Streamlining eCommerce Operations with Cloud Digital Asset Management
- Cloud-based DAM solutions are essential for eCommerce businesses to manage their digital assets efficiently and securely.
- These solutions provide easy access to assets from anywhere and enable collaboration and sharing functionalities.
- When choosing a cloud-based DAM solution, businesses should prioritize user requirements and security features.
In this Article
Most businesses have to deal with digital assets at some point – this is part of daily business activity for all online businesses. Part of the information that needs managing includes digital assets. Hence, there is a need for a digital asset management cloud.
A typical eCommerce business has many digital assets to create, store, and manage. It means they have thousands of JPEGs, MP4s, and MP3s to manage, which they do with the help of digital asset management (DAM) solutions. Many older versions of DAMs are built as on-premise solutions. However, businesses can run into trouble with this, as on-premise DAM solutions do not solve issues like storage and security of digital assets, which forces businesses to opt for off-location DAM solutions, often called digital asset management cloud solutions. This article examines these solutions and discusses how they can streamline eCommerce operations.
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What is a Digital Asset Management Cloud?
Cloud-based DAM refers to a centralized digital asset management system for organizing and accessing media assets; this system is hosted on the cloud. The cloud refers to a network of remote servers that can be accessed over the Internet. In other words, a cloud-based DAM solution has all the characteristics of a regular DAM system, but instead of storing the media assets locally, they are stored on remote servers that businesses pay a subscription to access.
It is alright if you feel overwhelmed because we have just bombarded you with several concepts that may be challenging to grasp. So, let’s unpack them individually, starting with digital asset management.
Benefits of Digital Asset Management (DAM) Explained
A DAM solution is an approach to managing digital assets that combines software and a systemic technique to store, assemble, call up, and distribute an organization’s digital assets. With this technology, eCommerce businesses (or any other organization that uses digital assets to enrich product information) get a central hub to access digital assets. The digital asset could be any digital file under the ownership of the company or individual and has digital rights management along with metadata for easy retrieval. Examples include graphics, documents, images, animations, audio, presentations, and video.
DAM technology simplifies the management of digital files, as well as optimizing the production of rich media. In addition, it ensures that the brand remains consistent with automatic asset updates and guidelines. It also allows content to be repurposed, avoiding duplicate workstreams and reducing asset management costs.
Implementing a DAM solution involves several steps. First, the organization uses templates and standardized file formats to create digital files. Then, the organization uses metadata to identify the digital assets and index them by associating them with specific attributes, including technology used, type of media asset, and version. Next, workflows are set up, and version control is done to use the latest asset. Lastly, permissions are granted to protect the asset from theft, corruption, or erasure.
Now, Let's Explore the 'Cloud' Aspect of DAM
DAM solutions can be deployed in three primary topologies: on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid. As explained previously, the cloud-based solution is an online platform that allows organizations to access all the functionalities of a DAM solution without storing the Adobe creative assets and creative files on-premise digital asset management.
Digital asset management cloud solutions operate on the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. SaaS refers to an approach for delivering computing services (i.e., access to software applications over the internet on a subscription basis) such that organizations do not have to host or manage software or data within the business’s premises. This model allows companies to access modern digital assets through any internet-connected device that can run a browser. Additionally, in today’s smartphone-dominated world, organizations can access DAM solutions via mobile applications.
How Does Cloud-Based Digital Asset Management Work?
We noted earlier that cloud DAM solutions deliver all the functionalities of traditional DAM systems but with the added convenience of not maintaining on-premise digital servers. But how exactly does a cloud-based DAM operate?
Suppose Bloom, an online home décor and garden products business, has a vast inventory of products constantly being updated and added to the store. The company has a team of designers, photographers, and content creators who work together to produce high-quality images, videos, and other marketing material to showcase the various products on offer.
Bloom engages a vendor for DAM services. The vendor explains to Bloom’s executives that they offer cloud-based DAM services that may work better for the company. But how?
The vendor explains that the cloud-based system offers all the features you would expect of a DAM solution, such as providing a central hub for all of an organization’s digital assets. In addition, the vendor details that the cloud-based digital asset management tools offer exciting extras, including:
- Easy access to digital assets: Since the DAM system is hosted on remote servers, any authorized Bloom personnel or team member can quickly search and find the digital assets they need. More importantly, they can access the DAM system from anywhere, using any device, and download the assets they need with just a few clicks.
