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A DAMn good solution to rule your company digital assets

February 14, 2023 / 7 min read

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Are you looking for the best solution to manage and promote your digital content? There are many DAM platforms out there, but how can you choose the best one for your company? We’d like to streamline this decision for you, which is why we’ve made a comparison of five popular DAM platforms: Bynder, Brandfolder, Widen, Digizuite and Cloudinary.

Are you looking for the best DAM solution for your business?

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What is a digital asset?

A digital asset is anything in digital form that can be used for the web, presentation or other marketing projects. The term digital asset includes various types of files, from photo, video and audio, to archives and documents such as slides, or spreadsheets.

What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)?

The aim of Digital Asset Management is to provide centralized solutions to manage and distribute digital content. A DAM system allows users to easily search, access, and share digital assets across an organization, making it a crucial component in the digital workflow of many companies.

Digital Asset Management Lifecycle Digital Asset Management Lifecycle. Source: activo-consulting.com/en/solutions/dam-expert

What business problems can DAM solve?

Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems can solve several business problems related to the management and distribution of digital assets. Some of the main business problems that DAM can help solve include the following:

  • Inefficient asset management
    Without a centralized system for managing digital assets, it can be difficult for teams to locate and access the files they need, leading to wasted time and resources. DAM provides a single, searchable repository for all digital assets, making it easy for teams to find and access the files they need.

  • Lack of control over digital assets
    You need proper management and organisation to track and control the usage of digital assets in your company. DAM systems include features such as metadata management, version control, and access rights management that help ensure that assets are used appropriately and legally.

  • Difficulty in collaborating and sharing assets
    A centralized system for sharing assets enables your team to collaborate and share files effectively. DAM systems allow teams to easily share assets and collaborate on projects, improving workflows and reducing the time it takes to complete tasks.

  • Difficulty in tracking the performance of assets
    Without proper tracking, it can be difficult to know how assets are being used and what the return on investment is for those assets. DAM systems often include analytics and reporting features that allow teams to track asset performance and make data-driven decisions.

  • Difficulty in scaling and handling large numbers of assets
    As the number of assets grows, it may become difficult to manage and organise them. A DAM system can handle and scale a large number of assets, making it easy to search, access and share them.

Overall, a DAM system can help businesses improve the management, distribution and tracking of their digital assets, leading to increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved collaboration.

DAM features

A DAM system typically includes features such as metadata management, version control, and integration with other systems, such as content management and creative software. They are optimized on speed asset delivery across the globe. The most advanced DAMs offer features far beyond basic digital asset management functionality. They provide content editing and extended workflows that make editing collaborative assets easier than ever.

DAM vs cloud-hosted file storage

Digital Asset Management (DAM) and cloud-based storage are both used to store and manage digital files, but they serve different purposes and have distinct features.

Cloud-based storage is a way to store digital files on remote servers accessed over the internet. It is primarily used for data backup and file sharing. Some popular cloud storage providers include Dropbox, Google Drive, Azure Storage Service and Amazon S3.

DAM, on the other hand, is a specialized system for managing digital assets such as images, videos, audio files, and documents. It provides a centralized repository for storing and organizing digital files and allows for easy search, access, and sharing of assets. DAM systems often include additional features such as metadata management, version control, and integration with other systems like content management and creative software.

While cloud-based storage is primarily used for data backup and file sharing, DAM is used to manage digital assets throughout their entire lifecycle, from creation to retirement. It also includes features like search, metadata, and access right management that make it easier for users to find and work with the files they need.

In summary, cloud storage is a place to store files, while DAM is a system for managing, organizing and sharing digital assets.

DAM comparison table

Below is a detailed features comparison of six DAM solutions available on the market. We hope it will help you select the best solution for your organization.

4 3 5 1 2
HOSTING AND LICENSING
On-premises
Cloud-based
Hybrid
SEARCH FUNCTIONALITIES
Filter by metadata
Search by keywords
Duplicate finder
✓✗

while uploading

✓✗

while uploading

✓✗

while uploading

(beta)

Search by picture color

(premium feature)

