Paintings Smarter: Make Virtual Asset Control A part of Your Workflow

Collaboration is the key to a smooth workflow. Teams work across teams and departments to check off tasks and complete projects.

So, how exactly does digital asset management fit in?

The above is a commonplace email exchanged in companies where both the number and size of projects threatens to equal the circumference of the moon.

Companies and managers start with a manageable quota that fits their schedule and digital storage space. But, soon enough, things are overflowing. Both the calendars and gigabytes on the device struggle to hold everything in.

Also, with the increase in project size, it becomes harder to keep track of data. There are multiple versions, multiple files, and multiple people working on them. Somewhere along the way, the nomenclature and terminology being used by everyone also start to differ until everyone has a seemingly specialized dictionary of their own terms. 

This can be seen when different versions are sent as different documents. Not only are there a growing number of documents to keep track of, but the names also become confusing. XYZ.1, XYZ.2 Rishabh edits, XYZ.2 Komal edits. The versions and their names become harder and harder to keep track of and organize.

This is just one project, people. Multiply this disorganization and the overwhelm generated by the number of projects.

The truth is: work doesn’t have to feel this way.

And organizations do not have to throw more money to buy expensive upgrades that solve their problem. They can simply leave the earth for a while and head up to the clouds for their storage needs.

What’s Up In The Cloud?

In 2015, the global cloud storage market was estimated to be $21.17 billion as per a report published by the Allied Market Research. By 2020, it is expected to rise to a whopping $97.41 billion.

The primary reason behind this phenomenal growth and popularity has been faster accessibility and low-cost data storage.

SMEs are increasingly taking to the cloud to budget the running of their business. Large, sprawling enterprises are choosing cloud storage because just like in real life, space up there is unlimited.

Benefits Of Digital Asset Management A.K.A The Cloud

Choosing digital asset management tools that are hosted on the cloud offers several benefits in the long run. 

If you choose to buy external hard drives and populate your office desks with them, then good luck. You will only get to use these drives for 2-3 years since their failure rates are as high as 27% during the warranty period.

Even if your precious hard drives make it unharmed through the warranty period, they are still at risk due to: fires, playful dogs, stubborn cats, and the probability of getting lost in the time-space continuum.

In contrast, here’s what the cloud offers:

1. Heightened Data Security and Encryption

In the past, security for cloud storage needed to be amped up. But, with recent advancements and improvements, current cloud uploads are encrypted even before they are loaded on the cloud service provider’s servers. As such, they are unreadable by the time they are uploaded on the server.

2. Selectivity and Ease of Access

Files stored on the cloud can be accessed anywhere anytime with an internet connection. If you want greater confidentiality or only specific people to be involved, you can even grant role-based access to individuals in your team.

3. Increased Transparency and Version Control

Transparency is another benefit of digital asset management tools. All versions are saved, can be restored, available for viewing to those who have access, and able to be worked upon projects simultaneously.

4. Better Organization

Because there’s so much space, you can bid goodbye to scattered data and organize everything neatly in different sections and folders.

5. Seamless Integration

Delivery of content to the client becomes easier. This is because digital asset management tools integrate seamlessly across all platforms and versions.

6. Smoother Collaboration

With so much transparency and ease of access, collaborating across timezones and geographical boundaries becomes a whole lot smoother. Managers can breathe sighs of relief as their already hectic workloads are not hijacked by clunky systems.

All of this is only going to get better as technology advances and becomes refined. This will move marketing managers and brand managers towards greater efficiency and ease of working across the board.

How Much Does Digital Asset Management Cost?

Different cloud storage providers offer cloud storage services at different prices. For 1 TB of storage, here’s what the big players offer:

S.No.	Cloud Storage Platform	Price Points (in USD)
1	Dropbox	Basic- Free, Plus – $9.99/ mo,  and Professional – $16.58/ mo.
2	Google Drive	Google has introduced a new Google One storage plan. On Google Drive, though, if you want an additional 100 GB and 1 TB, you can pay $1.81 and $9.06 monthly. Annual plans are also available.
3	iCloud	50 GB – $1.05, 200 GB at $3.05, and 2 TB at $10.44.(India)
4	Microsoft OneDrive	Basic – Free, monthly and yearly plans starting from and extending up to $73.87 yearly.
5	Amazon Cloud Drive	100 GB –  $19.99/year.  1 TB – $59.99/ year
6	Artwork Flow	FREE & UNLIMITED STORAGE

There are options to partake in a trial period of the paid storage devices and to test what fits your team, its dynamic, and of course, the budget.

However, as teams expand and projects multiply, storage space becomes less and less. So, companies end up regularly paying more just so they can have more storage space. Somewhere, the revenue increases but the outflow also spikes up.

We’ll leave you with a spoiler: this cloud storage platform is available in the market *wink wink* and is laced with all the benefits of digital asset management tools plus more. 

You Don’t Even Need A Spaceship

Because digital asset management tools on the cloud are available right here and right now with the click of a button! They can help to create a cohesive customer experience while keeping all data encrypted and easily accessible.

Moreover, each and every department in the organization- from brand management to content to legal to HR and operations- will be able to seamlessly collaborate and optimize their workflows by taking them to the cloud.

You ready to conquer the moon now?