You’ve made it through evaluating vendors, getting approval and committing to a digital asset management system. Now, it’s time to implement!
But where do you start? One of the first steps is understanding the DAM user roles and how to apply them to your users.
In this post, we discuss the 7 default DAM user roles, their responsibilities and which positions are typically most appropriate for the roles.
Administrator
Core Function: Has full control of the account, including library and users
Typical Role: Leadership roles in marketing and/or IT
The Administrator has control over all aspects of the digital asset management system, with full feature functionality and administrative capabilities. Administrators need to have a strong understanding of best DAM practices and be fully trained on the various features and operations of the library. They’re crucial for supporting DAM adoption and ensuring the library structure and policies are followed. Depending on the size of the organization, there may be one or more Administrators.
User Administrator
Core Function: Has full control of user accounts, but not the asset library
Typical Role: Leadership roles across various departments
The User Administrator is solely responsible for user accounts within the digital asset management system. They have the same capabilities as a Member, but with the added ability to create, edit and delete users. This role is often used to give leadership roles across various teams the ability to add relevant users from their associated teams, without the added risk of enabling them to alter the library.
Library Administrator
Core Function: Has full control of the asset library, but not user accounts
Typical Roles: Leadership roles across various departments
The Library Administrator has full control of the asset library, but cannot make changes to users. They have the ability to create and update categories and assets, ensuring that the library remains organized and optimized for discoverability. The Library Administrator role is often assigned to leadership roles across various departments, so they can quickly add or update department-specific assets and categories, without burdening the Administrator.
Approver
Core Function: Approves uploads and downloads within the library
Typical Roles: Marketing, Content and Project Managers
The Approver is responsible for approving uploads and downloads requested by Contributors. This role ensures that only the most up-to-date and correct assets are uploaded to the library and that assets are only being used in approved ways. The Approver is role is critical in maintaining brand standards and consistency and is often held by management-level positions.
Contributor
Core Function: View, upload and download renditions, with approval
Typical Roles: External photographers, videographers and designers
The Contributor role has the ability to upload and download assets but requires approval from an Approver or Administrator. This role is typically held by users like designers, photographers and videographers, that need consistent, but limited access to assets for editing and design purposes, but needs an added level of security.
Member
Core Function: View and download renditions of assets (but not originals)
Typical Roles: Most general roles within the company, including sales and marketing
The Member is one of the most popular roles and accounts for the majority of users. This role has self-serve access to view and download the renditions of assets. This role is typically assigned to all users that need access to the DAM for “general use”.
Guest
Core Function: View only, with no downloading or uploading capabilities
Typical Roles: External partners, agencies or volunteers
The Guest role is often assigned to both internal or external users. Guests have the ability to view assets, but can’t download or edit them. The Guest user role is typically used for sharing assets with various departments, partners or agencies when feedback or final approval is needed.
Want more tips on how to have a successful DAM implementation? Check out our blog post: The Crawl, Walk, Run Approach to a Digital Asset Management Implementation Plan.
