DAM Bursts Into the Channel

A variety of companies big and small have made DAM-related announcements in the past weeks:

EDS Solutions released a suite that helps clients such the Golf Channel track, retrieve, and reuse its digital assets more efficiently.
Web application developer NetXposure has entered into an OEM agreement with Adobe that combines its Image Portal 2.0 software with Adobe Graphics Server to streamline its customers' DAM capabilities.
WebWare unveiled its ActiveMedia Access system for enterprise workgroups, video production and creative agencies.
Marketing resource management software maker SmartPath has partnered with DAM provider MediaBin to support production and project management for marketing initiatives.
EMeta released its eRights Suite, a DAM tool for use in a company's digital infrastructure.
Artesia Technologies, one of the sector's most active players, has partnered with the BBDO New York ad agency on the heels of launching the latest version of its TEAMS DAM solution and Creative Client for the Mac.
DAM technology is particularly useful for companies that own mission-critical digital images. This includes the obvious candidates like television networks, ad agencies and Internet content sites, but as rich media begins to permeate all aspects of business, the need to organize and distribute it without needlessly recreating images has become crucial. Most DAM solutions work on open standards such as J2EE and XML and are, by definition, highly robust, scalable and secure.
Forrester Research has estimated that the typical midsize company owns up to 50,000 mission-critical digital images, files that would cost as much as $20 million to replace. Before the advent of DAM technology, that's just what companies did, re-creating images for new products or presentations. Research consultants such as Gartner Group have identified rich media as a rapidly growing spending concern for CIOs, and Gartner's Lou Latham has said that by 2008, the use of rich media will become the dominant driver of collaboration, training, corporate communication and marketing and sales.
As companies of all types increase their use and distribution of rich media content, the message is clear: It's about DAM time for this rapidly developing technology.