In today’s fast-paced digital commerce landscape, businesses are investing heavily in high-quality visuals and detailed product information to meet the evolving expectations of online shoppers. However, managing this wealth of content across various channels presents significant challenges. Enter Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Product Information Management (PIM) systems. When it comes down to it, a lot of ecommerce organizations are unsure how to differentiate, so let’s break down: PIM vs DAM.

While each software serves distinct purposes, integrating both can provide a comprehensive solution to streamline content management and enhance the digital commerce experience.

As organizations are investing more in their visuals, there’s an increased need to store them effectively – and ensure they’re always associated with the correct product data. This has organizations looking at additional solutions: namely, digital asset management software and product information management software.

Although a DAM and PIM share similar benefits, they each serve a different core purpose. In this post, we’ll review the definition of PIM and DAM, the key differences between the two, and how they can work together to help your company thrive.

What’s the Difference: PIM vs DAM

Although there are some overlapping functionalities between a PIM and a DAM, their core purposes are different. DAM is primarily meant for managing digital assets like images, videos, and documents, and ensuring brand consistency across an organization. PIM is primarily meant for managing product information and making sure it’s accurate and consistent. PIM is used to centralize product information and optimize the product lifecycle, while a DAM is used to manage your own company’s digital assets.

Let’s look at each solution in more detail.

Digital Asset Management (DAM)

A digital asset management system (DAM) helps companies manage, organize, share and distribute their digital assets all from within one central library. It improves the productivity of marketing teams and increases the ROI of content and creative programs. A great example of a DAM is MediaValet.

Here are three key benefits organizations see with a DAM:

1. Organizing Rich Media: DAM makes storing, managing and finding brand and marketing material (photos, videos, etc.) easy with artificial intelligence, keywords, and advanced searches.
2. Ensuring Media Security: Access permissions for internal and external users give organizations tighter rein on their digital media, plus it offers version control and history tracking.
3. Providing Better Media Sharing: A DAM includes features that enable easy sharing of large media files, such as high-res images, large-format video asset management, etc., over email or branded portals.

Who Needs a DAM?

A DAM solution is best suited for organizations that are dealing with a high volume of digital assets and need a central location to store them where they can be easily accessed by a range of stakeholders—both internal and external. A cloud-based DAM is a perfect fit for geo-dispersed teams who need access to their assets any time, from anywhere, and who require varying user permissions. Teams that frequently share assets back and forth and may need access to different versions of those assets will benefit greatly from a DAM. It is very useful for teams that use their creative assets inside other platforms (like Adobe InDesign for example), and those who have brand assets on various channels.

Interested in how a DAM works? Take the self-guided tour of MediaValet here:

Product Information Management (PIM)

A PIM is a system used to optimize product distribution and ensure that all information and product-related content is managed in one centralized location. A great example of a PIM is Akeneo.

To better understand how it works on its own, here are 3 key benefits of PIM:

1. Managing Product Information: PIM makes it easy to ensure that all product information that reaches your audience is correct, consistent, and complete.
2. Creating Positive Customer Experiences: With a PIM, your audience can get a better understanding of your products through various visuals alongside relevant product information, providing them with additional confidence of the product and potential purchases.
3. Sharing Information Across Sales Channels: A PIM acts as a central hub for all your product information, that helps ensure that your content is always up to date across all your sales channels.

Who Needs a PIM?

PIM is the ideal solution for any retailer with multiple SKUs and a dynamic product range. It best suits organizations that use multiple sales and marketing channels to support a sophisticated product portfolio that needs frequent updates. PIM helps all stakeholders have access to up-to-date product data, which is useful for those using multiple channels with data generated from multiple sources. Retailers who are employing eCommerce tools and providing an expansive amount of product information for online customers are an especially great fit as PIM is crucial for companies who prioritize fast time-to-market.

PIM vs DAM: A Comparative Overview

The Power of Integrating PIM and DAM

While PIM and DAM systems serve different functions, integrating them can significantly enhance your digital commerce strategy.

Benefits of Integration:

• Unified Content Management: Synchronize product data with corresponding digital assets, ensuring consistency across all channels.
• Accelerated Time-to-Market: Streamline workflows by enabling teams to access both product information and related assets from a single platform.
• Enhanced Customer Experience: Deliver rich, accurate, and engaging product content, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Integrating PIM and DAM eliminates content silos, optimizes discoverability, and scales your commerce strategy by delivering product and branded content across all marketing channels.

There aren’t many scenarios where an organization would need a PIM without a DAM. PIM could maybe be used on its own by companies who are dealing with a lot of product information and data, but not necessarily a large amount of complex visual assets that support product sales. For example, a company that is just getting set up with eCommerce and only has a small suite of basic images. On the other hand, companies who are not dealing with a large amount of product information or data, but are looking to manage, organize and distribute a vast amount of digital assets would benefit from using a DAM on its own.

PIM vs DAM: It’s Complementary, not Competing

While a DAM can store similar information to a PIM using custom attributes, that information is used to search for the asset, not pushed to different platforms. PIM is designed to manage products and product information, while a DAM is designed to manage digital assets.

So, how do they work together? Here, we highlight 3 key benefits of a PIM and DAM Integration in order to answer that question:

1. Eliminate Content Siloes: Seamlessly sync product information between your PIM and DAM.
2. Optimize Discoverability: Establish a single source of truth for all your product data and digital assets.
3. Scale Your Commerce Strategy: Quickly deliver product and branded content across all marketing channels.

“Product information management (PIM) users can turn to digital asset management (DAM) to win the digital shelf, and DAM users can accelerate the shift to omnichannel with PIM.”
Forrester

To address the question: If I already have a PIM, do I still need a DAM? The answer is YES. After a deep dive into the functionalities and benefits of both a PIM and a DAM, it becomes very clear that the systems are extremely complementary to each other and are not competitors. Having both a PIM and DAM in place gives your company a steep competitive advantage in a variety of ways. Learn more about our PIM and DAM integration here.

It’s time to build a business case for DAM. Follow these six steps and watch your digital asset management solution become a priority.

Getting new technology prioritized within your organization can be a challenge in itself – especially when it affects each department differently. A priority for the marketing team could be closer to the bottom of the list for say, operations or accounting. When there are competing priorities between departments, it can be difficult to get initiatives pushed through. Especially on a timeline that works best for your team and, ultimately, your organization as a whole.

Like many marketing and creative department leaders, you’ve identified the need for a digital asset management solution (DAM). Now, how do you ensure the initiative is prioritized? You need to demonstrate to stakeholders and decision-makers—who likely don’t know much about DAM—why it’s worth the time and investment to implement the system. To do this, you need to build a solid business case for the investment.

Here, we offer a six-step guide to building your business case to prove the value of DAM and that the ROI will be more than worth it…for everyone. The six steps are:

1. Gather Details on your Current State
2. Get Buy-in from Others
3. Showcase the Benefits
4. Highlight Success Stories
5. Have an Implementation Plan
6. Be Clear with Your Ask

Step 1: Gather Details on Your Current State

Identifying and highlighting current challenges that you’re hoping to solve is a good starting point for making a strong business case. Not only does benchmarking quantify the need for a DAM, it also enables you to measure success down the line. Use real, quantifiable examples, when possible. For example, you could record the average time your team spends trying to track down digital assets in a given week or how many days that projects are typically delayed due to response times for content.

The University of Windsor proved the value of a DAM by recording how much time their design team spent per week responding to asset requests (read their full story here).

If the challenges trickle down into other departments, be sure to point that out too. Your business case is only strengthened when the issues affect multiple areas of your organization. Additionally, it is important to benchmark what you’re currently spending on digital asset storage and transfer software, in order to fully understand the true cost of switching to a DAM, balanced with the savings on time that it can provide for your team.

Step 2: Get Buy-In from Others

In many cases, the more people that want to implement a DAM, the more likely it is to get approved. It’s important, then, to know how others on the team will be impacted during your DAM implementation so you can get them on board from the start. What functionalities do they need and how can you help them be successful? Make sure you’re communicating with them over the course of your DAM journey to ensure they understand how the system will benefit them. Here we outline three categories of users to consider when implementing a DAM, along with their priorities.

As a DAM can be beneficial for multiple departments within an organization, you should spend some time outlining how a DAM would benefit other departments, too. Aligning with other teams enable you to share costs and better showcase the value of a DAM – if the other departments are interested, your business case will gain more traction. It’s important to put some thought into who can use it and how, in order to align with their goals and increase your chances of getting them on board.

