Do the different – AM acronyms make your head spin? Perhaps you’re familiar with one or two, but not the others. Regardless, as your media and content assets continue to grow, understanding the different asset management systems available—and picking the right one—can make or break your content creation efforts.
- Digital Asset Management (DAM): DAM is the form of asset management that you are most likely to be familiar with; it is also the oldest. Great for managing brand and image assets, DAM functionality is focused on the management of finished assets. This includes upload, search, and transformation functions for a wide array of formats. Sometimes, a DAM system can act as the umbrella under which other forms of asset management that offer more specific solutions sit.
- Media Asset Management (MAM): Pioneered by the broadcast media, MAM was traditionally focused on the archiving and storage of video assets. Now, MAM has expanded to serve other functions, such as the distribution of media. With the advent of nearly every business from print publications to Fortune 500 corporations producing large amounts of multimedia content, MAM offerings have grown to accommodate a wide array of needs.
- Video Asset Management (VAM): VAM, sometimes referred to as Video Digital Asset Management (VDAM), is a subset of MAM that includes functionality that goes beyond basic store and search functions to handle both pre- and post-production. Examples include editing, collaboration, sharing, and version tracking capabilities. As larger teams collaborate on increasing quantities of content, more groups are turning to VAM for better visibility and productivity. VAM usually integrates within a larger MAM or DAM system. VAM also enables uploading directly to distribution channels, like Vimeo and YouTube.
- Production Asset Management (PAM): Looking to keep track of revisions to frequently edited files? PAM is likely the solution for you. Used for fast-moving projects that make use of a large number of continually changing assets (think film or video games), PAM is all about workflow management and keeping track of who touches each asset, and in what way.
If you’re wondering which one of these solutions is right for you, the good news is that you probably don’t have to choose. Certain digital and media asset management systems come with VAM and PAM included in the package. This means that choosing the right solution for you is less about picking MAM over PAM, and more about finding the system that boasts the best featureset for your unique business requirements and content creation needs.
Want to learn more about how the different forms of asset management could benefit your organization? Contact us today for a free consultation.