Search for word, or phrase
In-document search
Search in recently added files / by date
Search by category
Multilingual search
METADATA SUPPORT
Adding metadata manually
Automatic metadata ingestion
SUPPORTED FILE TYPES
Image file formatsbmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, png, tiffbmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff, heicbmp, dng, eps, gif, heic, heif, jpg, jpeg, psb, psd, png, svg, tif, tiff, webPDigizuite™ natively supports all commonly used formats for imageavif, gif, png, webp, bmp, bw, flif, heif, heic, ico, jpg, jpe, jpeg, wdp, jxr, hdp,tga, tif, tiff
Camera RAWcr2, crw, raw, k25, kdc, dcr, mrw, mef, mos, arw, pcn, pxn, nef, sr2, pef, srf, orf, dngcr2, cw, dcr, erf, k25, kdc, m4v, mef, mrv, nef, nrw, orf, rw2, sr2, srf, x3fcr, cr2, cr3, mos, dcr, nef, arw, raw, crw, raf, k25, kdc, mrw, pxn, mef, orf, pef, s42, srfDigizuite™ natively supports all commonly used formats for imageNatively supports common used formats
Audio/videoavi, mp3, swf, mpg, mpeg, m2v, wav, m4v, mp4, wmv, mov, wmaavi, mp4, mpg, mpeg, m2v, m4v, mp4. mov, wmvaac, aiff, mp4, m4a, mp3, mov, ram, wav, wmaDigizuite™ natively supports all commonly used formats for audio/video3g2, 3gp, avi, flv, m3u8, ts, m2ts, mts, mov, mkv, mp4, mpeg, mpd, mxf, ogv, webm, wmv
Documentsppt, pptx, doc, docx, xlx, xlxs, eps, ai, indd, qxd, psd, pdfdocx, xlsx, ppts, odt, odp, ods, ai, svg, psd, pdfxls, xlsx, ai, indd, key, pdf, ppt, pptm, pptx, qxd, qxp, doc, docxxls, xlsx, xlsm, csv, doc, docx, ppt, pptxAi, psd, pdf, indd, eps
Texttxt, htmltxt, htmltxt, htmltxt, htmltxt, html
Compressionsit, sitx, zip, rar-zip, sit, sitxDigizuite™ supports most of commonly used compressionszip, rar, tagz (only in paid plans)
IMAGE AND VIDEO MANIPULATION
Resize & crop

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

Format conversion

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

Flip & rotate

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

Change color space

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

Bulk edit

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

resize and convert assets

Watermark

with the "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

ASSET ORGANISATION
Folder structure
Categories
Tags/keywords
Grouped media collections
Embeddable collections
UPLOAD AND IMPORT
Multiple files upload
Drag and drop upload
Setting upload quota

500 GB by default

Paid plans have upload limit of 20 MB per image or RAW file and 2 GB for videos

Guest upload
FILE SHARING AND WEB PUBLISHING
Embedded code for website

widget

Social media sharing
✓✗

profile picture

Create and share files collection

widget

Instant download link
Public collections with gallery view

widget

CDN
WORKFLOWS
Workflow Management (approvals, asset lifecycle)

with the "Scaling your content operations" package

BRAND CONSISTENCY
Own branding
USER ACCESS CONTROL
Secure login
User profiles
Access control
SSO

any SAML 2.0

any SAML 2.0

Azure SSO / any SAML 2.0

any SAML 2.0

INTEGRATIONS
CMSSanity via plugin, Contentful – only possible with "Integrated digital ecosystem" packageContentfulOptimizelyOptimizely, UmbracoContentful, Sanity
E-commerceShopify, Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud - only possible with "Integrated digital ecosystem" packageShopifySalesforce, ShopifySalesforce, ShopifySalesforce, Shopify
Other importantInriver, Hubspot, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Office 365Salesforce Marketing CloudOffice 365, Salesforce Marketing CloudPower BI, inriver, Hubspot, Office 365Salesforce Marketing Cloud
OTHER FEATURES
API

with "Integrated digital ecosystem" package

Access from mobile devices

(mobile app)

(web)

(mobile app)

(mobile app)

(web)

Desktop integration options
✓✗

Brandfolder Office plug-in

PricingThree plans: Digital Asset Managment (DAM), DAM + Scaling your content operations, DAM + Integrated digital ecosystem. Prices are calculated individually.Two plans: Premium and Enterprise. Prices are calculated individually.Three plans: Workgroup DAM, Workgroup DAM and PIM, And Enterprise DAM. Prices are calculated individually.Prices are calculated individually. No plans available on the website.Four plans. Free ($0), Plus ($89 per month), Advanced ($224 per month), Enterprise calculated individually.
Websitebynder.combrandfolder.comwiden.comdigizuite.comcloudinary.com
Support24/7 support in all plans/packagesLive chat (M-F, 8:30am-5:00pm MST), Help Center, e-mailVia Widen Connect, via telephone, email or live chat to the Widen Support Team between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., CST/CDT (UTC-6h/UTC-5h), Monday through Friday (excluding US national holidays). Customer may also notify Widen during off hours via emailvia Service Desk customer service, emailCommunity Forum, submitting a request via web form, Help Center


That’s it! We hope that you found the above information useful and that it helps you to understand different DAMs better. Hopefully, it will help you decide which DAM to use. If you have any questions or if you would like to consult with us on the topic of DAMs, you can reach us at: post.uk@noaignite.com.

And if you want to know more about DAMs, take a look at this article on our blog: DAM with Optimizely CMS – get more value from your digital content

People discussing. The photo focuses on the laptops and a cup of coffee.

Book a free consultation!

Are you looking for help in managing and promoting your digital content? Our team will help you select and optimize a solution that’s tailored to your company’s needs.

Author

Paweł Strąg, Technology Advisor at NoA Ignite Poland

Paweł Strąg

Chief Technology Officer

The last 4 years of Pawel’s 18-year IT career has been spent exclusively on cloud platforms. He has a proven track record of delivering effective solutions for large enterprises and is currently involved in developing a highly-accurate cloud computing platform supporting wind energy calculations for wind turbines.

+48 601 096 200

pawel.stragxyz@noaignite.com

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