Systems
Prevalence
Security
Usability
Infrastructure
In order for a digital file to become an asset and be put to use in one form or another, systems within DAM are required to facilitate the lifecycle of assets.
A high level of proficiency in the systems category is achieved in large part by appropriate staffing and the implementation of a strong informational architecture.
Prevalence
This refers to the level to which DAM operation is spread within an organisation; referring both to the number of use cases represented and also to the uptake of the DAM system itself by employees working within different departments and silos.
Companies at operational and optimal levels encourage user-buy in through various methods and will have built a bottom-up DAM strategy with end users in mind, this vision has been realised and are maintained post-implementation.
Ad Hoc
Individual.
Incipient
Scattered siloed efforts.
Formative
Initial attempts to combine or adopt DAM across the enterprise by executive champions.
Operational
Successful enterprise initiatives completed and in use.
Optimal
Enterprise integration aligned with company culture prior to implementation; DAM has become commonplace.
Security
There is some variability in the extent to which security plays a role in different DAM projects but in all cases there is a need to employ certain strategies in order that security is upheld.
Companies at operational and optimal levels will enforce security at the asset level, through metadata and through moderators of assets within the organisation.
There will be a recognition of the potential of threats in the future and some level of automation in order to alleviate the issue of human error.
Ad Hoc
No asset-specific security regime in place.
Incipient
System-specific security.
Formative
Defined, centralised security controls and system standardization.
Operational
Security controls clearly defined and enforced throughout the organisation at an asset level.
Optimal
Security is an organisation-level, shared service with processes to address new threats in a timely manner; automated.
Usability
This sub-category is pretty self explanatory and refers to the overall user experience (UX).
Companies at operational and optimal levels operate multi-platform support, will have a focus on user-centric improvement and conduct feedback collection in order to improve UX.
There will be a consistent user experience across all user types / departments.
Ad Hoc
Usability is disjointed with no cohesion or commonality; employee frustration rates are high.
Incipient
Single platform with use of raw (out-of-the-box) tools.
Formative
Some multi-platform support; creation of user / persona-specific tool interfaces.
Operational
Remote multi-platform enabled; user-centered design with formal user-feedback collection.
Optimal
Driven by dynamic business needs; effort meets expectations; multilingual; multi-platform; consistent UI; intuitive; instructional; integration with SAP or other business intelligence system.
Infrastructure
Effective systems rely on collaboration and discussion between all the involved parties, achieved through employing an effective management infrastructure.
Companies at operational and optimal levels will have undergone some change management and will have an organisational infrastructure in place which allows for coordination and mutual accountability with agreed timelines, roles and goals.
Ad Hoc
Planning is reactive between business and IT.
Incipient
Project-specific implementations as directed.
Formative
Proactive, but informal business and IT coordination beyond project specificity.
Operational
Joint change management / governance leading to proactive implementations.
Optimal
Formal coordination and mutual accountability with agreed timelines, roles and goals.