Edward Boatman • Jun 13th, 2022
Cloud computing is arguably one of the biggest tech trends to come onto the scene in the early 21st century. Today, cloud-based technology is no longer just a buzzy tech phenomenon but the norm, as teams across the globe realize just how easy it is to collaborate on projects and increase productivity with this newfound off-premise hosting system.
A cloud-based DAM is instrumental in helping to effectively organize, manage, share and use digital assets to ensure everything runs smoothly in a cost-effective way. So why haven’t more people adopted a cloud-based DAM? In short, many aren’t aware of the benefits and features this particular type of cloud-based system offers.
This post will walk you through everything you need to know about a cloud-based DAM, and why you should run (not walk) to replace any sort of on-premise asset storage you’re currently using to access digital assets.
A digital asset management system (DAM) is an organizational software designed to help companies, creatives and marketers safely store, organize and share digital assets. The ability to store all assets in a single source helps businesses run that much more efficiently and quickly, all while maintaining brand consistency at scale.
A cloud-based DAM is hosted on “the cloud,” aka a network of remote servers, that allows you to access digital assets from any device through a web browser.
Still confused? Let’s break down each component even further:
Now let’s put them all together: No matter where you’re located, you can manage and access your digital assets through the cloud using a cloud-based DAM to improve workflow across teams.
There are a multitude of users who benefit from cloud-based DAMs, from individual creatives and designers to large agencies and partners. Types of industries that might benefit from regular access to a DAM include:
Cloud-based DAMs can benefit both internal and external users within these industries. Internally, these systems allow for collaboration across sales and marketing teams, in-house content creators like designers and photographers or technical teams, to name a few.
External users also access DAMs. For example, a client might need to access a project or service, or a contractor or partner who you collaborate with might want to find a particular asset. This is where DAMs are beneficial — they’re safe and can help maintain brand consistency when multiple users are accessing them from different touchpoints. We’ll touch on this more as we highlight the various benefits of these systems below.
Below, we’ll highlight specific benefits and key features that cloud-based DAMs offer to help streamline your creative process.
Essentially, these systems save a ton of time spent on searching for digital assets. Because they’re equipped with advanced search capabilities, smart search and discovery features, individuals and teams can spend more time on content creation versus digging through assets spread across various apps, servers and desktops.
As your digital library grows, cloud DAM systems help streamline the ability to access all assets in one easy-to-search place.
DAM systems have a variety of key features, such as personalized interfaces, reporting capabilities, support of various formats and consumer types, ability to handle various file types and third party apps, and a powerful file transfer and storage system, just to name a few.
All of these key features work in tandem to increase productivity across the board. Because individuals and teams don’t have to spend time searching for assets, they can focus on those core elements that drive business growth and success.
Cloud DAMs improve collaboration and organization, especially across digital and remote teams. They’re designed for volume, so they have a handful of automated features that make it that much easier to manage, share and store assets.
For example, intelligent search functions and advanced filters allow for teams all over the globe to easily access what they need to perform work in an efficient, organized manner.
As we mentioned earlier, there are many internal and external users accessing assets at the same time. DAMs allow teams to upload and share unlimited data in one centralized location that helps keep assets consistent and up to date. A strong, more polished brand presence has been proven to increase customer loyalty and trust.
Not only can teams access assets anytime, any place (with Wi-Fi), DAMs also allow teams to seamlessly distribute assets to external locations. Any updates to assets in the DAM are reflected where embed codes are published, and you can synchronize updates to multiple assets outside the DAM.
There’s a common misconception that on-premise systems are more secure, however, this isn’t the case. Today’s technology has transformed cloud-based systems, allowing them to provide stellar security and continuous, automatic updates to protect from viruses and other threats.
You can also set up access permissions to control who accesses assets in the DAM, and further control how they access these assets for complete control. Rest assured that this doesn’t compromise security and reliability. Instead, this reduces the burden on IT teams, as the DAM is responsible for maintenance, upgrades and data protection to ensure security is reliable and up to speed at all access points.
A system with all these benefits must be expensive and difficult to maintain, right? Not quite.
Companies and creatives invest in DAM systems because they’re cost-effective and scalable. You don’t need to invest in external hardware or software to maintain on-site, and updates are completed automatically within the DAM systems. Additionally, they’re easy to scale as your content and storage needs grow. With the cloud, you can grow storage space easily.
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Now that we’ve convinced you that your team needs a cloud-based DAM, setting up the DAM is just as simple as reaping the benefits and support it offers. Because DAM systems aren’t all created equal, it’s important to think through these steps before choosing and setting up your own: