By heart, in the cloud?

Numerous organizations struggle with managing, organizing and sharing their (branded) files, images and media. The solution is often sought in the move to the cloud, after all, then we can share everything nice and easy. But with the move to the cloud, you still don't have a structure. How do you create a good structure in which everyone in the organization can find themselves? At least not with a folder structure.

Cloud does not equal structure

By now, most organizations have embraced the cloud. Even governments and municipalities have dared to make the move to higher realms. But when it comes to managing and organizing your digital assets, you're not there with the move to the cloud. You don't necessarily have to go to the cloud for good structure, and the cloud doesn't automatically mean you have good structure.

Summum of structure?

When we start working for new clients, we often get the question: Surely we will get the folder structure we are used to! The honest answer? No, you won't. That folder structure is still a legacy from the early days of the computer. Everyone knows the "My Documents" folder from Windows. We have all become so attached to that, it seems the highest form of structure. But if you think in a folder structure, you may be deceived. A folder structure is actually very rigid. Once you build it, it is not easy to deviate from. And what that structure looks like depends very much on the person who devised it. What is a very logical structure for one person is not at all logical for another. Moreover, such a folder structure is not future-proof. Organizations are constantly changing. One moment everything is very product-oriented, the next moment we throw the whole organization on its side and everything is very service-oriented. With that, an organization's taxonomy is also very fluid. In short: before you know it, you can't find anything again.

There is hope

But there is hope! You don't have to create a folder structure at all to structure your files. You can also create structure using smart tags (labels) and metadata. This allows you to virtually heap up all your organization's content, and based on the labels and categories you enter, your system knows exactly what to pick out of that big pile. If you search within a folder structure, you have to search in the right folder to begin with. Moreover, you always have to look inside the folder first to see what's inside. Hassle. In a good DAM system, you search everything by tags and search terms. This way, you have an overview of the whole and you are much more flexible to keep your structure moving with the changes in your organization. As a result, you are always ready for the future, whatever it may bring you.

Mistake, thanks!

Besides being ready for the future, you're also much more consistent. If you put everything in different folders, you'll have countless copies in no time. Just take your logo. It is bound to end up in the corporate identity folder, the annual report folder, the Internet folder and so on. If your logo changes, you'll be looking all over for all those outdated versions of it. And I would bet a lot of money that - no matter how well you've searched - that outdated logo will show up today or tomorrow in an expensive campaign. Mistake, thanks!

No waving a magic wand

By thinking holistically, and giving your files clear tags and metadata, you can bring a very clear and forward-looking structure to your DAM system. We know that moving from a folder structure on a server to a DAM system in the cloud is quite an exercise. So don't expect it to be settled with the wave of a magic wand. You have to work hard. But we are happy to help you with that, as it is part of our standard implementation service. Once you hit that battle, you'll be able to manage and organize your files much more simply from then on. And that's not thanks to the cloud, but thanks to applying smart labels and metadata.

What are you looking for? Are you looking for structure and quality, do you want to find what you're looking for, do you want to be able to share files with proper access rights and do you value security, overview and good management? Then it's time to say goodbye to your precious folder structure and look for a good DAM system.

Curious?

Want to talk further about how our complete Digital Brand & Asset Management solutions can support your organization in efficiently managing, communicating and sharing all your brand elements, logos, fonts, colors and guidelines? Feel free to contact us or request a free demo right away. We like to think along with you. Now and in the future.