1 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
©
2018 All Rights Reserved
Digital Asset
Management (DAM):
What to Know
Before You Go
By John Horodyski,
Partner, Optimity Advisors -
a Global Innovation Consultancy

2 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
There may be many good reasons to implement a
DAM system within your organization; not the least of
which is identifying, centralizing, and making accessible
valuable assets for use and reuse within an organization.
And while that is a worthy and most formidable goal to
assume, there must be an opportunity to stand back
and ensure the problems are being solved with this
DAM solution. Knowing your problem to solve will be
your greatest starting point on your DAM journey, and
from there more questions may then be formed. First
and foremost, the problem of who is your audience
and what are their problems to be solved is paramount
to success. Take the time to understand the usage
scenarios; who will be using the DAM and what
procedures / output do they need?
A fully integrated DAM can be much more. It’s a critical
component of your martech ecosystem. It enables
you to present a consistent brand to the world. Your
DAM encourages the use of assets along new, often
consumer-defined channels and content lifecycles while
protecting critical content where needed.
DAM is not a project, a temporary assignment to IT or
Marketing whereby temporary resources and monies
are assigned to try and fix something. DAM is much
more than this. It’s an operational asset to be financed,
resourced and managed like any other critical product
and/or service found in an organization.
What are your digital assets?
• Content analysis, rights, standards
• Images, graphics, videos, 3D models, text, etc.
•
Similar, but different and all deserving specific
attention
Do you really know what you have? This is not necessarily
a “leave no rock unturned” siege upon the organization,
but if you are to invest time in this, then look far and wide
for assets, for they may well reside in both familiar and
unfamiliar places. Shared folders, desktops, external
drives are the usual suspects. This is a perfect opportunity
to reach out to your users and/or customers and ask
them what assets they have and better yet, where those
assets are. And ask your users where the assets are
going and how they are to be used.
Digital asset management (DAM) is experiencing a
transformation. It’s no longer just a tool to organize,
share and store your digital assets. It’s the core of the
content ecosystem and the MarTech stack in which
your content is identified, accessed, repurposed and
distributed in order to deliver your organization’s growth
potential.
The decision to implement a Digital Asset Management
(DAM) system is a positive step in the right direction to
gaining operational and intellectual control of your digital
assets and is not one to be taken lightly. It brings with it
great responsibility as to how the organization’s assets
will be efficiently and effectively managed in its daily
operations.
It’s time to realize the full power of DAM. Is your
organization ready? Ask and answer these questions.
2 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go

3 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
Knowing what those assets are and how many you have
(and will be creating on a regular basis) will help determine
what type of DAM implementation you’ll need. This may
be as small as a single installation with a few users or an
enterprise level solution with many things to do. (Hint: The
more integrated your DAM, the more powerful it can be for
your business.)
In addition, knowing more about your assets will ultimately
help you in your preliminary discussions with your software
vendor(s). In most situations, the DAM vendors will be able
to do what you want your DAM solution to do, but there are
situations where you may have unique assets such as 3D
models and their associated information that may not be
as easy for your DAM vendor to solve. This may well need
customization work which is both timely and costly. Yet, that
needs to be at the back of your mind at all times. Working
with a good DAM vendor will make this process all the more
profitable for you. Engage and build a strong relationship
with your DAM vendor during the “courting” stage, for it’ll be
one of your greatest advantages going forward.
What is your metadata model(s)?
• How do you identify and define your assets?
• Are you able to achieve the “sweet sixteen”?
• How important is search to you?
Do you know what assets you have and how to identify,
organize and describe them? This is not an exercise to be
rushed, as this is critical to the entire DAM operation. If you
get this part wrong, then the entire DAM is damned!
Specifically, metadata will be your greatest “asset.” It’ll
provide the structure and information needed to make
your assets more meaningful and not just assets. When
metadata is present, your assets become “smart” assets
— meaningful and valuable. Time and time again people
feel the need, and rightfully so, to describe their assets
in multiple ways from the perspective of multiple users.
More often than not these exercises can lead to well over
50–75 metadata fields where assets may be described. In
some circumstances, this number might rise north of 100,
well beyond reach of control and in a state of information
overload.
Your goal is to have a manageable set of fields upon which
you are able to discern the most critical elements of your
assets to be described in terms of administrative, descriptive
and technical metadata. There is no “magic number”
because every organization is different, but the number you
may wish to aspire to is the “sweet sixteen” — the sixteen
elements that you need to identify, organize and describe
your assets and, ultimately, let your users search against.

