Digital Asset Management
Definition
The term Digital Asset Management (DAM) comes from the field of content management and can refer both to the process of organizing, managing and archiving digital content and to a software application used to store and manage digital content such as images, videos, documents, graphics, audio files, etc.
Digital Asset Management as a process
Digital asset management as a process aims to create a central media library for all digital content that is easily accessible and easily searchable. Using a centralized platform ensures that all users can access the right content. Above all, this improves the user experience when interacting with digital content. DAM offers many benefits for businesses of all sizes, as it increases productivity and offers cost-saving potential. Managing digital assets becomes easier and more efficient, resulting in a higher ROI. In addition, a DAM process ensures the quality and timeliness of content that is communicated to customers, partners, and other need holders.
Digital Asset Management software
With Digital Asset Management software, companies can better organize and manage their digital content. The software provides a central platform where all digital content is securely stored. In addition, users can search the media library according to specific criteria and thus find content easily. The DAM system offers functions for tagging, converting and distributing digital content. This allows users to add metadata to uploaded files, as well as download images and videos in other formats and share content as needed. Similarly, organizations can use the software to create automated workflows to streamline the digital asset management process. Successful DAM requires that it be tightly integrated into the existing enterprise architecture and that the requirements of all relevant stakeholders be addressed.
As a central media hub, a DAM system can supply all peripheral systems (such as online stores, PIM systems, catalog creation, etc.) with the right content at the right time.
A DAM system makes it possible to maintain multiple versions of media content, define permissions and validity of content with pinpoint accuracy, and control the release of digital assets precisely and easily.
Related terms
Other terms such as media asset management (MAM) and video asset management (VAM) also belong to the content management category and are related to DAM. The originally used term «image database» is now only used by stock photo providers.