To build a compelling business case for DAM, it’s important to speak to the specific goals of each stakeholder.

For CMOs, it’s about speed and scale without sacrificing brand integrity. A DAM system ensures that every campaign uses approved assets, accelerates production timelines, and enables brand-compliant personalization across regions, channels, and teams.

CFOs care about the bottom line. DAM drives measurable cost savings by reducing duplicate asset creation, cutting agency spend, and reclaiming hours lost to inefficient workflows. With usage metrics and time-saving data, the ROI is easy to quantify.

CIOs prioritize secure, scalable systems that integrate seamlessly. A modern DAM fits into the existing tech ecosystem with cloud-native architecture, enterprise-grade security, and API-driven integrations—without adding complexity.

Legal and compliance teams need control and visibility. DAM provides detailed audit trails, embeds rights information directly into assets, and enforces permission-based access—ensuring compliance with licensing and regulatory standards.

Creative and brand teams want to focus on meaningful work. DAM removes bottlenecks like asset hunting and review loops, giving creatives more time to innovate while protecting brand consistency through structured templates and version control.

Each of these perspectives contributes to a unified case for DAM—not just as a tool, but as a business-critical platform.

Step 3: Showcase the Benefits

Although you know the advantages of implementing a DAM, others may not have the full picture. Showcase it by highlighting immediate benefits to your department, as well as key benefits to the overall organization. If you can effectively illustrate benefits on both a micro and macro level, you’ll build a stronger DAM business case. This can increase your likelihood of implementing a DAM.

When relevant, your business case for DAM can also include the potential ROI – more on how to calculate that here.

Step 4: Highlight Success Stories

A key way to strengthen your business case is by showing how similar organizations are improving their productivity with a DAM solution. With many examples out there to choose from, it’s important to understand what you’re trying to achieve, as well as what’s important to your decision makers. Depending on your use case, you can use stories that align with:

1. Your industry,
2. Your use case,
3. Your company size and/or,
4. Specific features & integration requirements.

Sharing the success of others that faced similar issues to those of your own can increase the likelihood of your decision makers understanding the importance of a DAM and the expected outcomes of the implementation.

Need some help finding something that your organization can relate to? Here are a number of DAM success stories.

Step 5: Have an Implementation Plan

Stakeholders and decision-makers of your organization may (understandably) be concerned about time-to-value on large projects and investments. With a number of possible integrations and add-ons, it’s easy to see the potential scope of the DAM grow. It’s important to come prepared with both short- and long-term vision for the DAM, in order to set proper expectations. Breaking down the DAM implementation into meaningful milestones and manageable steps, including dates and timelines, can better show stakeholders quick time-to-value, and build confidence in the long-term vision.

Many DAM leaders recommend taking a crawl, walk, run approach to get value from the DAM as soon as possible (and keep your project scope reasonable). Here at MediaValet, we’ve developed the DAM Maturity Model as a blueprint to get you there.

Step 6: Be Clear with Your Ask

It’s important to be up-front about the budget needed to invest in the right DAM for your organization. There are multiple factors to consider when talking about budget, such as upfront costs, ongoing expenses and what it will cost to scale. Here, we cover all of the major points about digital asset management pricing.

Be clear about when you want to purchase the DAM and how much time you need to choose a vendor. Is there a compelling event that the project could be tied to, such as an acquisition or a rebranding? Linking the implementation of your DAM with another initiative can help kickstart the project.

Additionally, it’s important to understand and identify competing priorities that could stall your DAM project. Here are the five most common DAM project stallers and how to address them to keep your implementation on track.

Know Your Audience

While these six steps can help you build your business case, it’s important to align the proposal with each individual decision maker’s goals and priorities. For many organizations, executive buy-in was critical to getting their DAM initiative prioritized. Make sure you’re prepared with our post, Getting Executive Buy-In for DAM.

Ready to get started with digital asset management? Book a demo today.

If you’re overwhelmed by scattered files, endless asset requests, or inconsistent branding, you’re not alone. In today’s fast-paced digital world, teams are producing more content than ever—and struggling to keep it all organized. That’s where digital asset management platforms come in.

In this guide, we’ll break down what digital asset management (DAM) is, explore why it’s critical for growing businesses, and compare the top DAM platforms of 2025 to help you choose the right solution for your team.

What is a Digital Asset Management Platform?

A digital asset management platform (DAM) is software that stores, organizes, manages, and distributes digital files like images, videos, documents, templates, and more. Think of it as your team’s centralized library and control center for every branded or approved asset.

Instead of digging through folders or sending files over email, teams can easily search, access, and share content—all from one secure, scalable platform.

Why Use a DAM? Key Benefits for Modern Teams

DAM platforms aren’t just a nice-to-have—they’re a must-have for organizations managing large volumes of content across departments and channels.

Here’s why:

Key Features to Look For in a DAM Platform

Not all DAM platforms are created equal. Here are the core features to evaluate:

The Best Digital Asset Management Platforms in 2025

Here’s a closer look at some of the top-rated DAM platforms, based on industry reviews, capabilities, and user feedback:

1. MediaValet

Best For: Enterprise, mid-size, and small teams, higher education, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations with video-heavy creative workflows, growing or large asset libraries, and complex approval processes

Highlights: AI-powered search and tagging, native video management tools, secure CDN delivery, accessibility compliance, Templating, Proofing, and unlimited users

Why It Stands Out:

• Scalability: MediaValet is purpose-built for scaling digital content operations, especially for teams working with large volumes of video, branded content, and visual media.
• Proudly Canadian: As a Canadian-based company, MediaValet is known for its robust data security, privacy compliance (including support for Canadian and international regulations), and enterprise-grade cloud architecture.
• Artificial Intelligence: With AI capabilities like auto-tagging, facial recognition, and duplicate detection, MediaValet speeds up content discovery while reducing human error.
• Support and Service: MediaValet also stands apart for its white-glove onboarding, dedicated customer success managers, and ongoing 1:1 training and support—at no extra cost.

2. Bynder

• Best For: Global brands focused on brand consistency
• Highlights: Brand portals, creative automation, version control
• Why It Stands Out: Strong in brand management and creative workflow integrations

Read more about Bynder here.

3. Brandfolder

• Best For: Marketing teams that need intuitive UI and powerful sharing tools
• Highlights: Smart CDN links, analytics, user-friendly UX
• Why It Stands Out: Emphasis on usability and real-time brand insights

Read more about Brandfolder here.

4. Acquia DAM (Widen)

• Best For: Organizations with complex metadata and taxonomy needs
• Highlights: Metadata management, analytics, DAM + PIM capabilities
• Why It Stands Out: Ideal for large-scale digital ecosystems

5. Canto

• Best For: Small to mid-sized teams looking for quick setup
• Highlights: Easy interface, image-centric libraries, simple sharing
• Why It Stands Out: Great for marketing teams that want a light DAM without heavy customization

Read more about Canto here.

6. PhotoShelter

• Best For: Media-heavy organizations, sports teams, higher ed, and nonprofits
• Highlights: Lightning-fast visual search, branded portals, live photo workflows
• Why It Stands Out: Built specifically for rich media teams that need to capture, distribute, and publish visual content in real-time

How to Choose the Right DAM Platform for Your Business

Selecting the right digital asset management platform depends on your team’s structure, content output, and future goals. Ask yourself:

• How many users and departments will access the DAM?
• Do we need advanced integrations (e.g., with CMS, design tools, project managers)?
• Is speed, security, or branding our top priority?
• Do we require partner or external access (portals, CDN, etc.)?

💡 Pro Tip: Start with a platform that allows you to “crawl, walk, run.” A scalable DAM will support your current needs and future growth without over-complicating the setup.

Interested in learning more about how DAM Platforms compare to one another?

When it comes to investing in or migrating to a new DAM solution, it can be difficult to decide which platform is right for your organization. There are so many DAM platforms available that it can become overwhelming. So, to help you make an easier choice, this post will break down the most important features and functionalities to look for in a DAM system and detail Frontify alternatives. 

We’ll cover: 

• MediaValet vs. Frontify 
• Frontify’s Pros and Cons 
• The Top Frontify Alternatives 
• How to Choose the Right DAM 

MediaValet vs. Frontify 

G2 is the largest and most trusted third-party software and professional services review site and according to their reports, MediaValet has been ranked as a “Market Leader” in the DAM space, based on high customer satisfaction ratings and an impressive market presence. 

Market Leader is the top level in the ranking system. Products in the Market Leader level are rated highly by G2 users and have considerable market presence. 

