Whether it’s images, videos or just important documents, digital assets are used by companies of all shapes and sizes. But they don’t just exist in a constant, unchanging state. Instead, they go through a number of steps from their conception to their eventual archiving.
Read on as we look at the steps of the digital asset lifecycle and how digital asset management (DAM) software can make each step easier.
As with most things in life, the first step for digital assets is creation. This can often be a lengthy process in itself, with the need for each digital asset to reflect the identity and values of your brand. Storing brand guidelines or how-to guides in a central repository is one way that a DAM system can streamline this step.
Next, it’s on to management. This means organising your assets to keep them manageable. On a standard computer or cloud storage solution, you’d need to separate them into the right folders and give each asset a relevant file name. However, DAM software goes one further, allowing you to use sophisticated metadata to organise files using a vast array of criteria.
What use are digital assets if people can’t use them? Distribution refers to the sharing or delivery of digital assets to members of your team or customers. DAM systems make this seamless, with innovative access control giving team members access to the specific assets they require. You can even make your assets instantly available to customers with a public-facing system, whether that’s free or requiring payment.
Following on from the initial distribution, some team members or customers may want to search for specific digital assets. Because it uses advanced metadata, a DAM system makes this step much easier. Searching by dates, file types or even geo-tagged locations, users can find the exact asset they’re looking for in an instant.
Finally, there’s archiving. This may refer to assets you no longer use or simply those which you want to store away until they’re needed. A cloud-hosted DAM system provides plenty of space for both, with no need to invest in new servers should you need more storage.
It also makes it easy to delete assets if you’re certain you won’t need them again – and provides a secure environment for those you want to keep.
A feature-rich DAM system can save you time, effort and money, throughout each step of the digital asset lifecycle – from easier creation to quicker retrieval. If you’d like to find out more about how it all works, feel free to contact the team at iBase.
Alternatively, if you want to try it out for yourself, set up an Express account and put our DAM software to the test.
