Digital Asset Management System As A Comprehensive Media Library

There might be lots of occasions when you need the services of a quality digital asset management system to serve the storage and sharing of media across a professional user group. As an administrator, you might have several open alternatives in your hand but the choice is crucial based on the network and the functionalities that are required for different projects. If you are looking for a centralized and controlled web based asset management application, you should always choose one that features the key functions required by both user and staff. The all in one platform might seem complex at first glance but if it is properly designed, it could make your work a lot simpler.

The first thing you should look for is role based management among your users. Whether you are an administrator or control staff, most top quality image management system would help you set up the basic structure without the need for prior training. Once the content is made available to the public, specific roles should determine the authority of access within the application. Users can be granted every possible configuration mode from “read-only” to administrative privileges to make sure that there are no management conflicts. The authentication purpose can be served through Active Directory in Windows or through the standard name and password based validation on the web.

You need to define the types of media that the software would handle along with integration configurations right from the start. Top notch systems can handle a variety of media formats such as TIFF, JPEG, PNG, TGA, BMP, PCX, PSD, GIF, EPS, MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV, DOC, PDF, PPT, XLS, CDR and INDD so users can upload from different sources without internal errors. The basic system can be stored on a server while desktop based client applications can help in the upload of media. You should always have photo library management software that integrates with IPTC, XMP and EXIF embedded metadata and has web service interface for synchronization with external systems.

Searches are a key component because it is how users would primarily access the system for uploaded content. Professional systems should allow the stripping of metadata from original media and using them to facilitate keyword based searches. The basic interface of your image management system should also allow the most common keyword based results to be displayed automatically. Photographers can have their images uploaded based on image quality and metadata approval while the users can form special groups or hubs for sharing of the digital assets.

Another improvement in such next generation based systems is the ability to stream videos across the web browser interface based on the Silverlight and Flash technology. Media that is uploaded should have previews to assist the user. One should be able to choose the type of download from different predefined resolutions ranging from screen to print quality. The home page user interface is customizable and you can even get reports on upload and download statistics from the library. In the end, you should always go with a digital asset management system that creates a simple world for the most complex of requirements, allowing users to connect, upload and share without any difficulties.