Seventy percent of digital content ends up being recreated instead of repurposed , according to Forrester Research as stated in a 2003 EDS report on digital asset management. iView Multimedia research into the needs of digital photographers has revealed that half of digital photographers (51 per cent) feel that file management presents the greatest challenge of digital photography.
A digital asset management (DAM) system is a software application that creates a centralized repository for digital files. By utilizing a set of coordinated technologies and procedures, DAM systems enable the efficient import, storage, search, retrieval, and reuse of digital files.
Also known as media asset management and digital asset warehousing, effective DAM is essential for contemporary creative professionals, such as digital photographers, and anyone using multiple formats or housing large libraries of media files. Examples of such files include: photos, graphics, MP3s, audio, video and font files that have a potential future value or use.
Research conducted in 2001 byconsulting firm Frost & Sullivan and market researcher Gistics Inc. indicates that at work, people search for files 2,500 times a year and fail to find files an average of 35 percent of the time. The same research also revealed that people who work with media files spend an average of 2.9 hours per week just managing those files.
DAM systems should empower the user to search, retrieve, modify and quickly redistribute assets. In exactly the same way that a traditional database provides an efficient, structured repository to manage business critical data, a DAM repository should provide an efficient, structured repository for managing rich media.
Within an asset management system digital files are tagged or annotated with metadata that can include information about the file source, format type, rights, permissions and usage history. Thus, DAM systems like MediaPro from iView Multimedia have the potential to significantly reduce the number of failed attempts to find files by exploiting the metadata associated with each file.
DAM systems are integral to efficient workflow management. An effective DAM system should allow users to define their own workflows, not dictate a pre-determined system. DAM systems should seamlessly integrate into a workflow by allowing the user to capture, annotate, organize, search, repurpose, edit and present digital files in the manner that best suits that user’s needs.
Effective digital asset management can save creative professionals time, energy and money that might be otherwise wasted in searching for or recreating the same or similar content. The ability to quickly access existing work facilitates the reuse of valuable creative assets from previous projects .
As digital photographers are increasingly expected to manage many of the processes previously handled by photography labs including developing, retouching and color management, they require a comprehensive and efficient workflow to deliver projects on time. A survey of professional digital photographers conducted by iView Multimedia revealed that workflow management was a pressing concern of 20 percent of digital photographers.
Cross-platform DAM applications, such as iView Multimedia’s award-winning MediaPro, ease the digital learning curve for professional photographers, so their creative visions can be realized. By enabling creative professionals to locate, capture, organize, annotate, search, retrieve and present digital files quickly and easily, an effective DAM system becomes an integral part of the creative process.
Once creative professionals adopt a DAM solution like MediaPro, they often do not understand how they managed without it.
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Notes to Editors
About iView Multimedia Ltd.
iView Multimedia is a software development and publishing company based in London, UK. Its flagship product, iView MediaPro, is the leading digital asset cataloging solution for creative professionals who need to streamline their processes, shorten time to market, and eliminate costs from the production cycle. iView MediaPro locates, captures, organizes, annotates, searches, retrieves and presents digital content, quickly and easily. The software integrates seamlessly into the creative professional’s established workflow.
Since its first product release in 1996, iView has attracted a reputation for market-leading innovations in the digital media management market. It continues to enhance this reputation, and its products are widely recognized as best-of-breed. More information is available at http://www.iview-multimedia.com.
Statistical Sources
Symantec
http://www.symantec.co.jp/smallbiz/library/d_mng.html
Frost & Sullivan
Digital Media Management Systems Markets, 07/2001
Keys to Achieving Digital Asset Management Return on Investment, 03/2003
