Digging through a disorganized filing system for the right content pieces feels a bit like being the kid who lost their homework in a messy bookbag. It’s frustrating, and it slows down progress. As digital media and available channels grow, this experience only grows more frantic. Marketers simply don’t have the time to dig through a database, hoping to turn up the files they need.
Fortunately, with growth in digital marketing comes growth in the platforms that support it. The modern cloud digital asset management platform delivers all the assets you need to drive messaging, without the scavenger hunt. Cloud storage, features, and access change everything.
If your organization still uses an on-premise solution for file-sharing and content operations, we’re sure you’ve wondered about the advantages of a cloud-based solution. This article will cover many of your questions about cloud DAM:
- What is cloud digital asset management?
- How does cloud digital asset management differ from traditional on-premise storage?
- What are the benefits of migrating to a cloud digital asset management platform?
- What features should you consider when moving to cloud digital asset management?
What is cloud digital asset management?
Cloud digital asset management (DAM) is a set of SaaS solutions that enable organizations to store, manage, search for, and share assets such as images, videos, audio files, documents, and other media types. CDAM systems provide a central repository where all brand assets are easily accessible by authorized users. With a modern, cloud-native DAM, users move beyond just storing digital files. A DAM allows you to search for the files you need using metadata and contextual search functionality. It also allows you to collaborate on content and track the progress of each content piece in the field.
How is cloud DAM different from on-premise?
Unlike an on-premise DAM solution requiring dedicated servers and infrastructure for storing files, a cloud DAM provides a secure, cloud-based platform to store and manage digital assets. These systems allow users to access their files from anywhere and provide automation for backups, version control, content delivery, and more. This makes it easier for internal teams, external partners, and authorized users to access, manipulate, and deliver digital assets for your clients.
Who uses cloud DAM systems?
Cloud-based Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems are used by a wide range of industries and organizations that need to store, manage, and distribute digital assets. These users typically benefit from the flexibility, scalability, and accessibility that cloud DAM systems offer. Here are some common industries and types of organizations that use cloud-based DAM systems:
Marketing and Advertising Agencies
Why they use it: Agencies manage large volumes of creative assets (images, videos, graphics, etc.) for multiple clients. A cloud DAM helps them collaborate on creative projects, streamline approvals, and share assets easily with clients and stakeholders.
Features needed: Collaboration tools, version control, access control, client access, workflow management, and brand asset management.
Media and Entertainment
Why they use it: Media companies and entertainment firms handle vast amounts of content, including high-resolution videos, films, images, and other creative assets. Cloud DAM systems help them organize, store, and distribute content effectively.
Features needed: Support for large file formats, cloud scalability, video and audio streaming, and robust search functionality.
Retail and E-commerce
Why they use it: Retailers and e-commerce companies need to manage product images, videos, marketing collateral, and promotional content for their online stores and physical locations. A cloud DAM helps streamline content updates across channels.
Features needed: Integration with e-commerce platforms, product asset management, metatag and tagging for search, and digital rights management.
Technology Companies
Why they use it: Tech firms could use cloud DAM systems to manage product images, branding, marketing campaigns, and sales collateral. These systems ensure consistency in product branding and marketing efforts across global teams.
Features needed: Integration with marketing platforms, project management scalability, and global access.
Publishing and Print Media
Why they use it: Publishing companies use cloud DAM systems to store editorial content, images, and multimedia files. Cloud DAM solutions allow editors, writers, designers, and contributors to collaborate in real time.
Features needed: Versioning for editorial workflows, metadata for search and categorization and cloud storage for large digital archives.
Benefits of a cloud digital asset management solution
Cloud digital asset management offers several advantages you won’t experience with traditional, server-based DAM solutions. It creates ease of use and flexibility in your content operations and scales with your business as your marketing process grows.
Here are the most beneficial aspects of moving to a cloud-based DAM solution:
Centralized data
Siloed data and shadow IT lead to many negative outcomes including brand consistency problems, licensing issues, and lost productivity. When you centralize operations in a cloud-based platform, it brings all your data and content to light. This allows you to maximize use for every piece and track its success.
Scalability
With a cloud-based DAM system, the organization easily adjusts the size and complexity of the system to meet its needs. This allows organizations of any size and stage, from small startups to enterprise-sized organizations, to derive benefits for their content operations.