Who is MediaValet? 

Voted as a leader in the Digital Asset Management space in 2025 by G2 Crowd, MediaValet makes assets instantly more searchable, discoverable and sharable. 

With a roster of customers across higher education, nonprofit, manufacturing and countless other industries, MediaValet stands at the forefront of the enterprise, cloud-native, software-as-a-service digital asset management and creative operations industries. 

Built exclusively on Microsoft Azure and available across 61 Microsoft data center regions in 140 countries around the world, MediaValet delivers unparalleled enterprise-class security, reliability, redundancy, compliance, and scalability; while offering the largest global footprint of any cloud DAM solution. 

MediaValet is the #1 DAM on the market for security. SecurityScorecard rates MediaValet 98/100. 

Based on the 2025 DAM Trends Report, MediaValet customers report incredible achievements with their DAM: 

• 82% achieve ROI in just 1 year 

• save an average of 13.5 hours per week on asset-related tasks 

• 89% are highly satisfied with their DAM 

Take a self-guided tour of MediaValet here!

How Does MediaValet Compare to Frontify? 

MediaValet vs Frontify: Fast ROI 

Based on G2 reviews, MediaValet users achieve ROI 9 months faster than Frontify customers. 

These time savings have in turn led to exceptional business outcomes including stronger brand consistency, improved productivity, and better team collaboration and 78% of our customers can reallocate resources to more impactful tasks. 

MediaValet vs. Frontify: Support 

Every MediaValet customer is partnered with a dedicated onboarding manager from the start—someone who understands your goals and ensures you’re set up for long-term success. 

Once implementation is complete, your journey continues with a dedicated customer success manager who provides tailored training and best practices to drive adoption and ROI. 

Support is unlimited and included with your subscription. Whether you prefer phone or email, our North America-based support team is ready to help—no extra cost, no ticketing tiers. 

“The quality of support has been game changing.” – Emily Hegranes, US Naval Institute 

By contrast, while Frontify also offers onboarding, G2 reviewers give MediaValet a higher rating for Quality of Support (9.4 vs. Frontify’s 8.8). 

MediaValet vs. Frontify: Product Direction 

At MediaValet, we believe product development should be a two-way street. Our customers get full visibility into our roadmap and have direct input into what we build next. 

We don’t just listen—we act. Recent feature releases like MediaValet Templating, powered by Marq, and our new, more intuitive UI are the result of customer feedback and evolving industry needs. 

“It’s great to have a DAM that is constantly evolving into a better platform.” – James Langan, ACAMS 

Frontify focuses heavily on brand guideline features, but MediaValet’s commitment to continuous innovation and customer-driven updates is reflected in our higher Product Direction score on G2 (9.1 vs. 8.7). 

MediaValet vs. Frontify: Video Management 

Video content is one of the most powerful tools for marketing, education, and communication—but only if your DAM can handle it. 

MediaValet is built for video. With support for high-resolution video formats, AI-powered transcription and speech-to-text capabilities, and built-in tools for video previewing, clipping, and sharing, MediaValet helps you manage, distribute, and get more value from every frame. 

Users can generate closed captions automatically, search for spoken words across their video library, and clip highlight reels—all from within the DAM. 

“Our video production workflow has never been smoother. MediaValet lets us centralize and organize hundreds of hours of footage for quick access and reuse.” – Columbia Business School Executive Education 

Based on G2 reviews, users note that Frontify lacks the depth of native video functionality MediaValet provides. MediaValet scores 89% on video management vs Frontify’s 80%. 

MediaValet vs. Frontify: Analytics 

MediaValet’s built-in analytics go far beyond surface-level metrics. Visual dashboards and exportable reports provide deep insight into asset usage, adoption, and engagement—helping you optimize your content strategy. 

From tracking top-performing assets to monitoring portal engagement, MediaValet turns data into action. 

“We’re still seeing the payoff from MediaValet and we’ll continue to see more as we learn new ways to use it.” – Cori Canady, Community Associations Institute 

While Frontify offers basic analytics, MediaValet scores higher with 82% vs Frontify 79%, ensuring you’re not only tracking performance—but actively improving it. 

MediaValet vs. Frontify: Ease of Doing Business 

MediaValet isn’t just a vendor—we’re a partner. We believe a DAM should be easy to buy, easy to launch, and even easier to use. 

That’s why we provide unlimited training sessions, user-friendly administration, and responsive support to ensure your team is always set up for success—without the red tape. 

“MediaValet was an easy sell – it costs way less, does way more, everybody can access it, and it’s easy to use.” – Cori Canady, Community Associations Institute (CAI) 

On G2, MediaValet earns a 9.3 for Ease of Doing Business With, outperforming Frontify’s 8.9—proof that the right DAM partner makes all the difference. 

When evaluating Frontify and MediaValet, both platforms offer distinct advantages tailored to different organizational needs.  

Frontify Pros and Cons 

Pro—Brand Management and Guidelines 

Frontify excels in providing comprehensive brand management tools, making it ideal for organizations focused on maintaining brand consistency. 

• Brand Guidelines: Frontify offers robust brand guideline features, scoring 9.3 on G2.

• User-Friendly Interface: Users appreciate Frontify’s intuitive and user-friendly interface, facilitating ease of use.

Con— Less Powerful for Large Libraries and Complex Needs 

While Frontify is a solid tool for managing brand guidelines, users managing large volumes of content or more complex asset libraries may find its capabilities limiting. 

• Search Functionality: Some users report that Frontify’s search functionality can be clunky, returning all text around the search term.

• Versioning Capabilities: Frontify’s versioning capabilities are rated at 8.0, which is lower compared to MediaValet’s 8.7.

Other Available Frontify Alternatives 

Canto 

Canto has been in business for more than 30 years and is a good Frontify alternative for smaller organizations with a tighter budget. 

Based on Gartner reports, easy integration and deployment are some of Canto’s top-rated features. 

Interested in more information? You can learn more about Canto alternatives here.

Bynder 

When considering Frontiffy alternatives, Bynder will always show up as a competitor. As one of the more established DAMs on the market, Bynder works with some huge brands and organizations. 

Where do they win against Frontify? According to Gartner, Bynder wins when it comes to scalability and ease of deployment. 

You can read more information on Bynder alternatives here. 

Acquia DAM (Widen) 

With more than 20 decades on the market, Acquia DAM (Widen) is a strong Frontify alternative. 

When compared by Gartner reviews, Acquia comes out on top with ease of deployment and integration. 

Brandfolder 

When considering Frontify alternatives, Brandfolder will always show up as a solid DAM competitor. Boasting an incredible strong market presence, and massive client logos, Brandfolder is usually better suited to larger organizations. 

Where do they win against Frontify? According to Gartner, Brandfolder wins when it comes to scalability and pricing flexibility. 

Learn more about Brandfolder alternatives here.

What Should you Look for in a Digital Asset Management System? 

When choosing a digital asset management solution, it’s crucial to consider your organization’s unique needs. 

• How much content will the DAM need to store? 

• Are there systems that will become redundant when we implement a DAM? 

• We have multiple internal and external users – how will we support and manage them all? 

Your buying team needs to define your requirements and identify non-negotiable features. But as a rule of thumb, there are several key factors that will ensure a DAM can meet your more general organizational needs effectively: 

Security Features: Protecting your digital assets from unauthorized access and data breaches is paramount. Look for a system that offers strong security measures such as encrypted data transfer, secure access controls, and regular backups. These features help safeguard your assets and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. 

Ease of Use: The DAM system should have an intuitive interface that allows users of all technical levels to access and manage assets efficiently. This includes easy navigation, quick access to files, and simple tools for uploading, tagging, and organizing content. A user-friendly interface reduces the learning curve and helps in achieving higher adoption rates across the organization. 

Advanced Search Capabilities: With the vast amount of digital assets that organizations accumulate, the ability to quickly find an exact file is crucial. Look for a DAM system that offers robust search functions including metadata tagging, keyword searches, and advanced filtering options. This ensures that users can retrieve assets efficiently without having to sift through irrelevant files. 

Integration Capabilities: The DAM system should seamlessly integrate with other tools and systems used by your organization, such as content management systems (CMS), marketing automation tools, and creative software. Integration facilitates a more streamlined workflow and ensures that assets are easily accessible across different platforms and departments. 

Scalability: As your organization grows, so will your digital asset needs. A good DAM system should be scalable, accommodating increased storage needs and additional users without performance issues. This includes having flexible cloud storage options and the ability to handle various file types and sizes. 

