With so many aspects of our lives going digital, smart phones keeping us connected around the clock and computers in our work, homes, cars and even our kitchens, it makes sense that we're always looking for the most advanced technology to incorporate into our daily routine.
When you're trying to run a business, you should be taking advantage of anything you can utilise to get ahead and stay ahead.
In photography, imaging and media, better software systems are your best friend.
Digital Asset Management One of the most vital programs for any media company is a DAM software package.
Digital asset management refers to storing, backing up and keeping your assets (images, video, audio and other files) safe.
Are you getting the most of your DAM software? You should be looking for a program with some of these important features.
Online Storage Backing up data is the most important task your DAM software will take care of - if your storage option isn't an online one then you are taking a serious risk every time you turn on your computer.
Asset management software that backs your files up online ensures that if anything does go wrong with your hardware, you won't have lost a thing.
Web Access Forget about lugging hard drives from place to place, worrying about where your laptop is at every hour of the day or finding yourself stranded without access to a project - use DAM software that lets you get at your files from anywhere with a web connection.
Web browser access is crucial and allows you to access your images and media from anywhere with a modem.
Sharing Features If you collaborate with a group or need to provide quickly for a lot of clients, being able to give them direct access to data and work as its finished can really speed up productivity.
Generate web links and send them via email as needed and stop worrying about time-consuming uploads or compressing files down to a smaller size.
Security Features While sharing is a good thing, you don't want everyone to have access to your files.
Modern DAM software allows you to set up user groups with individual sets of permissions specified by you so that only those you want to have access can have access.
Have different teams in your company assigned to their own specific projects and give clients the ability to make revisions and retrieve work from the folders that you allow.
Sorting and Searching Finding old projects and digging through old files shouldn't take you hours.
Search and sort features in modern software allow you to tag your media with specific keywords or organise it into groups with the click of a button.
Pull up that old image by its date or even by the location it was taken.
You'll never have to spend hours wading through files and folders again.
Investing in better DAM software is one of the best things you can do for your business.
Increase productivity and interact more efficiently with clients; backup your data safely and never worry about lost work or revenue again.