The key functions of DAM to assist with marketing operations
A digital asset management or DAM system serves three basic user groups within marketing operations.
USER GROUPS AND FUNCTIONS OF DAM
A digital asset management or DAM system serves three basic user groups within marketing operations.
THREE GROUPS OF USERS
The three general groups of users served by a repository of digital assets become a vital point in selecting the right solution.
Each user group (and often unique types of users within a group) will require customised user interfaces.
Not all DAM systems enable or support the high degree of customisation that global marketing operations require.
This requirement will become critical when provisioning DAM and related media services to non-technical users within a large organisation, international offices, and suppliers throughout a marketing supply chain.
CRITICAL GLOBAL BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS
GISTICS’ research of global marketing operations has identified the following selection criteria as essential:
• User interface: Optimisations for simple content consumers who need simplified access with a web browser or mobile app. Content users who need deeper access to the repository and advanced search functions. Content creators who need to integrate their desktop tools and cloud services to the DAM system. This would include several external contractors and agencies.
• Multilingual: Support for major languages common to Europe and Asia.
• Multimodal search: Simple and advanced mode including searches within search results (also known as drill-down search) and dynamically updated collections (everything related to a brand or market region, categorised in a collection).
Rights management: Full protection for multiparty copyrights and trademarks, especially important if a firm licenses rights protected imagery (versus royalty free content), video, or music. Moreover, reuse of film, video, and music often entails a country . by-country clearance and royalty payment scheme.
USERS OUTSIDE CORPORATE SECURITY PROVISIONS
A repository of digital assets often serves hundreds or thousands of users outside the security perimeter and firewalls of corporate IT operations.
Thus, security and identity management become another vital point in selecting the right solution. Often, end-user organisations find that an externally managed service represents the most secure, bulletproof DAM system.
As a matter of meeting market requirements, most on-demand or SaaS DAM solution providers exceed all corporate IT criteria for security and identity management for commercial clients in regulated industries; some DAM solution providers meet the most stringent requirements of Department of Defence and super-secure military operations.