Support and Maintenance: Reliable technical support and regular updates are vital to maintaining a DAM system’s efficiency and security. Choose a provider that offers excellent customer support, training resources, and proactive maintenance to ensure that the system continues to meet your needs over time. 

Did you know that more than 1 in 3 organizations are using DAM across the entire business? According to the 2025 DAM Trends Report, the number of organizations using a DAM system as the heart of their tech stack is only trending upwards. As digital asset management systems become more ingrained within digital ecosystems, more organizations are on the lookout for the right DAM vendor.

When it comes to investing in or migrating to a new DAM solution, it can be difficult to decide which platform is right for your organization.

There are many DAM systems out there to choose from, so to help you make an easier choice, we’ll break down the most important features and functionalities to look for in a DAM system and detail Brandfolder alternatives.

We’ll cover:

• MediaValet vs. Brandfolder
• Brandfolder’s Pros and Cons
• The Top Brandfolder Alternatives
• How to Choose the Right DAM

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder

G2 is the largest and most trusted third-party software and professional services review site and according to their reports, MediaValet has been ranked as a “Market Leader” in the DAM space, based on high customer satisfaction ratings and an impressive market presence.

Market Leader is the top level in the ranking system. Products in the Market Leader level are rated highly by G2 users and have considerable market presence.

Who is MediaValet?

Voted as a leader in the Digital Asset Management space in 2025 by G2 Crowd, MediaValet makes assets instantly more searchable, discoverable and sharable.

With a roster of customers across higher education, nonprofit, manufacturing and countless other industries, MediaValet stands at the forefront of the enterprise, cloud-native, software-as-a-service digital asset management and creative operations industries.

Built exclusively on Microsoft Azure and available across 61 Microsoft data center regions in 140 countries around the world, MediaValet delivers unparalleled enterprise-class security, reliability, redundancy, compliance, and scalability; while offering the largest global footprint of any cloud DAM solution.

MediaValet is the #1 DAM on the market for security. SecurityScorecard rates MediaValet 98/100.

Based on the 2025 DAM Trends Report, MediaValet customers report incredible achievements with their DAM:

• 82% achieve ROI in just 1 year
• save an average of 13.5 hours per week on asset-related tasks
• 89% are highly satisfied with their DAM

The MediaValet Difference: Fast ROI

Based on G2 reviews, MediaValet users achieve ROI faster than Brandfolder customers.

These time savings have in turn led to exceptional business outcomes including stronger brand consistency, improved productivity, and better team collaboration and 78% of our customers are able to reallocate resources to more impactful tasks.

How does MediaValet Compare to Brandfolder?

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder: Support

Each and every MediaValet customer gets assigned a dedicated onboarding manager that ensures they’re set up for success from day one.

Once you’re confident and ready to go, a dedicated customer success manager takes over to provide ongoing coaching and training to ensure both ROI and high adoption rates.

MediaValet support is available via phone or email. Unlimited support is included in your DAM subscription to ensure you can make the most of your DAM.

The quality of support at MediaValet “has been game changing.” – Emily Hegranes, US Naval Institute

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder: Product Direction

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder: Brand Guidelines

MediaValet is the premier DAM in the enterprise space for Brand Guidelines.

Branded Portals, Advanced Search, and AI-powered tagging help to streamline the management and distribution of the most current brand assets, enabling organizations to maintain a consistent brand image across all channels and touchpoints.

“We’re an international company . . . MediaValet is effectively empowering our employees and reps to confidently grab-and-go for current assets.” – Jon Grusky, HYTORC

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder: Analytics

MediaValet’s reporting and analytics functionality is one of the best on the market.

Built-in reports and dashboards help organizations make smarter, data-backed decisions. Customers can view high-level snapshots or dive deep into data to gain powerful performance and activity insights and ultimately, do more with their DAM.

“We’re still seeing the payoff from MediaValet and we’ll continue to see more as we learn new ways to use it.” – Cori Canady, Community Associations Institute

MediaValet vs. Brandfolder: Ease of Doing Business

MediaValet excels when it comes to partnering in business.

Offering unlimited, interactive training sessions, MediaValet enables administrators and users alike to maximize the value of the DAM without compromising on access management.

“MediaValet was an easy sell – it costs way less, does way more, everybody can access it, and it’s easy to use.” Cori Candi, Community Associations Institute (CAI)

Brandfolder Pros and Cons

Simply put, Brandfolder is massive. Boasting megalith clients like Zoom and Slack, new clients will be in good company if they choose Brandfolder.

And as with any large company, comes a large slew of resources. Which is why, the number one pro of Brandfolder, is their range of features.

Pro – Impressive Feature List

Jammed with a list of available features, Brandfolder can do anything from storing your assets to applying rights management to reporting and analyzing how they perform.

There are about 100 features listed on their website – ideal for organizations who have giant libraries and massive user numbers.

Con – Pricing is High

With a ton of features however, comes a big price tag – and with Brandfolder geared so heavily towards enterprise organizations their pricing can leave some smaller businesses or smaller budgets out in the cold.

Pricing is only available on request but generally starts low year one and increases significantly in year two.

“I’d like their pricing to be more transparent – I don’t like having to ask a sales rep for every tiny detail if we want to add a collection or an admin.” SMB Financial User, G2

If you’re interested in understanding more about digital asset management pricing, we detail it here.

Other Available Brandfolder Alternatives

Canto

Canto has been in business for more than 30 years and is a good Brandfolder alternative for smaller organizations with a tighter budget.

Based on Gartner reports, easy integration and deployment are some of Canto’s top-rated features.

Want to read more about Canto alternatives? Read this blog post.

Bynder

When considering Brandfolder alternatives, Bynder will always show up as a competitor. As one of the more established DAMs on the market, Bynder works with some huge brands and organizations.

Where do they win against Brandfolder? According to Gartner, Bynder wins when it comes to scalability and ease of deployment.

Interested in more information on Bynder alternatives? Check out this post.

Acquia DAM (Widen)

With more than 20 decades on the market, Acquia DAM (Widen) is a strong Brandfolder alternative.

When compared by Gartner reviews, Acquia comes out on top with ease of deployment and integration and ties with Brandfolder on quality of support.

What Should you Look for in a Digital Asset Management System?

When choosing a digital asset management solution, it’s crucial to consider your organization’s unique needs.

• How much content will the DAM need to store?
• Are there systems that will become redundant when we implement a DAM?
• We have multiple internal and external users – how will we support and manage them all?

Your buying team needs to define your requirements and identify non-negotiable features. But as a rule of thumb, there are several key factors that will ensure a DAM can meet your more general organizational needs effectively:

Security Features: Protecting your digital assets from unauthorized access and data breaches is paramount. Look for a system that offers strong security measures such as encrypted data transfer, secure access controls, and regular backups. These features help safeguard your assets and ensure compliance with data protection regulations.

Ease of Use: The DAM system should have an intuitive interface that allows users of all technical levels to access and manage assets efficiently. This includes easy navigation, quick access to files, and simple tools for uploading, tagging, and organizing content. A user-friendly interface reduces the learning curve and helps in achieving higher adoption rates across the organization.

Advanced Search Capabilities: With the vast amount of digital assets that organizations accumulate, the ability to quickly find an exact file is crucial. Look for a DAM system that offers robust search functions including metadata tagging, keyword searches, and advanced filtering options. This ensures that users can retrieve assets efficiently without having to sift through irrelevant files.

Integration Capabilities: The DAM system should seamlessly integrate with other tools and systems used by your organization, such as content management systems (CMS), marketing automation tools, and creative software. Integration facilitates a more streamlined workflow and ensures that assets are easily accessible across different platforms and departments.

Scalability: As your organization grows, so will your digital asset needs. A good DAM system should be scalable, accommodating increased storage needs and additional users without performance issues. This includes having flexible cloud storage options and the ability to handle various file types and sizes.

Support and Maintenance: Reliable technical support and regular updates are vital to maintaining a DAM system’s efficiency and security. Choose a provider that offers excellent customer support, training resources, and proactive maintenance to ensure that the system continues to meet your needs over time.

Over the last couple of years digital asset management systems, especially those powered by AI, have landed on the radar for many organizations shifting toward a new digital-first, rich content-focused environment. 

In fact, we’ve seen a growing number of organizations benefiting from DAM systems usage across their entire organizations. DAM is no longer part of the MarTech stack – it’s crucial to an organization’s technological success. 

