Digital Asset Management Systems

Customarily, the low end digital cameras simply store as much data as possible on the data card in the camera and the files have some kind of numeric numbering scheme. The main problem is that the user has to constantly engage in "sneaker net," which mean manually going back and forth between the digital camera and data card with its limited storage capacity and transferring the file to a computer hard drive. It doesn't take long before the user can find themselves with a jumble of digital photos that are difficult to sort through and view. Good digital asset management software that provides a technology solution to this situation is one way of overcoming this challenge.

Some of today's computer operating systems come with at least one solution for digital asset management built right into the system, such as the iPhoto program that comes with Macintosh computers. In addition, there are third-party software asset management programs that are available for all of the major operating systems, including Macs, Windows, and Linux.

However, companies that have a great deal of the total assets of their company in the form of electronic image files need digital asset management software that is considerably more robust than the technology solution software that is designed for personal usage. Advertising agencies, professional photographers, photography studios, publishers, online retailers and many other types of businesses increasingly find that adequate electronic asset management systems can make a huge difference in their profitability.

Much of the issue of profitability, when it comes to properly handling a large number of digital files in a company, comes down to simply being able to find the right file in a timely manner. Employees who need to access the files to collaborate, store, edit, distribute, and archive must have the asset management knowledge to be able to quickly and easily find the needed files in order to work with them as needed.

Having a good digital management system starts with the creation of a standardized naming and filing scheme so that everyone in the organization knows clearly how a new digital media asset should be named and filed. When this is done from the start there is a great deal less confusion and potential for lost files or for a great deal of time lost in tracking down the electronic data files.

A key element of quality digital asset management is that it will adequately protect the current assets that a company has, in terms of their digital files and will automatically back up the files. A comprehensive software asset management system will make use of off-site hardware and high-speed internet connections to transfer electronic backup files consistently and automatically so that if there is any problem with the hardware on-site, there will be very little downtime or workflow disruption.