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The future of Digital Asset Management: Looking ahead to 2021

19th October 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has put cloud technology on the priority lists of many organisations - 40% of businesses are now speeding up their move to the cloud.

However, even before this year, Digital Asset Management (DAM) was gaining momentum as a key part of digital transformation.

DAM systems have been helping organisations to collaborate more effectively and work more efficiently in all business areas. The difference is that now DAM providers have to come up with new solutions for the challenges created by Covid-19.

Looking ahead to 2021, we explore what lies in store for Digital Asset Management.

User experience will be preferable to complex features

DAM systems are attractive to marketers, designers, and other content creators because they provide an easy way to store, build, and customise digital assets. However, in order to tackle every possible use-case, DAM vendors will sometimes introduce so many features that the software becomes too complicated to use.

Here are some of the key features that DAM users need:

• Branding capabilities
• Metadata tools
• Easy sharing and collaboration
• Enhanced security
• Search accuracy
• Workflow and versioning
• Analytics and monitoring options
• Fast integrations

2021 will call for simpler interfaces that enable sharing and customisation. Systems will need to be intuitive so they can be managed well by the organisation themselves. AI and automation is a significant feature that will help to ensure accuracy and consistency too.

Brand management

With your staff much more likely to be remote in 2021, brand consistency will be even more of a challenge for businesses. DAM systems will have to make brand management easier to control. Marketers will need to know that branding guidelines are being followed through the organisation, and that old or outdated assets are removed.

DAM providers will need to help brand managers work more efficiently and allow control over user permissions where necessary.

Cross-platform integration

As with all cloud technology, integration is essential.

Simple integrations can increase productivity - what's more, at a time when budgets are limited, stakeholders will be considering which add-ons or costly changes will be necessary for the DAM implementation to work. If existing systems are impacted by the new DAM, they may be reluctant to commit.

Because the best Digital Asset Management software is useful in so many different industries, it's important the software links up with productivity tools easily. For example, in agencies, the Adobe suite, CMS platforms such as WordPress, and social media platforms will be some of the most important integrations the DAM should offer.

More and more businesses are on the lookout for a tried and tested single platform that can manage digital assets and brand management effectively. Relying on outdated software that limits the efficiency of workflows has been disastrous for organisations because they weren't able to adapt to the challenges of 2020. DAMs enable organisations to adapt to new requirements - something that will be incredibly important next year.

Are you ready to step into the future with an experienced DAM partner? ResourceSpace is the go-to solution for organisations across a range of sectors, from marketing agencies through to museums and educational institutions.

Click below to start your free trial of ResourceSpace. Alternatively, take a look at our resource pages for more information on how our platform works and the benefits you can enjoy.