DAM, MAM, BAM, ECM: Is there a difference?

DAM News Staff

15 years ago

Digital Asset Management (DAM) industry has splintered over the years into areas of specific focus: Media Asset Management (MAM) refers to images, audio and video. But MAM also refers to Marketing Asset Management. BAM describes DAM for brands, while Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is about the documents that define a companies various processes. Confused? Don’t be!

Digital Asset Management (DAM)industry has splintered over theyears into areas of specific focus:Media Asset Management (MAM)refers to images, audio andvideo. But MAM also refers toMarketing Asset Management.BAM describes DAM for brands,while Enterprise ContentManagement (ECM) is about thedocuments that define acompanies various processes.Confused? Don’t be!

Everything becomes a digitalasset (file) when it comes timeto use, share or distribute them.Canto Cumulus is a digital assetmanagement system capable ofhandling all files and all content.

Digital Asset Management 101

Digital asset management is not a new concept. Picturesfrom digital cameras, music downloaded from the Internet,and even documents colleagues send to you via emailare examples of digital assets (files) you manage everyday through the use of folder structures, labels, etc.

But when your files number in the hundreds of thousands,need to be accessible to coworkers and clients all over theworld, and—most importantly—are of significant valueto your organization, you need more power and flexibilitythan operating systems can offer, and here’s why.

Laptops travel, file servers don’t The carefully plannedfolder structures on your laptop work for you; but if othersneed a file and you’re not around, productivity stops.Likewise, how useful is your office file server whenyou’re on the road? Cumulus makes any file available toany authorized user, even via Web browsers.

Information that’s unique by design The metadata supportedby operating systems is fixed, meaning you cannotadd fields of your own, or modify existing fields to reflectyour workflow. Cumulus enables you to create any (andas many) metadata fields as you need. And the dropdownmenus and check boxes in Cumulus make dataentry easy and fool proof.

Click here to download Understanding Canto Cumulus and Digital Asset ManagementAn overview of digital asset management and an introduction to the world’s leading DAM system.

http://www.canto.com/en/docs/technologies/UnderstandingCumulus-DAM101.pdf

Digital Asset Management 101

Digital asset management is not a new concept. Pictures

from digital cameras, music downloaded from the Internet,

and even documents colleagues send to you via email

are examples of digital assets (files) you manage every

day through the use of folder structures, labels, etc.

But when your files number in the hundreds of thousands,

need to be accessible to coworkers and clients all over the

world, and—most importantly—are of significant value

to your organization, you need more power and flexibility

than operating systems can offer, and here’s why.

Laptops travel, file servers don’t The carefully planned

folder structures on your laptop work for you; but if others

need a file and you’re not around, productivity stops.

Likewise, how useful is your office file server when

you’re on the road? Cumulus makes any file available to

any authorized user, even via Web browsers.

Information that’s unique by design The metadata supported

by operating systems is fixed, meaning you cannot

add fields of your own, or modify existing fields to reflect

your workflow. Cumulus enables you to create any (and

as many) metadata fields as you need. And the dropdown

menus and check boxes in Cumulus make data

entry easy and fool proof.