As the digital transformation wave continues to change how business is done online, there are several factors worth considering, including why DAM is such an important investment for the coming years. 

Why Digital Asset Management Is Important in 2025 

In today’s dynamic digital landscape, effectively managing and utilizing digital assets has become a critical component of success. As organizations strive to meet rising demands for personalized, high-quality content and seamless collaboration, digital asset management software (DAM) emerges as a pivotal solution. 

With innovations in AI-driven automation, video optimization, and rich media management, DAM systems like MediaValet are transforming how businesses streamline workflows, enhance brand consistency, and adapt to the challenges of 2025. 

According to the latest DAM Trends Report, organizations that integrate DAM across their operations report significant improvements in efficiency, collaboration, and return on investment (ROI). By aligning with key digital marketing trends—such as AI adoption, the growth of video content, and hyper-personalization—DAM is becoming an indispensable part of the modern tech stack. 

In this post, we’ll dive into how DAM helps organizations stay competitive in 2025 while future-proofing their digital strategy. 

Why are Digital Assets Important?

Organizations are feeling the pressure to address the need to create more content for more channels…but with less resources.

Specifically, they need to find ways to both produce and disseminate more digital assets than ever before. Maintaining digital presence is one challenge, the next is evolving digital presence to compete!

To accomplish an impactful, effective digital transformation, it’s necessary to properly manage massive or growing amounts of digital assets like rich media and video content and enable seamless access across entire organizations.

Digital assets are indispensable in the digital marketing ecosystem, serving as the lifeblood of content strategies that engage, inform, and convert audiences. They encompass everything from images and videos to documents and multimedia presentations, each playing a pivotal role in storytelling and brand representation.

Digital Assets are Essential to Engaging Audiences

Digital assets are the cornerstone of modern marketing, crucial for capturing and maintaining audience engagement in a digital-first landscape. Through compelling visuals, interactive content, and personalized experiences, these assets connect emotionally and intellectually with viewers and drive conversions.

Rich media ads deliver engagement rates of 16.54%, compared to 2.14% with standard ads, so as organizations undergo a pivotal shift to more dynamic visuals, and we see videos become central to engaging audiences, there is a higher demand for more sophisticated management and distribution tools. It’s critical to enhance both effectiveness of and visibility to campaigns with the right digital assets.

Digital Assets Showcase Brand Values

Beyond their practical utility, digital assets carry the essence of a brand’s culture and values. They are not just tools for communication but are embodiments of the brand’s identity, enabling organizations to connect with their audiences on a more personal and emotional level.

Through careful curation and management, these assets become the voice of the brand, conveying messages that resonate with values, aspirations, and the unique character that distinguishes one brand from another.

As we see organizations struggle to produce and manage the sheer number of assets required to simply maintain their online presence, it’s important to look to AI as a method to improve productivity.

The Challenges of Modern Marketers and How DAM Can Solve Them

According to Forbes Business Council, in 2025, most organizations will face four common challenges when it comes to managing digital assets and digital presence. 

1. AI-Powered Automation: Working Smarter, Not Harder 

AI continues to transform how organizations manage tasks, freeing teams to focus on creative and strategic work.

DAM systems like MediaValet leverage AI for: 

Auto-tagging and search: Automatically tag and organize assets upon upload, reducing manual effort and increasing discoverability. 

Content personalization: AI-driven tools enable hyper-targeted campaigns by analyzing user behavior and segmenting audiences effectively. 

By integrating AI into DAM, businesses can streamline workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and deliver personalized customer experiences at scale. 

2. Video Content Dominance: Winning Engagement in the Digital Era 

Video remains one of the most effective tools for capturing audience attention, and platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are leading the charge.

DAM systems empower teams to manage the complexities of video production and distribution by: 

Optimizing storage and access: Centralizing high-quality video content ensures seamless collaboration across teams. 

Facilitating multi-platform sharing: DAM tools simplify the distribution of video content optimized for different platforms, increasing reach and engagement. 

Enhancing production workflows: Features like automated transcription and version control ensure content is delivered quickly and accurately. 

Organizations using DAM systems report faster project deployment and improved campaign performance, underscoring the value of investing in video asset management. 

3. Personalization at Scale: Elevating Customer Experiences 

In 2025, consumers expect brands to know their preferences and deliver hyper-relevant content.

DAM systems support personalization by: 

Creating dynamic user journeys: Use AI to map customer behavior and predict needs, tailoring content accordingly. 

Ensuring consistency: Maintain brand integrity by managing all assets from a single, unified platform. 

With DAM, marketing teams can create campaigns that resonate with audiences at every stage of their journey, improving conversion rates and customer loyalty. 

4. Shopable Content and Influencers: Bridging Social Media and E-commerce 

The line between social media and shopping has blurred, with platforms like Instagram and Pinterest introducing in-app shopping features.

DAM systems help brands stay ahead of this trend by: 

Organizing influencer content: Centralize user-generated and influencer-created content for easy reuse across campaigns. 

Streamlining approvals: Integrated proofing tools like MediaValet Proofing ensure assets are on-brand and ready for publication. 

Driving engagement: Enable quick access to shoppable content that aligns with campaign goals. 

By simplifying how assets are managed and shared, DAM enhances the impact of shoppable content and influencer marketing campaigns. 

Why a Digital Asset Management System is so Important

As businesses adapt to the sweeping changes brought about by digital transformation trends, Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems like MediaValet provide critical solutions. MediaValet, with its robust features, is uniquely positioned to help organizations navigate these trends efficiently, enhancing their digital asset ROI, reach, and distribution. Let’s explore how MediaValet addresses these key digital transformation challenges.

1. Leveraging AI for Enhanced Asset Organization and Discovery

The evolution of AI is a significant trend in digital transformation, offering smarter ways to handle vast amounts of digital content.

MediaValet’s AI-driven approach reduces manual tagging and searching time, ensuring that teams can focus on high-value creative and analytical tasks. By streamlining the discovery process, MediaValet enhances operational efficiency and accelerates project timelines.

Auto-tagging and Advanced Search Ensure Accurate Asset Usage

Auto-tagging abilities in a MediaValet DAM automate the most tedious, human-error-prone tasks like meta tagging assets. On upload, the DAM automatically tags content with relevant keywords to significantly boost the discoverability of assets.

Advanced Search optimizes how teams search for assets and uses object, color, and text recognition to ensure the right content is found and meets audience and campaign needs effectively.

Face Recognition Streamlines Campaign Creation

MediaValet’s Face Recognition technology streamlines campaign creation by automatically tagging and organizing photos of people across an entire library.

It allows for better image management enabling teams to easily comply with usage rights and model releases and to quickly identify and compile all images featuring a specific person for a targeted campaign, reducing manual search time and enhancing campaign relevance.

2. Supporting Rich Media to Meet Market Demands

As the demand for rich media content grows, organizations face the challenge of managing and storing diverse and sizeable digital files.

MediaValet addresses this need by offering high-capacity storage solutions that support a wide range of file types, including high-resolution images, 3D models, and interactive content. This capability ensures that organizations can store and access all their rich media assets in one place, maintaining brand consistency across all digital touchpoints and meeting the market’s demand for engaging content.

3. Optimizing Video Content for Greater Engagement

With the increase in the use of video content, businesses require sophisticated tools to manage, share, and publish videos effectively.

MediaValet offers specialized video management features, AVI includes automated video translation and transcription, version control to keep track of edits, scene, object, person, and text identification and isolation, and rendering to enable easy distribution across various channels. These features enable organizations to leverage video content fully, enhancing audience engagement and maximizing the impact of their digital marketing efforts.

AudioVisual Intelligence (AVI) Accelerates Time to Market

MediaValet’s AVI is an industry-leading feature that can accelerate campaign time to market for organizations, even those targeting global markets.

By automatically searching, discovering, translating, and transcoding an entire video library it enables team to swiftly adapt marketing materials, ensuring consistent messaging while significantly reducing the turnaround time for campaign launches with rich media files.

AVI not only propels organizations towards more dynamic and responsive online strategies but also underscores the critical role of DAM in amplifying the value of video assets in an increasingly digital-first world.

4. Maximizing Digital Asset ROI, Reach, and Distribution

Understanding the performance of digital assets is crucial for maximizing ROI, reach, and distribution. MediaValet provides detailed analytics and reporting tools that offer insights into how assets are being used and performing across different channels. This data enables organizations to make informed decisions about content strategy, helping them to allocate resources more effectively and tailor their content to meet audience needs better.

