Digital Asset Management

DAM is a platform for efficiently storing digital assets. At Ohio State, we use the enterprise platform from Aprimo. A DAM gives us a wide variety of file storage and sharing options for solutions.

A DAM saves valuable time in searching for assets. With all assets stored in one place, a DAM facilitates faster search and integrated sharing options.

• Enhance discoverability with AI-driven metadata and search. Ability to have automated ​workflows for content creation, ​reviews, and approvals. Automatically searches text on photos that may not appear in metadata, think nametags or signage. 
• Preloaded cropped images sizes for use in email, websites, and EPIC. Integrate with websites. Seamless access to DAM and Adobe CreativeCloud (There may be an additional cost depending on your access level.)
• Share assets by grouping them together in a collection, or sending an asset link directly to people inside or outside of the Ohio State. 

Different collections in the DAM have different publishing rights. For example:

• The Signature Gallery is published and maintained by the Office of Marketing and Communications. All Ohio State employees and students can use these assets for print and digital media, as it relates to university purposes.
• Units who publish and maintain a walled garden within the DAM may create asset collections with different publishing rights. 

It's important for DAM contributors to know and understand the publishing rights of the assets they upload to the DAM. Send an email to websupport@osu.edu for support, or ask us questions about account access.

The DAM is a platform shared by many units so costs are distributed a few ways.

• There is no cost to users of the Signature Gallery.
• There is no cost to users of Shared Assets provided that units contribute assets to the collection. 
• Costs for walled gardens storage space begin at a minimum of one terabyte. 
• Costs for publicly accessible content hubs are dependent on the number of assets and the number of visitors downloading or using assets.

Contact websupport@osu.edu for more details on costs and agreements.

Any Ohio State employee or student may login to the DAM. This means all employees can find logos, art, and images that are approved for use for promoting The Ohio State University.

• Learn more about using the basics of search and share for the DAM
• If you are have trouble accessing the DAM reach out to websupport@osu.edu 

Marketing and communications staff may sign and be trained for access to the Shared Assets collection of the DAM. This is a crowd-sourced collection of assets.

If your unit has a Walled Garden, you will also use the DAM to access your units' digital files and collections. Ask your marketing manager if your unit has assets stored in a walled garden.

Probably not. The best use of DAM assets is for production-ready, share-worthy images and assets. If you take photos or videos and want to share your assets, ask for access. Units who want to store assets in a walled garden may upload as many assets as they find worthwhile for their units.

One of the most helpful tools your unit can use when adding static (non-video or audio) assets to the DAM is Photo Mechanic, by Camera Bits. This software is helpful to catalog photos as you are in the process of capturing them. The tagging features are helpful if you find yourself organizing lots of images. Not only does it help you organize your photos, but the tags transition smoothly to the DAM in digital tags.

We recommend photographers in the university, or anyone who tracks assets destined for the DAM, sample and invest in this time-saving software.

• Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits
• Quick start guide to using Photo Mechanic

Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Bridge are other options for adding metadata to still assets.

• Lightroom Basics

Metadata can be also be added directly into Aprimo. This method is needed when uploading video.

Find quick answers and reference in these training guides. Let us know if there are areas that additional training modules or a consultative review would be helpful.