Media Asset Management: Choosing between MAM and DAM Software

Maintaining a strong brand image necessitates paying attention to the content. Modern enterprises have to deal with hundreds of multimedia files. Organizing them may be arduous unless a firm finds a way to label data properly and make it easier to find every asset in time. Working on complex projects, employees may struggle to access the footage they intend to use and meet tight deadlines. Implementing the best media asset management (MAM) practices is crucial to achieving widespread recognition.

In the article, we will explore the key upsides of using MAM software and focus on its difference from DAM. By analyzing the most efficient practices of storing and accessing multimedia data, we will consider how businesses expedite content production.

What Are Media Asset Management and DAM Services?

The key dissimilarity between MAM and digital asset management (DAM) is that the former describes ways of handling audio and videos. DAM is a broad term that includes multiple subcategories. MAM refers to the specific process and dedicated software deployed to organize large collections.

Companies from the entertainment industry have extensive libraries of assets. Using MAM, video production firms store clips securely using special dashboards to retrieve them in a centralized way. Thus, they can dedicate more time and resources to creative projects.

Nevertheless, businesses focusing on content production prefer DAM, as it enables them to share assets with freelancers, journalists, and other stakeholders involved in the process of creating and distributing digital content. Even though DAM programs do not have robust security, they are more intuitive, making them perfect even for novices.

Integrating cloud computing services with legacy systems facilitates saving time and money. Storing content remotely fosters collaboration, as team members can share data. Small businesses and large organizations alike benefit from streamlining a daily routine.

When the volume of files continues to increase, retrieving them becomes laborious. Utilizing a MAM system allows firms to search through thousands of pictures, videos, and audio tracks using metadata. Such solutions have architecture consisting of multiple layers. It lets individuals access different types of information:

Name
Location
Codes
Frame rate
Format

Advanced systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI) support face recognition, convert speech to subtitles, and perform other tasks, enabling employees to manage media files. The most reliable MAM and DAM solutions have multiple notable features:

Cross-platform accessibility: Employees working in different departments should be able to access software regardless of the device.
Intuitive entry points: They allow users to update a collection quickly.
Multiple deployment options: MAM and DAM solutions can be accessed via the cloud or on-premises.
API support: MAM tools integrate with third-party software.
Top-grade security: MAM systems are fitted with extra features safeguarding sensitive data.

MAM systems use hot and cold storage; DAM tools require employees to utilize only the former option, which could be costly. As DAM software is designed to handle all types of assets, it slows down when handling large files. Besides, it supports only popular codecs, rendering it useless for video production workflows.

We are confident that we have what it takes to help you get your platform from the idea throughout design and development phases, all the way to successful deployment in a production environment!

Why Deploy MAM Solutions?

Optimizing internal processes facilitates saving valuable resources and allocating them to development. File organization makes it easier to access folders and find labeled assets quickly. Implementing MAM is crucial for large organizations with many departments.

Video asset management (VAM) systems facilitate discovering footage and output clips. They are typically considered a subcategory of MAM. The term VAM describes various ways of storing and organizing clips. Such programs are invaluable for videographers, content production companies, and other businesses producing engaging videos.

Media Asset Management: Choosing between MAM and DAM Software

Adding a DAM or MAM software layer on top of the storage and selecting custom tags for various groups has many benefits:

Asset organization: Users store files onsite or in the cloud to access them from anywhere. Managers set permissions for different positions and add extra protection measures.
Streamlined search: MAM systems have convenient filters that facilitate searching for content using tags, upload date, style, title, collaborators, and themes.
Advanced analysis: Handling large media libraries is impossible without segmenting them based on metadata information. Using dedicated tools, firms navigate through catalogs and filter the results by language, rating, duration, and other criteria.

Thus, the popularity of such systems stems from the desire to augment processes and optimize search by introducing metatags. For instance, brand asset management (BAM) practices, considered a particular case of DAM, help companies enhance the public image and ensure the consistency of brand elements.

MAM and DAM Use Cases

The successful deployment of such systems across the entertainment industry opened a pathway to their widespread adoption. Ventures of all levels working with large numbers of media files utilize MAM tools to boost the efficiency of their production workflows. HR and marketing departments were the first to appreciate the convenience of this technology.

Most companies integrate both types of products to organize the following types of content:

Advertising materials
Product photos
Educational clips, demos, and marketing videos
Talks and presentations
R&D documentation

Cultural institutions also deploy MAM software to keep digital archives organized and make their assets accessible. Healthcare organizations utilize it to store medical scans, educational clips, and other content.

DAM solutions foster widespread access and enable the public to search for approved footage and visuals. MAM systems have tools that let users configure team permissions.

Tips to Remember

When choosing a suitable media asset management system, analyze several criteria defining its functionality. Consider these features to discover a program best suited to your objectives:

Integration with other software: As businesses adopt new technologies, it becomes pivotal to use services that allow employees to work on projects without wasting time switching between various digital products. Some services come with API support. Analyze the stack you rely on and pick an option that can enhance the efficiency of internal processes.
In-built features: If you do not know whether you need to deploy a DAM, BAM, or VAM, think about the purpose of use.
Integration with cloud services: It facilitates file retrieval and makes it easy to access videos remotely.
AI-powered search tools: Advanced filters facilitate content management and enable employees to find the footage they plan to retrieve.
Streamlined approval and sharing: These features foster teamwork and make it easier to review and approve videos before using them for marketing campaigns.
Well-thought-out interface: If an interface is easy to navigate, employees spend less time searching for assets.

Due to the linkage with end-user computing (EUC) solutions, MAM services can be accessed on-premises and remotely. EUC keeps data assets secure by protecting sensitive information from unauthorized parties.

The most reliable A/V production tools have robust security features, allowing users to set up and configure permission rights to grant individuals access to specific parts of an archive. Reliable developers build cost-effective MAM systems with such advantages:

Intuitive review and approval processes
Subtitles
Collaboration options to expedite editing
Cloud editing
Quick transcoding
Various access options

When looking for a software developer, consider its reputation and the customization options it offers. Pre-built APIs and extensive integrations expedite access to remote storage, speed up data transfer, and facilitate payments.

Conclusion

As the number of files firms have to work with continues to grow, it is no longer feasible to rely on traditional approaches. If you specialize in film and video production, use MAM to optimize processes. However, if you produce visuals for a marketing department and designers working on branding, DAM software is more feasible.

As building a reliable media asset management system is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, choosing a reliable service provider is a must. The Global Cloud Team includes experts with extensive knowledge. They integrate MAM and DAM tools with existing solutions to speed up search, expedite retrieval, and ensure that your information won’t be accessed by unauthorized personnel. Get in touch with our developers and learn how to manage your collections.