Online DAM

Online DAM: The Best Way to Manage Digital Assets

Online DAM management of digital assets has become an increasingly critical component for modern marketing. Every company needs digital marketing materials such as logos, images, and videos for the simple fact that potential clients are spending more of their time on the Internet. The rising popularity of user-driven social media sites and mobile devices ensures that using the Internet for marketing has gone from being an popular option to becoming a necessity. The way that potential clients interact with other Internet users also means that marketing teams need a strong portfolio of digital assets at their disposal via online DAM.

Online DAM management of a few simple assets is a simple endeavor that can be done in-house but as the number of videos and high resolution images accumulate, problems quickly arise. Improvements in technologies related to video production and image creation have made it easy for even the smallest of companies to greatly augment the number of digital assets at their disposal. Even if production of such marketing materials was very cost effective, a price must always be paid for hosting and managing large numbers of digital assets on in-house servers. These costs manifest themselves in a number of ways but each can be countered by management of digital marketing materials with Online DAM.

Online DAM refers to management of digital assets in a completely Internet based platform. Some reasons that explain why a growing digital asset library should be managed with online DAM instead of on in-house servers:

Server memory – In-house servers should be dedicated to basic functions and needs of the company. Using them to archive large numbers of files and marketing materials can compromise their functionality and generally handicap daily business. Systems are especially vulnerable to housing large numbers of digital assets because high resolution images and large numbers of lengthy videos take up disproportionate amounts of bandwidth. The large size of well rounded digital asset portfolios makes them incompatible with important in-house servers. They need to be archived on their own dedicated servers but this can be costly and can strain IT departments. For these unavoidable reasons, the ability of an online DAM system to host all of a company's digital assets is one of its greatest benefits. Any problems associated with hosting marketing materials on in-house servers are simply eliminated by hosting them elsewhere with online DAM.
Software management with online DAM – IT departments can focus on keeping basic company functions running smoothly instead of working overtime to help manage digital assets. Whether an attempt is made to manage videos and images on shared files or with designer software, IT departments will certainly be spending inordinate amounts of their time with digital marketing materials. Online DAM helps to keep them focused on primary tasks because all software for managing digital assets is hosted out of house and thus likewise managed by another party.
Online DAM helps with expansion – Online DAM greatly facilitates companies with plans for expansion into other regions or even other countries. Whereas the use of and access to in-house DAM systems is more or less restricted to employees who work at company headquarters, an online DAM system can be easily accessed by marketing teams from anywhere in the world. This facilitates communication for marketing purposes and allows users to quickly download whatever is needed for marketing campaigns.
Efficiency – By merit of its very nature, online DAM boosts productivity and efficiency. Since the only limiting factor to its use is whether or not an Internet connection is available, marketing teams always have a wealth of digital assets on hand to work with. Nor do they need to waste time in making requests for materials or asking if they can use certain assets because administration has only given them access to certain materials in the first place. This results in more time for marketing teams to invest in putting together pieces that use trusted and tested assets as well as more time for administrators to focus on core tasks. Not only do they not need to bother with meeting requests for digital assets, but they don't have to waste any time searching for and finding appropriate assets.
Cost – One of the biggest differences between online DAM and managing digital assets on in-house servers is overall cost. Ironically, online DAM provides more benefits than in-house DAM yet it costs much less. Perhaps this should come as no surprise, however, when one takes into account the highly efficient nature of online DAM.

Widen offers online DAM products because they know that this is the best and most cost effective means of managing digital assets. Request you live product demo of Widen Software as a Service solutions to experience easy to use online DAM.