Toronto’s own North Plains needs sales leads (like the rest of us!), so all you have to do is give them your contact info and you can download their new white paper, titled “Differentiating DAM from ECM – What Do You Really Need?”
At the simplest level, North Plains explains the differentiation like this:
“DAM and ECM share many important similarities, and…this may lend to the confusion about their best application. Both solutions offer workflows for managing files, and provide audit histories and version control. They both use metadata for indexing, quick searching and retrieval. However, while the preceding functions may appear similar, it is important to note that DAM specializes in managing rich media assets such as video, audio, and photographs, while ECM is more suited to manage simple office files such as text and Excel documents, email, and scanned images such as faxes.”
The white paper should be especially instructive for experts coming from the ECM space who are investigating the leap to the DAM space (or “DAM nation,” as we sometimes like to call it here at damTRENDS.com).
It’s kind of fun the way North Plains swoops in for the kill at the end of this white paper:
“DAM’s capabilities are vastly different from anything ECM vendors can offer, which is merely to incorporate media assets into a searchable ecosystem. True DAM systems are involved in all aspects of the creative workflow process, back-end content distribution and revenue generation through the repurposing of existing content. Forcing ECM systems to handle the complexities of DAM requirements only leads to frustration and disappointment.”
Snarky, eh? Some very good points, though. It gets even better when they write about ECM vendors who have “lost touch”:
“Forward-thinking organizations are choosing DAM solutions that support the creative process while enabling the approval and distribution workflow capabilities they need.”
The download is here.
