Over the last days I've thought about my first post on Digital Asset Management (DAM) - and then along comes Theresa Regli from CMS Watch and states it for me ;-)

 

Let me quote a couple of important points she made:

 

"Lack of real asset workflow solutions. Compared to the other technologies we cover at CMS Watch, DAM systems have comparably weak workflow capabilities. Many DAM processes are complex, and many asset managers have required third-party tools to create truly automated workflows."

 

Well, it's actually quite embarrassing for many DAM vendors, because it's been obvious for a couple of years now that the DAM customers need end-to-end workflows that deliver the end-product, be it a catalog or a video commercial.

 

"Increased need for enterprise system integration, DAM to Web content management systems in particular. Many asset managers wish to distribute products via the Web, and thus have a business need to merge those two technologies, making an easier bridge to cross. Therefore, many asset managers and industry veterans see the concept of the DAM system as the "single source of truth" as a bit antiquated because the repository needs to serve multiple platforms."

 

This too isn't really anything new. About 2 years ago, I wrote an article addressing the need for ECM and Portal integration in order for DAM to sustain its play. Since then, only a few vendors have been able to embrace the opportunity.

 

As an example on the positive side: take a look at the SharePoint integration ADAM recently delivered. They also have a strong BPM solution they've integrated with their product. Absolutely worth checking out!