DAM AS A SERVICE

In the traditional DAM model, an organization buys a product (for example, Bynder, Canto). The company invests in the software, and likely pays additional costs to either host the application on-site, or in the cloud. They then train their own organizational resources to administrate and support the DAM. The costs for deploying a DAM — support, licenses, and hosting — add up.

A new model is emerging: DAM as a Service.  In DAM as a Service (or DaaS), the entire DAM operation is provided as a service to the organization: the company completely outsources the DAM product and infrastructure; the licensing, its day-to-day operation, and full-client support are leased on a monthly or yearly basis. A company (like HartTalbot) manages the DAM; they create and manage user accounts, provide customer support, ingest assets, provide training, and manage the DAM product vendor on behalf of the organization.

The DaaS model has restrictions.  If a DAM is used as a content back-end (for example, Adobe Assets for Adobe Experience Manager) the organization is locked into their vendor. Perhaps, just as important, organizations have been reluctant to outsource because of security concerns. However, the benefits of outsourcing the entire DAM operation are compelling, especially if cost and speed-to-market are priorities.

The DaaS provider works with the organization either at set-up, helping define metadata, establishing security rules, and developing support processes, or they take control of a DAM already in operation.

For organizations considering a DAM solution, a DaaS provider can deploy in weeks, days, if necessary, versus months. Not only can a new DAM be in operation quickly, but ongoing support is also immediate and robust; the DaaS resources are fully trained and can provide expert support on Day One.

And if cost is an issue, the DaaS provider can provide superior services usually at HALF the cost, or less, because support resources are leveraged. For an example, see our blog entry defining savings.

Security issues are also resolved, as the organization works with DaaS provider to develop rules and protocols to ensure that their assets are safe. Additionally, it the company wants out of the DaaS relationship, data migration processes are established, so that re-porting to a new DAM platform is a breeze.

The trend towards using DaaS is compelling. If being quick-to-market and reducing costs is a high priority for an organization, the DaaS solution could be a great fit.