4 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
What is your taxonomy?
• The better question is “Do you know what this is?”
• How are your assets organized?
• Why do I need one and can the DAM help me with that?
Indeed, if this word strikes imagery of various alpine and
bucolic animals stuffed in their most glorious of poses, then
this is a good time to use the dictionary and figure this out.
Better yet, hire a librarian or archivist to help you out.
Now that you have identified your assets and have a
metadata model of manageable means, it’s time to consider
how this will be organized within the DAM both from a
back-end perspective as well as the front end. Out of the
box, DAM systems have existing functionality for the visual
display of information for the user — the “how” part of DAM.
How do users search for these DAM assets? This could be
through a variety and a combination of means:
• A faceted classification system
• Well-defined folder browsing
•
Perhaps a structured vocabulary from the corporate
system feeding the DAM
Think of your users and think of how they’ll want to play
with the DAM and search for assets. There may well not be
a simple one-size-fits-all solution and may involve different
views depending upon your users.
DAM new or DAM replacement?
• Migration requirements
• Change management
Is your new DAM to replace an existing system? Or is it
a new DAM altogether?
Either way, these “what if” scenarios are worthy of attention
for understanding how to implement a successful DAM.
As previously mentioned, this is not just a simple project to
be executed, but rather a product, a significant investment
in time, money and resources to solve a specific problem
within your organization.
If this is a replacement DAM, then most obvious of concerns
are that of legacy development code and migration of assets
and technology systems, connections with existing systems
part of a larger CMS or MAM — the entire technology
infrastructure.
If this is a new DAM, then there are other pressing issues
to consider, most notably resources. Do you have the
right team in place to implement this? Better yet, do you
have a change management process in place to manage
the change to a DAM system? This includes everything
from communications to product evangelism, to metadata
management, and beyond. Take the time to consider how
this will be rolled out and who will be a part of that process.
4 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go

5 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
Possible workflow issues
• Workflow modeling and production tool requirements
• Is there a solid workflow process in place?
• Optimization of marketing operations
Digital asset management may be understood as a
workflow device to assist in the marketing operations or
other operational management critical to your organization’s
needs. Some have invested in DAM solutions to speed up
workflow, and potentially create bigger profits and again, the
opportunity exists to take a step back and receive as much
of an overview as possible.
Now’s the time to identify and map out the workflow process
of your department, and/or organization. If there were to be
any “holes” in the process, this would be the time to find
them both in current terms as well as future needs for the
organization. In many situations, companies tell the vendor,
“Here is our process, automate it,” and fail to examine
the integrity of the process. If the process is flawed and
cumbersome, you don’t want that to be automated, for the
end result will be messy.
In addition, documenting the workflow is another great
opportunity to build better relationships with internal teams
and partners. The result of this documentation serves as
the blueprint for your DAM solution and the people and
processes connected along the way.
Consideration for digital preservation
of assets
•
Are some of your assets worth preserving beyond the
workflow cycles you have established?
• Beyond metadata, what about formats and standards?
This is critical in terms of looking ahead with the view
from behind. There may well be sound reasons to identify,
organize and centralize your brand assets in one location
for digital preservation of some kind, whether that is short-
to mid-term or a much longer-term vision. If indeed a
“preservation” problem needs to be solved, then talk to your
DAM vendor about this and discern what may be done. In
some instances, there are many good examples of using
archival assets as a means of procuring new monetization
and revenue streams. It’s worth the effort to explore new
ways of repurposing assets as well as the long-tail usage of
assets for potential repurposing in the future.

6 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
Consideration of any licensing/legal issues.
• Do you need a separate RM tool as well, and why?
•
Permissions, roles and security: How well do you know
your assets, your users and their needs?
•
In the cloud or out of the cloud and what does that
really mean?
This might be the time where metadata comes to the rescue
for you and your assets. A comprehensive metadata model
with fields specific to rights usage and management will be
critical for your users’ interest in use and reuse. However,
getting there demands an understanding of what your assets
are and how they may be used. No technology will solve that
issue, for that is pure human processing. On the other side
of the rights issue is the construction of permissions, users’
roles and security for the DAM that will guide and direct your
users to a more successful DAM experience.
Consideration of possible DAM systems /
vendors to use.
•
Evaluation, RFP, proof of concept, test drives and
sand boxes
• Selection and procurement
This is where the fun begins — the review and selection of
DAM vendors to solve your DAM problems. Don’t rush this
process. Take the time to interview your DAM vendors for
the job, ask them questions about existing clients, technical
roadmaps and professional services. The good DAM vendors
will be found with ease, for they’ll stand out and provide
service from the beginning. A scan of a vendor’s website will
show you what they are doing and who they are working
with. Be mindful of white papers and case studies as they’ll
provide insight into their design and ability to solve problems.
Furthermore, a strong social media presence will let you
know how current they are and plugged into the marketing
operations issues affecting DAM. This is your time to
effectively perform due diligence. Look past the software
and determine what’s going on with training, implementation
support, help desk, upgrades and new releases. It’s not just
what comes “out of the box” that’s important — the vendor
you choose will become your partner in this development
initiative, and you’ll need a good partner.