MediaValet Mobile also enables teams to access the DAM from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection, accelerating content uploads and downloads, sales pitches, and campaign deployments!

MediaValet’s DAM system offers powerful solutions to the challenges posed by current digital transformation trends. By leveraging AI for smarter asset management, supporting rich media content, optimizing video content use, and providing insights into asset performance, organizations can maximize their digital asset ROI, reach, and distribution.

As businesses continue to navigate the evolving digital landscape, MediaValet stands as a crucial partner in achieving their digital transformation goals.

The Benefits of Digital Asset Management for 2025 

Organizations that invest in a robust digital asset management strategy see transformative results: 

• 81% improve collaboration across teams. 
• 100% achieve faster project timelines. 
• 80% streamline creative processes. 
• Save an average of 13.5 hours per week on asset-related tasks. 

The benefits of a digital asset management system extend beyond storage and organization—DAM drives efficiency, boosts ROI, and future-proofs your digital marketing and asset management efforts. 

Get Ahead with a Digital Asset Management

It is evident that organizations are facing new hurdles with the digital transformation wave but it’s also clear that a DAM can help teams mitigate these challenges and enhance online performance. By simplifying processes and centralizing all high-value media into a secure cloud-based library, a DAM will help teams maximize success in 2025.

The benefits that a DAM can provide to your team, however, do not end here. Learn more about how a DAM can help your organization by scheduling a demo with us today.

A digital asset management (DAM) system is a critical aspect of your organization’s tech stack – but when it comes time to buy a DAM, finding the right one can be tricky.

So we’ve built out the essential 7 steps you need to follow to determine the scope and objectives of a DAM project and find the right DAM vendor for your organization.

Following these 7 steps, you can successfully get your DAM project off the ground, communicate its value across your organization and determine your needs.

Learn how to buy a DAM, accelerate your DAM project, and find the right vendor to partner with, long-term.

How to Buy a DAM Step 1

Your Objective: Understand your organization’s specific needs and the objectives for implementing a DAM system.

Here are some key examples of how a DAM can deliver:

• Simplified access to on-brand assets for departments (Internal and External)
• Reduce resources spent on reproducing work
• Increased creative efficiencies
• Better brand consistency
• Streamlined GTM campaigns and faster time-to-market

And some other considerations to help understand the scope of your DAM project:

• How much content will the DAM need to store?
• Are there systems that will become redundant when we implement a DAM?
• We have multiple internal and external users – how will we support and manage them all?

PS. Reviewing your security requirements is critical!

You should have a clear grasp on how vendors comply with regulations, their data breach history, and their data center reliability. Learn more about MediaValet’s security offering here.

How to Buy a DAM Step 2

Your Objective: Identify who needs to be involved and gain buy in from all departments and teams that will use the DAM.

Cross-functional teams have become integral to the tech acquisition process and so, securing consensus is more complex than ever.

It’s crucial to navigate through the complexities of stakeholder approval and achieve unanimous buy-in for your DAM initiative, but first, you need to identify key players in the buying group:

• CMO
• Head of IT
• CFO
• Head of Sales Enablement

How to Buy a DAM Step 3

Your Objective: Discover various DAM solutions available that could meet your needs.

It’s time to weigh up your DAM vendor options against each other and find out which digital asset management system fit your organization.

There are several ways to dig into research but for unbiased, reliable feedback on a vendor, the best place to start is third party review sites like G2.

If a vendor is rated over 4.5 stars – that’s considered a great rating! You can check out the G2 DAM Vendor Comparison guide here.

How to Buy a DAM Step 4

Your Objective: Build a short list of roughly 3 to 5 DAM vendors worth moving forward to the demo phase with.

Each vendor that makes the short list should meet (at the very least) your desired functionalities, integration capabilities with your existing tech stack, and budget constraints.

It’s also time to decide on your demo group.

Are you going to do one or two rounds of demos, and will there be multiple stakeholders involved or just you? When 2 or more people are involved, it can help to streamline the process.

How to Buy a DAM Step 5

Your Objective: Plan for a comprehensive demonstration of the DAM system.

Take the time to develop scenarios or use cases that you want the vendor to demonstrate.

Your questions should revolve around the system, its features, accessibility, integrations, scalability, security, and support.

Ask if there is a DAM Specialist available to help you work through taxonomy and other DAM best practices!

And above all, ensure that the vendor can offer your team sufficient support – throughout onboarding and the rest of your lifecycle!

Interested in seeing a DAM in action? Check out this self-guided tour of MediaValet:

How to Buy a DAM Step 6

Your Objective: Consider all cost factors involved in implementing and maintaining the DAM system.

Buying a DAM system is a long-term decision. It’s important to choose carefully and ensure that the technology you’re integrating into your operations can enhance collaboration across departments, and safeguard your digital assets against ever-evolving security threats, and ultimately, prove to be a worthwhile investment.

You need to build an informed cost analysis to ensure you prove the value of your DAM system and secure appropriate funding.

Start with how much the DAM system subscription will cost and ensure you cover everything in between that and the potential costs saved against software you will no longer need or use.

How to Buy a DAM Step 7

Your Objective: Work with the vendor to plan for migration, training, and ongoing support.

Once you’re sure your vendor can meet your technical requirements, you need to ensure they are experienced in and capable of fostering adoption through effective partnership.

Make a detailed plan for:

• Onboarding
• Migration Plan
• Training
• Support

Why is MediaValet the Premier Choice in DAM?

Accelerate Impactful ROI

80% of our customers achieve ROI in just 18 months, and according to G2, MediaValet customers achieve ROI 3.2 months faster than our competitors’.

How? We implement MediaValet and onboard customers to facilitate a 57% faster go live time than our competitors. This manifests in:

• Saved money on asset creation for 76% of MediaValet customers and
• Stronger brand consistency for 100% of enterprise DAM customers.

“With MediaValet in place, our team can now better perform. [The DAM] helped improve productivity and the ROI of our assets!”

Dennis Washington, TD Industries

Rest Assured with Premier Security

MediaValet is the #1 DAM Vendor on the market for security as rated by SecurityScorecard.

MediaValet is:

• SOC 2 certified by PwC,
• GDPR, CCPA and PIPEDA compliant, and can assist customers with DPA (Data Processing Agreement) requirements,
• HIPAA compliant and able to assist with any BAA (Business Associate Agreement) requirements, and
• Built on Microsoft Azure, which is compliant and/or certified with more than 90 regulatory standards.

“As a massive organization, we have very strict procurement guidelines and security requirements for vendors… MediaValet stood out immediately as a front runner.”

James Carter, Experian

Achieve More with Top Tier Support

Your success is our success. Our customers rate us higher than our competitors for support. In fact, according to G2 reports, we score 95% for support – ahead of the average 91%.

• We offer unlimited product support,
• a comprehensive training program, and
• resident DAM experts to help you achieve your goals.

“The quality of support at MediaValet has been game changing . . . small issues we report are addressed by the end of the day!”

Emily Hegranes, US Naval Institute

Scale, Cost-Effectively,at your Own Pace

Our solution meets you where you are today and will be your partner in growth as you progress on your DAM journey.

• Add unlimited users at no extra cost
• Build a DAM without restrictions with unlimited categories and tags

“MediaValet was an easy sell – it costs way less, does way more, everybody can access it, and it’s easy to use.”

Cori Canady, Community Associations Institute (CAI)

Are you interested in learning more in-detail steps on how to buy a DAM? You can download the full DAM Buying Guide here to find more in-depth information on each step! Alternatively, reach out to find out how MediaValet can help your organization!

Choosing between on premise vs. SaaS (Software as a Service) solutions is a critical decision for organizations. It’s important to understand the differences between each solution and how each option could optimize operations, security, and budget. This article delves into the key differences between these two deployment models, providing insights to help you make an informed choice.

In this blog post, we’ll address the need for on premise vs. SaaS platforms. Be sure to also read Part 2, where we discuss the difference between on premise vs cloud DAM.

Understanding On Premise vs. SaaS Solutions

What’s the difference and why is it important? These represent the two primary deployment options for buyers and each has its own criteria for suitability.

On Premise Solutions: These involve installing and running software on the organization’s own infrastructure and servers. The organization is responsible for managing the entire process across setup, implementation, and maintenance, including purchasing IT infrastructure and employing IT staff to upkeep systems and troubleshoot errors.