Flexibility
Users can make changes to the system quickly and easily, with little downtime or disruption.
Security
DAM software hosted on a secure cloud platform provides access while mitigating risk. These platforms use encryption technology to protect sensitive assets. This means user data is safe from malicious cyber-attacks or other security breaches. Security is essential, considering the sobering statistic that over 80% of respondents to one IBM study reported they had experienced more than one data breach.
Cost savings
CDAM provides an efficient and cost-effective digital asset management system. It eliminates the need for intensive hardware requirements since a cloud-based service doesn’t need dedicated servers and IT staff for maintenance. Moving to the cloud can reduce IT costs by up to 15%. It also lets your IT staff get on with more important tasks, save time, and maintain productivity.
Increased efficiency
A cloud DAM gives all stakeholders access to digital media assets anytime, anywhere. It streamlines collaboration among marketing teams and stakeholders, automates repetitive tasks, and creates visibility for better work and outcomes. The best DAM platform also offers workflows and AI-enhanced features to make it easier to find, create, and manage digital files throughout the content lifecycle.
Lower risk
Sharing files in the cloud improves security through encryption and role-based permissions control. This prevents the release of sensitive information for even the highest-security industries, such as healthcare and HR. DAM also prevents the usage of unauthorized or geographically restricted files through digital rights management (DRM) support.
Reduced IT burden
Running an on-premise solution for DAM is resource-intensive. This includes the IT staff resources needed to set up, troubleshoot, and maintain physical servers. The cloud storage and functionality of a cloud-based solution take this burden off their shoulders to free up time for more valuable activities.
Learn more about how Aprimo helps you find, build, and deliver content faster with this demo:
Features to look for in cloud digital asset management software
Modern digital asset management tools offer wide-ranging features to streamline and organize your content operations. The best DAMs offer many of these features in one place. As a platform recognized with the 2022 Forrester Wave for DAM customer experience, Aprimo offers the latest features to make producing and distributing content easier.
Format-agnostic storage: The right DAM provides access to all file types such as images, videos, audio files, text, and other digital media. This total access provides more opportunities for creative teams to find, create, and repurpose the best content in your library. It creates a single source of truth for your total digital asset portfolio.
Advanced searchability: Robust organization and metadata features increase your ability to find and optimize your available digital content. This delivers better ROI on your content investment.
Ease of use: Look for a platform with a stable, intuitive user interface. Advanced features such as AI-assisted search, suggested searches, content thumbnails, and in-document searching make finding and using your content easier.
Customization: Search for a platform that provides flexibility for individual business processes. Monolithic platforms may deliver features but limit customization that improves user experience and outcomes. With a stand-alone DAM, you have the power to create the ecosystem that best suits your needs.
Integrations: DAM is one component of a larger business ecosystem of apps and services. Ensure your platform integrates easily with existing systems in your tech stack, such as ERP or CRM solutions, for greater efficiency across the organization. This reduces data siloes and ensures everyone is working with the same information.
Seamless collaboration: Marketing campaigns rely on large teams to deliver an omnichannel experience. With so many moving parts in a campaign, communication is essential to a smooth process. Look for a solution that provides communication and collaboration features in-platform with cloud storage for instant access. Your chosen provider should also offer collaboration features such as file sharing and in-platform brand guidelines features to ensure brand compliance.
Advanced analytics support: Developing and shipping content is only half of the ROI equation. You must collect and analyze performance data to gain a full perspective on your marketing. A DAM with strong reporting capabilities and integrated analytics allows you to closely monitor campaign performance and enrich the profile of each digital asset.
Best digital asset management software
As a Forrester-recognized DAM provider, Aprimo provides the security and stability of an on-premise storage solution. It goes further, providing advanced features and sharability that allow teams across the world to deliver best-in-class campaigns that are consistent and compelling.
- Cutting-edge searchability and contextualization to ensure you can find and maximize every digital asset.
- Intuitive UI functionality with collaboration and sharing features that help everyone access the information and files needed to deliver results.
- Analytics tools to measure performance, refine individual asset profiles, and show the return on effort (ROE) from your campaigns.
If a more streamlined content operations experience is important to your organization, consider a free trial of Aprimo DAM.