- Efficient collaboration: Bloom has several teams that must work together to deliver the best results for the business. In this regard, the vendor explains that the cloud-based system allows all teams to share files, leave comments, and track changes, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
- Consistent branding: Bloom can achieve consistency if all teams work in lockstep; for example, the photography team must know (in real-time) what image specifications the design team needs to take and upload relevant digital content for good brand management. Additionally, Bloom executives can create templates and guidelines and upload them to the cloud. Their team members can quickly access and follow them, ensuring that every asset meets the organization’s high standards.
- Faster time-to-market: The vendor reminds Bloom executives how their business exists in a space where the earlier you introduce a product, the more sales you make. Fortunately, the cloud-based DAM system is ideal for businesses that require to showcase new products as fast as possible. Specifically, the cloud DAM system enables Bloom to produce and distribute marketing content quickly. Alternatively, they can repurpose existing assets and create new content faster, reducing the time it takes to get products to market and elevating enterprise content management.
The Importance of Cloud Digital Asset Management Software in Today's eCommerce Landscape
Every business selling bulk products has a mountain of digital assets that must be stored and organized carefully for smooth operations. This means digital asset management cannot be done manually because it is a recipe for disaster – think about the inefficiencies that will crop up if assets are lost or manipulated during digital asset management. Businesses use DAM solutions to avoid the issues associated with manual product data management.
Most importantly, DAM systems enable users to enrich digital assets and optimize them for search engines and filtering. For example, Catsy DAM allows users to add meta tags to images for better findability within the digital asset management solution by Catsy and SEO on eCommerce PDPs. Because Catsy DAM & PIM are built on the same cloud platform, users are able to link assets directly to products (SKU numbers) so they can have a full product view before publishing to digital channels.
So, what exactly is the significance of digital asset management platforms in today’s business landscape?
First, the best DAM software allows businesses to create a centralized hub for all digital assets. The centralized rich data repository becomes the single point of truth for all media and other digital files. The centralization of digital asset management tools leads to significantly fewer chances of assets becoming lost or manipulated, generating an increased ROI for digital assets.
Secondly, DAM systems introduce efficiency. For several reasons, today’s eCommerce landscape is unforgiving to businesses that cannot provide the best customer experience. In the first place, many companies have found the right formula to make their customers happy, and secondly, customers are more aware of their tastes and preferences, making them highly sensitive to inefficiency. Therefore, the implementation of DAM solutions in businesses can quickly find and use a digital asset. The result is organizations can speed products to market and increase the number of digital assets used on PDPs, leading to more conversions.
Third, most DAM solutions (including Catsy) offer a feature called a brand portal. A brand portal is a component of DAM systems specifically designed to help organizations manage and share their brands’ assets with external and internal users. It is a self-service tool that gives the brand owner control over their assets, as well as allows them to deploy assets to a select group of users. Most importantly, because brand portals are built on top of DAM platforms, they extend the single source of truth, ensuring that the end users receive accurate and high-quality product information management and delivery. Moreover, the brand portals include user-friendly filtering and search tools to help users find the assets they need quickly. In other words, the DAM components can be used to improve brand consistency, speed up the time it takes to create and launch marketing campaigns, reduce the cost of managing brand assets, and increase brand awareness and engagement.
Top digital asset management also enhances collaboration and scalability. For example, we saw that the different Bloom teams could simultaneously use cloud DAM to work on their projects. We also learned that the photography team can create images that meet the specific requirements of the design team. Regarding scalability, organizations can quickly increase the number of digital assets under management without buying more storage facilities. Instead, they only need to pay for a subscription tier with a larger storage capacity.
Why Cloud-Based DAM Solutions Are Becoming More Popular
Digital asset management cloud solutions are gaining popularity in the enterprise sector due to their advanced features and flexibility. Unlike on-premises alternatives, cloud DAM systems offer seamless scalability, allowing organizations to easily adapt to changing management needs and efficiently manage large volumes of digital assets. Additionally, cloud-based solutions are hosted and managed by a service provider, eliminating the need for expensive infrastructure investment and maintenance. This not only reduces costs but also frees up valuable IT resources, allowing companies to focus on their core business activities. With the ability to access the cloud DAM and collaborate on assets anytime, anywhere, his cloud-based DAM solution enables organizations to streamline creative workflows, improve productivity, and foster collaboration among marketing team members regardless of geographic location. As a result, more and more businesses are recognizing the value and benefits of cloud-based solutions for effectively managing their digital assets. For context, let’s see how cloud DAM systems differ from on-premise alternatives.