SaaS Solutions: SaaS is a cloud-based software delivery model where applications are hosted by a third-party provider and accessed by users over the Internet. Unlike on-premise solutions, there’s no need to install or maintain the software on in-house servers—everything is managed by the cloud provider, including updates, security, and scalability.

Key Differences Between On Premise vs. SaaS Systems

1. Implementation and Accessibility

• On Premise: Implementation requires purchasing and setting up hardware and software on-site, leading to longer deployment times. Accessibility is typically limited to within the organization’s network, potentially necessitating VPNs for remote access.
• SaaS: Implementation is generally simpler, with applications accessible via web browsers, eliminating the need for extensive hardware setup. This model supports remote access, enabling users to work from anywhere with an internet connection.

2. Cost Structure

• On Premise: Involves significant upfront costs for hardware, software licenses, and ongoing maintenance. Organizations are also responsible for infrastructure upgrades and IT personnel expenses.
• SaaS: Operates on a subscription-based model, reducing initial expenses. The provider manages maintenance and upgrades, often resulting in a lower total cost of ownership.

3. Scalability

• On Premise: Scaling requires additional investment in hardware and infrastructure, which can be time-consuming and costly.
• SaaS: Offers flexible scalability, allowing organizations to adjust their usage plans as needed without significant investments.

4. Maintenance and Support

• On Premise: The organization’s IT team is responsible for all maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting, necessitating a dedicated support structure.
• SaaS: The provider handles maintenance, updates, and support, freeing internal IT resources for other tasks.

5. Security and Compliance

• On Premise: Offers greater control over data security, which can be beneficial for organizations with stringent compliance requirements.
• SaaS: Providers implement robust security measures and comply with industry standards, but organizations must trust third parties with their data.

Making the Right Choice On Premise vs. SaaS Platforms

The decision between on premise vs. SaaS solutions depends on various factors, including budget, scalability needs, IT resources, and security considerations. Organizations seeking control and customization may prefer on premise solutions, while those prioritizing flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and ease of access might opt for SaaS.

By carefully evaluating these aspects, businesses can select a deployment model that aligns with their strategic objectives and operational requirements. Let’s break it down for you with the example of a DAM system.

An on premise DAM solution is installed on your organization’s hardware and is managed, maintained, and updated by your IT department. Your internal IT team will also be responsible for all support, along with the research and implementation of any new features.

On Premise DAM Platform

An on-premise solution is most suitable for organizations that:

• require specific integration needs,
• have IT bandwidth and expertise to manage the system and associated activities,
• have resources to set up customizations,
• are equipped with sufficient hardware to meet scaling needs, and
• can support regular backups.

An on premise DAM tends to be costlier, as it requires hardware and regular dedicated support from the internal IT department to manage the system.

In addition, organizations that implement an on premise DAM will be responsible for backups. Because of this, there will almost always be capacity underutilization that results in a higher total cost of ownership than a flexible cloud-based model offers.

It’s also important to consider the needs of the departments who will use the system. Communication between Marketing and IT, for example, may prove to be challenging as each group has its own processes and working styles. Marketing may have issues highlighting the challenges they experience or logging requests that are in the proper format and terminology for the IT team to understand and produce.

SaaS DAM Platform

A SaaS DAM solution is hosted in the cloud by a service provider and typically includes a set-up fee and a monthly or yearly subscription fee that corresponds to the storage and user requirements of each organization. SaaS DAM features are usually configurable, but not customizable. The provider is responsible for storage, updates, and back-ups, meaning there are no internal hardware or software requirements for the buyer.

It’s important to highlight though, that the DAM is not completely hands-off for the organization, and requires on-going management that includes branding; setting up keywords, metadata, taxonomy; and being diligent with organization and routine cleanup.

A cloud-based solution is most suitable for organizations that:

• employ geographically-dispersed creative teams that communicate and work on shared assets,
• require the ability to scale asset storage and users on-demand,
• do not want to strain IT resources, and/or
• desire specialist support.

Which One is Right for You?

A shorthand way of determining whether an on premise vs. SaaS solution is more suitable for your company is to gauge where your priorities lay on the three ‘Cs’:

• Cost
• Customization, and
• Complexity.

Generally speaking, an on premise solution is higher in all three. Reviewing your current set up and understanding your priorities in these terms will help you with this foundational DAM decision. To learn more about DAM and considerations for enterprise companies, download our eBook “The DAM Buying Guide“.

Digital Asset Management (DAM) is an essential tool for organizations looking to store, organize, and distribute digital content efficiently. However, one of the most critical decisions businesses face when implementing a DAM system is choosing between an on premise vs cloud DAM solution. Each option has distinct advantages and drawbacks, and the right choice depends on an organization’s infrastructure, security needs, budget, and scalability requirements. 

Previously, we’ve discussed the difference between on premise and SaaS solutions. But this article explores the differences between on premise and cloud-based DAM systems in much more detail. We cover their benefits and limitations, and how to determine the best DAM fit for your business. 

What is Digital Asset Management (DAM)? 

A Digital Asset Management system helps organizations manage their media files, including images, videos, documents, and design files, in a centralized location. By implementing a DAM, businesses can improve workflow efficiency, enhance collaboration, and ensure brand consistency across marketing and creative teams. 

On Premise DAM Explained

What is an On Premise DAM? 

An on premise DAM solution is hosted on a company’s internal servers and managed by its IT team. This approach requires a dedicated infrastructure and ongoing maintenance but offers maximum control over data and security. 

Advantages of On Premise DAM: Complete Control and Customization 

✅ Full Data Control: Organizations maintain complete ownership of their digital assets, ensuring sensitive data remains within company infrastructure.  

✅ High Customization: On-premise solutions can be tailored to specific business needs, including integrations with proprietary systems.  

✅ Compliance & Security: Companies in regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare) may prefer on-premise DAM to comply with strict data protection laws. 

✅ Predictable Costs: One-time licensing fees eliminate recurring subscription costs, making long-term budgeting easier. 

Disadvantages of On-Premise DAM: Costly and Limited

❌ High Upfront Costs: Requires a significant initial investment in hardware, software, and IT personnel.  

❌ Complex Maintenance: Internal IT teams must handle software updates, security patches, and system troubleshooting.  

❌ Limited Accessibility: Employees may need VPN access to retrieve assets remotely, reducing efficiency for distributed teams. 

Cloud DAM Explained 

What is a Cloud DAM? 

A cloud-based DAM is hosted by a third-party provider and accessed via the internet. This option offers greater flexibility, scalability, and ease of use compared to on-premise solutions. 

Advantages of Cloud DAM: Flexibility and Scalability 

✅ Remote Accessibility: Users can access assets from anywhere, making it ideal for remote teams and global organizations.  

✅ Automatic Updates: The DAM provider handles software updates, ensuring users always have the latest features.  

✅ Lower Upfront Costs: Cloud solutions operate on a subscription-based model, reducing initial infrastructure expenses.  

✅ Scalability: Businesses can adjust storage and user access as needed, accommodating growth without significant IT investments. 

Disadvantages of Cloud DAM: Internet Dependence

❌ Ongoing Subscription Costs: Monthly or annual fees may add up over time.

❌ Dependence on Internet Connectivity: A stable internet connection is required to access and manage digital assets effectively. 

Want to see a cloud DAM in action? Check out our free MediaValet guided tour here:

On Premise vs. Cloud DAM: A Feature Comparison 

As AI-driven tools continue to evolve, cloud DAM solutions increasingly leverage machine learning and automation for asset tagging, metadata enrichment, and advanced search capabilities. These innovations improve efficiency and usability, making cloud DAMs an attractive option for organizations looking to enhance productivity with minimal manual effort. 

AI Features in Cloud DAM 

Why Move from On-Premise to Cloud DAM?

As organizations continue to scale and adapt to an increasingly digital-first world, many are shifting from on-premise DAM systems to cloud-based solutions. Here’s why businesses are making the switch:

1. Cost Efficiency

• On premise DAM requires significant upfront investments in hardware, IT infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance.
• Cloud DAM operates on a subscription-based model, reducing capital expenditures while providing predictable operating costs. Learn more about digital asset management pricing here.

2. Enhanced Accessibility & Collaboration

• Cloud DAM enables remote teams to access assets from anywhere, supporting a globally distributed workforce.
• Real-time collaboration tools allow multiple users to work on and review assets simultaneously, streamlining workflows.

3. Automatic Updates & Maintenance

• On premise systems require dedicated IT teams to manage software updates and security patches.
• Cloud DAM providers handle all updates and maintenance, ensuring users always have access to the latest features without additional IT overhead.

