Most companies have an existing LDAP directory or Microsoft Active Directory where user accounts are centrally managed. The ability to support multiple types of user directories simultaneously can sometimes be necessary when dealing with multiple user populations (employees and business partners, for example).

DAM Relationships

While DAM systems deliver clear business value as standalone installations, it's also important to be able to easily integrate them with other forms of content management systems. The connection between an enterprise DAM system and a corporate Web content management system enables more efficient and accurate Web publishing processes, while ensuring that all Web renditions of brand logos, product images, PDF documents and the like are always kept up-to-date on customer-facing Web sites.

Many DAM systems are used to manage product photography and other product-related media assets such as training videos and commercial advertisements. These media assets should be referenced from within product information management systems, customer-support databases and other systems that contain related content.

As you approach the implementation of an enterprise DAM system—or any other project, for that matter— keep two sayings in mind: "Don't try to boil the ocean all at once!" and "Claim victory early (and often)." In other words, consider your goals over the long term, prioritize them and divide the project into workable phases with concrete results along the way.

The establishment of an enterprise DAM system provides an excellent opportunity to gather and inventory all of the rich media assets that your company employs to promote your products and services. Simply locating these assets and loading them into a DAM system—where they can be seen using previews, organized into folders and browsed through visually—can be a rewarding and worthwhile exercise.

Consider what sort of metadata should be applied to each type of asset so that individual assets can be easily found, but don't get hung up on this process—remember that in most cases, people will need to enter this metadata manually. It's better to define a few metadata fields that are populated with useful information about the assets, rather than a large number of metadata fields that are subsequently ignored. The right DAM system will allow you to make changes easily as needed.

Consider which users and groups should have access to what. It's often a good idea to group content according to how it is intended to be accessed (i.e.; "work-in-progress;" "approved for internal use;" "approved for public consumption;" etc.). Beyond this, you should have a pretty good idea of the most natural way to organize your DAM system for easy browsing and navigation. Alternate ways of locating groups of assets can always be achieved through searches.

The trends now reshaping the way consumers interact with information pose significant challenges for marketing organizations—increased competition for mindshare, new operational requirements, greater penalties for businesses who can't keep pace—but they also represent a significant new opportunity. By investing in the right DAM system, companies can achieve new levels of marketing efficiency, brand consistency, and speed-to-market and harness the full range of established and emerging communications channels to reach and persuade customers.