How cloud digital asset management systems compare with on-premise solutions
For starters, both on-site and cloud-based DAM platforms provide a unified location for the storage and management of digital assets, with the hosting environment being the primary differentiator.
We explained earlier that cloud DAM systems rely on a network of servers located somewhere far away from the organization’s physical location (sometimes continents apart). These servers are owned and operated by specialists whose sole responsibility is to store, maintain, and secure cloud platform and the hosting environment. The specialists then sell access tokens to users across the globe; typically, the clients subscribe to a plan that provides preferred features and specifications.
On the contrary, an on-site DAM system is set up on the company’s premises – in a dedicated data center, in server rooms, or (for small businesses with no budget for heavy-duty equipment) on office computers. Instead of an ongoing subscription fee, companies acquire the operating license to set up a cloud DAM system from the software developer.
Despite the known advantages of cloud DAM tools, many companies hesitate to adopt them due to a lack of understanding, compliance concerns, or fear of ceding control over their digital files and documents.
The web-based DAM systems have progressed into advanced platforms that do more than just store digital assets. They incorporate user identity management and permission settings for security, feedback management for better customer experience, and workflow automation for efficiency. Generally, these solutions deliver more features at more affordable rates than on-site hosting. For this reason, the solutions are more popular.
Essential Components of Cloud DAM System
When assessing cloud DAM systems, it is crucial to consider several important aspects to guarantee that you choose the most suitable platform for your organization. The critical features to consider include the following:
- Unified storage: A cloud DAM solution must offer a single, consolidated storage space for saving, organizing, and handling all your digital assets. This storage should be user-friendly and easily searchable, with customizable folder organization and metadata tagging options.
- Enhanced search and filter capabilities: To promptly find specific assets, your DAM software should provide advanced search and filtering features, such as metadata search, asset category filters, and keyword search.
- Revision management: Digital assets are useless if you cannot version control them. Version control (or revision management) entails tracking asset updates and modifications. The DAM solution you select must automatically monitor changes and save previous asset versions, making it simple to revert to a prior version if required.
- User authorization and access management: The DAM solution must also enable you to control user access and permission levels for various marketing and creative team members and departments. This way, you can be sure that the platform is secure and that your digital assets cannot be illegally accessed, compromising the brand identity.
- Asset distribution and teamwork: Your DAM system should support effortless sharing and collaboration on digital assets within and outside the organization. This might include functionalities like sharing asset links, approving workflows, and sharing feedback through comments.
- Compatibility with eCommerce tools and platforms: For efficient eCommerce operations, your DAM software should seamlessly integrate with your existing eCommerce platforms and tools, such as CRM, CMS, and PIM systems. It is better if the DAM system has pre-built connections to a PIM platform.
- Adaptability and scalability: This is critical for small businesses with plenty of space for expansion. As the daily operations and product catalog grow, the DAM solution scales proportionately. It should have storage options that are flexible and supplementary features when necessary.
The Benefits of Cloud DAM Software to Streamline Ecommerce Workflows
By now, you should know about the benefits organizations obtain from cloud DAM systems. But you do not have to worry if these advantages have not crystallized in your mind because, in this section, we will explore the main benefits of cloud-based digital asset management solutions.
Cost savings
The solutions are typically more cost-effective than on-premise solutions since you don’t have to purchase and maintain expensive hardware and software. You also don’t have to worry about upgrades and maintenance, as the provider takes care of these.
Scalability
The best digital asset management cloud solutions are highly scalable, meaning you can easily add or remove users and storage space as your business needs change. This makes it easy to accommodate growth without investing in additional hardware or software.
Accessibility
Since cloud DAM systems are accessible from anywhere, you can easily share your assets with remote teams or external partners. This makes it easy to collaborate on projects and ensures everyone has access to the latest assets.
Collaboration
These solutions make it easy for teams to collaborate on projects since everyone can access the same assets. This ensures that everyone is working with the latest versions of assets and reduces the risk of errors or inconsistencies.
Security
Most importantly, the solutions typically offer robust security features to protect your assets from unauthorized access or theft. This includes features like encryption, access controls, and backups.