4. Scalability & Storage Flexibility

• Expanding an on premise DAM requires additional hardware, leading to costly infrastructure upgrades.
• Cloud DAMs offer scalable storage options, allowing businesses to increase capacity as their digital asset library grows without hardware limitations.

5. AI-Powered Features & Automation

• Many cloud DAM solutions integrate AI-driven tools like auto-tagging, facial recognition, and video intelligence (AVI) to enhance searchability and organization.
• These automated features reduce manual asset management efforts, increasing efficiency and productivity.

6. Security & Compliance

• Cloud providers invest heavily in security measures, offering data encryption, redundancy, and compliance with standards like SOC 2, GDPR, and ISO 27001.
• On premise solutions rely on internal security teams, which may lack the resources to implement the same level of protection.

7. Faster Implementation & Integration

• Deploying an on premise DAM can take months due to hardware setup and software customization.
• Cloud DAMs offer faster implementation and seamless integration with existing MarTech stacks, project management tools, and content distribution platforms.

Organizations That Have Chosen Cloud DAM 

Many organizations have successfully transitioned to cloud-based DAM solutions, leveraging its scalability, AI-powered features, and accessibility. Here are a few examples: 

US Naval Institute (USNI): USNI implemented a cloud DAM with on-site archiving to preserve historical assets while ensuring easy remote access. Their solution allows for seamless content retrieval while maintaining long-term storage security. Read more. 

The Chosen: The Chosen leverages AI-powered features like Face Recognition and AVI (Video Intelligence) to streamline content management and enhance video searchability. Their cloud DAM supports efficient media organization and automation, improving overall asset utilization. Read more.

How to Choose the Right DAM for Your Business 

To determine the best DAM solution, consider the following factors: 

Security & Compliance: Do you operate in an industry with strict data regulations? On premise DAMs offer tighter control over data, whereas cloud DAM providers invest heavily in security compliance, including GDPR and SOC 2 certifications. 

MediaValet scores as the most secure DAM on the market with a 99/100 rating from SecurityScorecard.

Budget: Are you prepared for a significant upfront investment, or do you prefer a subscription-based model? Cloud DAMs provide a pay-as-you-go model, while on-premise DAMs require substantial initial capital but may reduce long-term costs. 

Scalability Needs: Do you expect your digital asset library to grow significantly over time? Cloud-based solutions offer on-demand scalability, allowing for increased storage and users without major infrastructure upgrades. 

IT Resources: Can your IT team manage updates and security patches, or do you prefer a managed service? Cloud DAM providers handle maintenance and updates, reducing internal IT workload, while on-premise DAMs require dedicated IT support. 

Collaboration & Accessibility: Do remote teams or external partners need access to your digital assets? Cloud DAMs enable seamless remote access with role-based permissions, whereas on-premise solutions may require VPN access and additional configurations. 

AI & Automation: Do you require advanced AI-driven tools for asset management? Cloud DAMs increasingly offer AI-powered features such as auto-tagging, smart search, and facial recognition, streamlining asset organization and retrieval. 

Final Steps

Choosing between an on premise vs cloud DAM solution depends on your organization’s priorities, security needs, and budget. While on premise DAM provides full control and customization, it requires significant investment and maintenance. Cloud-based DAM, on the other hand, offers flexibility, remote access, and lower initial costs but may come with ongoing subscription fees. 

Ultimately, the right solution will align with your business goals, operational requirements, and future growth plans.

Ready to explore the best DAM solution for your organization? Book a demo with MediaValet today to see how our DAM platform can help streamline your digital asset management processes. 

One of the first steps to implementing a digital asset management solution (DAM), is to research possible vendors to find the best fit for you. As you start evaluating DAM vendors, it’s important to come prepared with your desired outcomes, and talk about more than just the individual features of the system. After all, you’re investing in a DAM to provide long-term solutions for specific challenges that your organization is facing, so you need to make sure the DAM you choose can contribute and deliver on your overall goals.

Here are five questions to ask yourself, so you can better align with vendors on long-term strategy, as well as features and capabilities, in order to choose the right solution for your team.

1. How many users & user groups will you need?

Prior to meeting with a vendor, it’s important to understand how many different departments will be using the system and how many people from each department will have access.

• Do you currently have a large employee count?
• Do you plan on growing your team in the near future?
• Do you plan on opening up the DAM for your entire organization?

A DAM can act as the foundation of your assets – not only for the internal marketing department, but for your entire organization. The DAM can break down communication silos between departments and keep the entire organization on-brand and fluid if everyone is using it, plus, you can give permissions for external partners to access the DAM whenever it’s needed.

Why does it matter?

Users and user groups are a tool that can be used to collaborate easily with other departments, agencies, vendors, contractors, graphic designers, and other stakeholders. The level of user group permissions available, as well as the user pricing structure can have a huge impact on the scalability of your DAM.

2. How much training & support will you need?

Before choosing a DAM vendor, you need to understand how much you will depend on them for support and training.

• Are you looking for all support to come from from the vendor, or do you plan to handle some of it in-house?
• If you’re taking on the support role internally, what does that look like for your organization?
• How will you encourage system adoption?
• Is your internal IT department able to take on another application?
• Will you be training users in phases? How will that impact roll-out?

These are all questions to answer well in advance of putting a DAM in place—your choice needs to be sustainable for your team.

Why does it matter?

DAM features – no matter how advanced – are only useful if people know they exist (and understand how to use them). Getting users trained in the DAM is a huge portion of implementation. For many organizations, having support and training provided by the vendor itself is a critical factor for both growth and adoption, something that should be highly valued.

Want to get a feel for a MediaValet DAM Demo? Take our free guided tour here!

3. What are your objectives and goals with the DAM?

You should always arrive to a demo prepared with notes on what’s important to you, your team, and your overall business in the context of a DAM. Additionally, you should ask questions that help to truly reveal the alignment (or lack thereof) between the vendor and your objectives:

• What are the pain points you’re experiencing today?
• What SMART goals are you trying to achieve with the DAM project?
• How does the DAM fit in with your overall business strategy?

Be prepared with specific examples and business outcomes that you’re trying to achieve, not just a list of features you like. One example of a challenge and outcome could be:

Our company is growing significantly and the number of people looking for brand assets has also grown. Within the first year, we want to reduce the number of asset requests that our creative team receives by 50%, so they can focus on their top priority work.

Why does it matter?

Not all vendors will follow the same path for solving a problem. Communicating your business’ challenges and desired outcomes, in addition to ideal features, will give you a better picture of if the DAM will truly help to mitigate the issues your team is facing. It also allows you to compare apples to apples, and not just be sold on the first DAM you demo.

4. How will you measure success?

Digital asset management projects can sometimes be put at risk (either during the initial purchase or down the road), if the right people aren’t involved early on, or if there’s a misalignment in goals. Prior to meeting with vendors, ensure stakeholders are aligned on the following:

• Who will be the decision makers on the purchase?
• What does DAM success look like to you and your organization?
• How will return-on-investment (ROI) for the DAM project be measured?
• Are there potential roadblocks that you foresee?

Bringing success criteria with you to the demo can enable the vendor to equip you with the battle cards needed to get the project pushed through and prioritized within your organization.

Why does it matter?

A DAM is an investment, and you need to be prepared to defend it. When asking for funding for a DAM, there’s a higher chance the spend will be approved if both management and executive-level roles understand how the system is aligned with your overall business objectives. Here are some specific questions to address with your c-suite.

5. What’s your future vision for the DAM?

When you have a long-term vision for your DAM, it’s important to understand both the current solution, as well as the direction it’s headed. Each DAM vendor has its own roadmap to growth, so it’s important you feel aligned and headed down the same path in terms of new features and improvements. When deciding on a vendor, you should consider:

• How innovative do you want the vendor to be?
• What system improvements are most important to your organization?
• Do you want to be involved in the decision-making process for new features?

Addressing these questions can help uncover how aligned the vendor is with your future goals. It can also determine how much the DAM vendor will value your input and prioritize client feedback.

Why does it matter?

The right DAM vendor can be a long-term partner, not just a platform. Finding a vendor that will value your input as a customer, will enable you to grow and improve together long-term.

Why are These Questions Important?

Preparing for your DAM demo with these questions will ensure a better representation of the system and how it will work for you in the long run. Setting yourself up to have the most informed and clear picture of how your company will benefit from each vendor, will empower you to make the best decision possible.

If you need some ideas for what to ask on your demo, here are 24 questions to get you started.