Seeking a Digital Asset Management(DAM) solution, users are faced with three basic choices:
- installed software/in-house management option;
- a hosted solution;
- a combination of the two.
A hosted solution offers significant advantages to companies with constrained IT resources – staff and budget – or companies whose use-case requires maximum uptime with the failover and redundancy that a hosted solution can provide.
For some organizations, a compelling alternative is a hosted solution that can seamlessly transition in-house. This allows the organization to implement a pay-as-you-go pilot, launching the solution immediately – and realizing the benefits - while concurrently building out their infrastructure, staffing, and modifying requirements to prove maximum value before making the commitment to a large investment.
There are several companies providing hosted solutions including Corbis, a solid solution through its acquisition of eMotion, but it cannot readily convert to an in-house application. Interwoven, MediaBin and Northplains are also recognized solution providers although they provide their hosting services through third party providers. ClearStory Systems touts an enterprise-level system that can be delivered as a hosted service or an in-house application. And ClearStory manages the hosting model itself – not through a third party.
When choosing an enterprise Digital Asset Management(DAM) product and vendor, a system that is available on both a hosted and installed basis provides a best of both worlds scenario in terms of flexibility. But this benefit can only be gained if the system is fully browser based, with full user functionality and consistent user experience – whether it’s hosted or installed. Another point to consider is that a system that can seamlessly transition from a hosted service to an in-house solution accommodates changing business models without interruption.
“Hosted services are rapidly gaining in popularity among a variety of end users primarily because of their versatility and ability to be rapidly deployed,” said Mukul Krishna, DAM expert and analyst with Frost & Sullivan. “Hosted systems are managed by experts, which alleviates the necessity for a massive in-house investment in both staff and equipment. It also gives the organization the ability to better focus their resources on core business efforts.”
Worldwide Television Network Chooses Hosted Services
National Geographic Channels International (NGCI) provides award-winning cable television programming to more than 230 million subscribers throughout the world. NGCI chose a hosted solution to simplify management of the thousands of hours of program tapes, photos and marketing materials that need to be accessible to its 29 regional offices around the globe.The Digital Asset Management (DAM) system serves as a virtual creative services network for NGCI offices worldwide. NGCI uploads promotional and programming content including still photos, videotapes and scripts into a secure central repository. This central resource enables any office to be the creative hub and distribution point for marketing materials on behalf of their particular region – and in some cases, to the global group. Access and usage rights are fully controlled by NGCI headquarters.
According to Abigail Grossman, manager of Operations and Technical Services for NGCI, a hosted DAM system was the only answer. Already responsible for a massive broadcast management system, Grossman knew that her organization didn’t have the resources to manage a complex DAM system. “The solution we chose was quickly implemented and gives us 24/7 technical support just about anywhere in the world any time of the day or night, something we could never have tackled in-house,” said Grossman. “It also seamlessly manages all content, keeps that content updated, and provides accessibility and secure storage.
Hosting allowed Grossman’s organization to get up and running much more quickly than if they had tried to create the same structure in-house. Grossman chose a hosted solution that was not managed by a third party but managed directly by the provider. “We didn’t have to worry about building out the infrastructure and didn’t have to worry about acquiring in-house experts to manage the process. We were up and running is just a few months.”
A hosted solution is clean and efficient, according to Grossman. There’s no software or hardware to buy, no internal maintenance costs, no upgrade or support costs. Patches and upgrades are handled by the hosting vendor. The system can support multiple users in widespread geographic areas and it’s highly scaleable. “Experts configured the system to map to our business model, and they provide support the solution, which has alleviated that pressure from our organization.”
