Last Updated: July 9, 2018
Written by: Maria Jollie
Scalability is an important consideration for digital asset management (DAM) [What is digital asset management?]. When a company implements a DAM, it is usually a positive indication that the company is growing and requires a digital ecosystem that will help sustain the needs that accompany it.
Scalability is the capability of a system, network, or process to accommodate growth by providing an increase in output as a result of an increase in input. In DAM, this means that a company should be able to add assets, users, storage, work-in-progress capabilities, integrations, etc. (input) to the DAM and still have a system that provides the same, or better, functionality and performance (output). A system that will improve in performance after adding hardware or software is said to be scalable system. In a scalable DAM, assets, servers, and users will be able to interact and grow in number and output smoothly across systems.
Whether it is your first time implementing a DAM or you’re looking for replacement your current system with something that will better fit your needs, it’s important to understand how the DAM will hold up in the future. As your company grows, the DAM must be able to scale up without negatively impacting performance. If your DAM is not scalable, you won’t be able to realize the full value of the DAM.
You should consider scalability as you are evaluating DAM vendors so that you choose a system that will grow with your company. Carefully look at the architecture of your DAM to make sure it will address the current requirements of your company and is capable of meeting future needs.
There are some common functionalities that can affect scalability and should be considered during the DAM vendor evaluation process. Below is a short list of items to ask about as they pertain to scalability, but the full list of factors should be dependent on the unique business needs of the company considering a DAM.
Even if your company isn’t in a high growth phase, you should have systems in place that are ready for expansion. You need a DAM that can respond to the internal complexities of your business and move at a pace that keeps up with external demand, even as it fluctuates. When choosing a vendor for digital systems like DAM, partner with a company that is equipped to expand the capabilities and users of the system to keep up with growth. By choosing a scalable DAM, you are protecting your software investment since it will be able to grow and work with other digital systems in your company.
MediaBeacon can support massive asset repositories and incremental growth by horizontally scaling across many servers. The solution is resilient to meet the expectations for growth in asset storage space, performance, and number of users. Users can include casual, internal and external, agencies, administrators, creative, and business owners.
MediaBeacon leverages the Aspera FASP® high-speed transfer protocol, ensuring customers can quickly move data of any size over any distance at line speed. MediaBeacon has multiple engines that address specific functions when it comes to scalability so the DAM is fast, powerful, and designed to grow with your company.
These are just some of the ways that MediaBeacon supports scalability in DAM. For DAM to be scalable for your business needs, it should also be able to connect and grow with your other systems to help develop digitally mature processes.
Interested in learning more about how your digital systems can grow with your company through digital maturity? Download the Digital Maturity for Marketing Processes white paper!
