Before investing into a DAM Software, businesses must first take stock of the size of its current asset library, how it is growing, and how the business is using these digital assets. The second step would be to talk to respective teams to understand usage and time spent over managing these digital assets and to understand their workload. This will help in choosing a solution which is suitable for everyone.
Here are a few other considerations to take into account to help select the right DAM Software:
Cloud vs SaaS vs On Premise
A crucial factor the company needs to gauge is whether to go in for a DAM Software which is on cloud or on premises. Cloud deployment is becoming the go-to for medium-sized businesses. This is because it offers many benefits like a low start-up cost, rapid scaling, and software as a service (SaaS) business models that can be easily adopted and deployed by enterprises based on their operational needs.
An on-premise deployment is a viable option for companies who want more control of their digital assets. In this case, the digital assets are usually stored in a server that is owned by the company and managed by its IT team. This way the company owns the asset unlike renting them through cloud deployment. On-premise deployment has less security concerns and this way the IT team also gets to keep the technology solutions in-house as well.
Open Source vs Proprietary
While open-source software may indicate a code that can be readily downloaded, developed, or modified at no charge, some companies opt for a proprietary software model where they own the software and can control it. One of the benefits of going for an open-source DAM Software is that it is easier to use and cost-effective. It can also be developed in-house by developers who can customize it and add new functions.
Proprietary DAM Software in comparison can be costlier and difficult to change or develop. Open-source software also gets the benefits of the latest innovation updates at no extra cost, as many other industry developers are constantly working on it to make it better.
When choosing the right DAM Software, companies need to ensure that they work with a partner who has rich industry experience of having worked in their sector. It is crucial that the vendor ensures easy training, setting up and also offers assistance to keep the software running efficiently at its maximum capacity. One way to shortlist a vendor would be to ask them about their onboarding process and support capabilities in the long run.
Integration
The DAM Software should be capable of working with other technologies and tools, for the business to run smoothly. It is required for DAM software to integrate with common sales and marketing platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot and other applications like Microsoft Office, G Suite and other email marketing tools and e-commerce platforms.
Scalability
Most organizations have a high volume of digital assets and transactions and a diversity of media types and applications. The DAM Software needs to work across different functional areas, be scalable, and also work for team members who may be geographically distributed.
Challenges in Adopting Digital Asset Management Software
Total Cost of Ownership
The cost of purchase, implementation, and maintenance can be a deterrent in DAM adoption. Companies have to apportion this cost in their annual budget to be able to sustain the usage. They must also take into account additional costs like replacing, installation, training team members, and other overheads that may have a direct impact on the feasibility for a company.
Industry-Specific Metadata Requirements
As DAM Software uses metadata to store and access files, it is vital that your industry’s metadata requirements conform and integrate with the software. Companies should choose a vendor who can help with metadata usage and platform effectiveness that will finally help in identifying an asset, enriching, storing, and organizing it according to the framework that you want to create, automatically.
Integration
If the company owns several proprietary or legacy applications and if that needs integration with DAM, it can pose a challenge for adoption. Custom integration would be expensive and time-consuming and these can be a deterrent.