Choosing the Right Cloud-Based Digital Asset Management Solution
So, you have absorbed as much information as possible about cloud DAM solutions and feel confident enough to go into the market and engage a vendor but hold up! There is still plenty you should learn before making the right choice. For example, you should consider the following factors:
Your budget: DAM systems are not cheap, so you must be sure about your ability to pay for the subscription from the onset. A subscription model means you’ll pay a monthly or annual fee for access to the platform. Pricing can vary widely, so comparing different providers and their plans is essential to find a solution that fits your budget. While at it, you should consider the following when assessing the cost of a cloud DAM solution:
- Subscription fees
- Additional costs for storage and bandwidth
- Potential fees for add-on features or customizations
- Training and support costs
Your storage and bandwidth needs: You should also consider your organization’s storage and bandwidth needs. Most cloud DAM solutions typically offer various storage plans to accommodate different requirements. Therefore, it’s essential to estimate the amount of asset storage your organization needs, both currently and in the future, to avoid running out of space or incurring additional costs for exceeding your plan’s limits. Similarly, be mindful of your bandwidth needs. Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred between your organization’s users and the cloud-based DAM platform. Ensure that your selected DAM provides enough bandwidth to support your users’ activities without causing slow upload and download times.
Your security requirements: Security should be a top priority when selecting a cloud-based DAM solution. Your organization’s digital assets may include sensitive information or valuable intellectual property, so protecting them from unauthorized access and potential data breaches is crucial. Some key security features to look for in a DAM solution include:
- Data encryption, both in transit and at rest
- Secure user authentication methods
- Access controls and permissions
- Regular security updates and patches
- Compliance with industry-specific regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA
Your integration needs: A well-integrated DAM solution connects with your organization’s existing tools and applications, enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows. Even better, some DAM systems are integral parts of a PIM solution, giving users access to more functionalities in one place. So, before choosing a DAM solution, evaluate your current software ecosystem and identify any key integrations you’d like to have. Some popular integrations to consider include:
- Content management systems (CMS)
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Project management tools
- Marketing automation platforms
- Social media management tools
- Most importantly, ensure that your chosen DAM solution either offers native integrations with your critical tools or supports custom integrations through APIs or other means.
Your user requirements: Lastly, consider the needs of your end-users, who will be interacting with the DAM platform daily. A user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation are crucial for ensuring user adoption and maximizing the value of your investment. Some features to consider when assessing user requirements include:
- Ease of use and user interface design
- Customization options to tailor the platform to your organization’s needs
- Collaboration and sharing functionalities
- Mobile accessibility for users on-the-go
- Training and support resources, such as documentation, tutorials, and customer support
Final Thoughts on Why Use DAM Cloud
Digital asset management (DAM) solutions are essential for eCommerce businesses to manage their thousands of digital assets, such as JPEGs, MP4s, and MP3s. However, it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to guarantee the safety, security, and effectiveness of DAM systems hosted in the cloud on-premise. As such, businesses often opt for cloud-based DAM solutions. These solutions can streamline eCommerce operations by providing easy access to digital assets from anywhere and enabling collaboration and sharing functionalities. But when choosing the preferred cloud DAM solution, businesses should consider user requirements such as ease of use, customization options, mobile accessibility, and training and support resources. They should also prioritize security features to protect their valuable digital assets.
One cloud-based DAM solution that checks all the boxes is Catsy. Catsy offers a comprehensive and user-friendly platform that empowers eCommerce businesses to efficiently organize, store, and distribute their digital assets. With Catsy, you can easily customize the system to align with your specific business needs and branding guidelines. Its intuitive interface ensures ease of use for all team members, and its mobile accessibility allows for seamless asset management on the go. Catsy also places a strong emphasis on security, employing robust measures to safeguard your valuable digital assets. If you’re looking for a reliable and feature-rich cloud DAM solution, we invite you to schedule a demo with Catsy to see how it can transform your eCommerce operations and streamline your asset management workflow.
Cloud-based digital asset management is a solution that allows businesses to store, organize, and manage their digital assets (such as images, videos, and audio files) in a secure cloud environment. This enables easy access to assets from anywhere and provides collaboration and sharing functionalities.
Cloud-based DAM solutions can streamline eCommerce operations by providing easy access to digital assets from anywhere, enabling collaboration and sharing functionalities, and improving overall efficiency. They also offer cost savings by eliminating the need for on-premise storage infrastructure.
Businesses should choose a reputable cloud-based DAM provider that offers robust security features such as encryption, access controls, and regular backups. They should also implement best practices such as strong passwords and user authentication protocols.
Businesses should consider user requirements such as ease of use, customization options, mobile accessibility, and training and support resources. They should also prioritize security features to protect their valuable digital assets.
Yes! Cloud-based DAM solutions are scalable and can be tailored to meet the needs of small eCommerce businesses as well as large enterprises. They offer cost savings by eliminating the need for on-premise storage infrastructure and provide easy access to digital assets from anywhere.