7 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
Management and governance
• Operations planning and program roadmap
• Do you have a leader / a champion / an evangelist?
•
Do you have a team in place to manage day-to-day
operations?
•
Do you know who will oversee governance and develop/
administer governance policies?
DAM is neither a silver bullet, nor is it a Catherine wheel. It’s
the best way in which to manage your rich media assets for
use and reuse within your organization— a beacon of hope
and power to advance your organization to the next level.
In order to harness that potential power, the right people
need to be empowered to make change and align DAM
with the strategic goals of the organization. A champion is
needed to argue on your behalf and advocate for budget
spending. And then champions are needed to manage the
day-to-day operations and governance of a DAM solution,
working with digital asset managers, business analysts and
technical engineers.
Is DAM for you?
DAM can do many things so long as you are willing to drive
DAM well, integrate your organization’s processes with it and let
it solve the problems you have identified while being adaptable
enough to address ones you haven’t foreseen. Businesses can
increase profits with digital asset management in two ways:
Organizing your assets in a central location will make them
searchable using enterprise search and will allow your
organization to save time which equals money. Access to
information will allow for quick and easy search and no more
lost time looking for assets. Shorter search times lead to
quicker response times.
The available assets in your DAM are now available for use and
reuse to create new assets and new products. In the current
real-time world, a quick and accurate response is priceless.
Do you have the right team in place to
do this?
DAM is not a project — it’s a program. It’s the foundation of
an organization’s operations, and a long-term investment
that needs people and processes and the technology to
power its potential. This is about you, and the choices
you’ll make. Take the time to arm yourself with the right
information, and you’ll have a much easier time in making
the right decisions.
About the Author
John Horodyski is a Partner with Optimity Advisors with executive
management strategy experience in Information Management
including Digital Asset Management (DAM), Metadata and
Taxonomy design, Content Strategy, and Governance and Rights
Management. John is a world leading expert and has provided
strategic direction and consulting for a variety of Fortune 100
and 500 clients from Consumer Packaging Goods, to Media
Entertainment, and the Pharmaceutical industry. John is also an
Adjunct Faculty at San Jose State University where he teaches a
graduate course in Digital Asset Management. In addition to regular
training and public speaking on digital media and metadata, John
is a Board Member and Metadata Editor of the Journal 0f Digital
Media Management and is a monthly DAM contributor to CMS
Wire. John recently published in May 2016 his book, “Inform,
Transform, Outperform: Digital Content Strategies to Optimize Your
Business for Growth.”
“DAM is not a project — it’s a program. It’s the
foundation of an organization’s operations,
and a long-term investment that needs
people and processes and the technology to
power its potential.”

8 Digital Asset Management (DAM): What to Know Before You Go
Widen Enterprises
6911 Mangrove Lane
Madison, WI 53713
P: 608-222-1296
E: marketing@widen.com
www.widen.com
About Widen
Widen builds high-performing software that empowers
organizations to create compelling, meaningful, and measurable
digital experiences. Focused on service and fueled by a global
community of users, Widen has the highest customer loyalty in
the digital asset management (DAM) industry. Its platform spans
across brand management, content lifecycle management, and
creative management, serving 425,000+ people at over 600
influential brands around the world. Customers include LG,
Energizer, Trek, Zeiss, Cornell University, the Atlanta Falcons,
Red Gold Tomatoes, Carnival Cruise Line, Yankee Candle,
FINCA, and many more.
With more than 70 years of service experience, Widen is the
company that does what it says, striving to be the best part of
its customers’ day, every day. To learn more about Widen, visit
www.widen.com.
Optimity Advisors is a global innovation consultancy that helps
companies explore, experiment, and execute customer-focused
strategies, products, services, processes, business models and
applications. We research, consider, and implement all brands
of technology in partnership with and on behalf of our clients,
however, we avoid endorsing particular brands. With offices
in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, Optimity
Advisors is helping the world’s largest brands imagine and
create their future in a hyper-connected world.