Digital asset management hosting options

4th March 2020

Digital asset management (DAM) software is a game-changing investment for any business. To get the most out of your DAM, you need to choose a platform that meets your needs-and hosting is a big part of that.

There are cloud based DAMs, those that are hosted on-premise (i.e. with you), and a hybrid of the two. Start by identifying the problems you're trying to solve.

To help you choose the most suitable DAM, we've looked at the benefits of the three most popular hosting options.

Software as a Service (SaaS) DAM

This is a cloud-based DAM system. It means you don't have to worry about investing in on-site servers. You also don't have to worry about maintaining or repairing them when something goes wrong. Usually you won't need to take care of back-ups either.

A cloud-based DAM is scalable too, allowing you to add or reduce storage whenever you need to.

A SaaS DAM is right for:

• Businesses that don't want to make an infrastructural commitment.
• Organisations looking for quick implementation.
• Growing businesses who need the option to scale.
• Businesses without IT and support teams.
• Businesses that want to take advantage of low start-up and maintenance costs.

READ MORE: The Digital Asset Management Comparison Checklist

Self-hosted DAM

An on-premise solution is when the DAM is hosted on servers that you own. It needs a reliable network, as well as an in-house team to maintain it.

If you've got a dedicated development team and your DAM is open source, you can even modify the system and introduce new functionality.

Another benefit of an on-premise DAM is that it doesn't rely on an internet connection. This can help reduce downtime and avoids issues with slower connections.

A hosted DAM is right for:

• Companies that want to manage their own DAM.
• Organisations that handle sensitive, confidential, or patented information and have specific security requirements.
• Businesses that have infrastructural considerations which might be complicated by a migration.
• Companies with dedicated resources for IT management.

Hybrid DAM

You can combine the functions of a cloud and on-premise DAM which means you can rely on its SaaS capabilities to share files from the cloud, while sensitive data remains secured with extra protection on your in-house server.

Here are some important points to consider ahead of choosing a Hybrid DAM, though:

1. Hybrid DAMs are much less common than on-premise or cloud, which might limit your vendor choice.
2. Hybrids are often more expensive as you're paying to maintain the DAM yourself, while also paying a subscription for the software itself.

A Hybrid DAM is perfect for:

• Companies looking for simple deployment.
• Start-ups with modest budgets.
• Organisations handling sensitive data.

At ResourceSpace we cater for small organisations with just a few employees, to enterprise-level clients with offices all over the world. Whether you're looking for an on-premise or a cloud solution, our pricing packages include onboarding, training and ongoing support.

Try our platform with a free trial and explore the benefits for yourself. We're always available to offer any extra information or technical support too.

See what our industry-leading DAM can do for your business.