WHITE PAPER:

Building a Better DAM

Making your digital asset management system more usable, functional and valuable than it is today is easier than you think.

The worlds best digital asset management systems are: Designed with assets, metadata and users considered as a whole, with the needs of all addressed Based on systems and technologies that facilitate and encourage growth, without expensive start overs Configured to recognize dangerous access and distribution conditions users might miss, and handle them Defining terms
Its important to define your own meaning for the terms associated with digital asset management (DAM), and to keep those definitions in mind as you make decisions that affect your DAM initiative. Clarity on terminology will enable you to make better decisions with regard to your DAM system, and to better communicate your needs, goals and ideas to your coworkers and digital asset management service providers. The most important terms to define are: Digital asset Metadata Digital asset management Feel free to ignore definitions you see online. Youll rarely find two experts who agree, and what matters most is what the terms mean to you and your organization. For now, well use the following definitions: Digital asset A digital file becomes a digital asset when it has a purpose, value, status, history and future. In other words, instructions to the office holiday party wouldnt be considered a digital asset. Your organization's logo, new brochure and the photos you license to (and from) others are digital assets. Value The photos value comes from the revenue its licenses generate. You can also use this value to forecast revenue. Similar to predicting a future bank account balance based on current deposits and interest rate, you can estimate revenues generated from digital assets you havent even created yet. (What better way to determine if an asset even should be created?) Status A photo has been shot and edited, and its now Approved for Use. Future photos might be in a To Do status. Recently shot photos might be Pending Review, while older ones are Archived. History You created the photo, so you own the rights to it. By contrast, some asset histories involve a limited-use license that was purchased. Its important to track a digital assets history, because so many future decisions will be based upon this information. Future You plan to use the photo as long as it provides a good revenue stream. You might also plan to promote it on your website until your next new photo is released, at which time this photo goes into the archive. All of a sudden, your photo seems to have a pretty rich life. Its got a purpose thats clear, you know what its worth to you now and in the future, and you know what youre allowed to do with it. You can even forecast the value of future similar photos based on your experience with this one. Metadata Tags, keywords and even nontext values used to describe a files content, purpose, value, status, history and future are metadata. Though metadata is not what gives an asset its intrinsic value, metadata is what you use to determine and recognize that value. Without proper metadata, a valuable digital asset might be treated just like any other file, much like an antique worth millions might be considered a relic to the untrained eye. Metadata helps you identify and communicate a files standing as a valued digital asset.

Without proper metadata, a valuable digital asset might be treated just like any other file.
Digital asset management This term simply describes the process you use to enter and manage metadata so that you can leverage your digital assets to generate the added value your organization seeks. Dedicated digital asset management software is probably involved because it makes the process easier, but software alone is not what digital asset management is all about. These definitions in mind, lets cover some ideas for building a better DAM.

Your OS is not DAM

We love our Macs, PCs and Linux boxes, but we love them less when we expect of them things they cannot deliver. I wonder where my file is The core purpose of the file system your OS provides is to store files, so for an OS, file location is always the main focus. But users shouldnt need to care where files are stored. All that should matter to them is that they can access the assets they need. To this end, forget about the file system metaphor when designing or improving your DAM system. Focus instead on the

A digital file that has a known purpose, value, status, history and future is a digital asset.
Lets consider a photo thats licensed for revenue generation: Purpose The photo will help you generate revenue because people license it.

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 1 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

purpose, value, status, history and future of those files. Finding files based on these values is far more efficient than finding files based on locations (or file names) for the following reasons: File names can be inconsistent when users dont know or follow conventions File locations can change when servers need to be taken down, or new hard drives are added Finding files based on name and location require users to know that information File names and locations are meaningless to anyone outside your organization, such as customers, freelancers or agencies Consider the following: I need the cover photo from last years anniversary edition. I need a photo that contains a man holding a baby, and it has to be licensed for print use. Which edits are due this week? These are the ways in which users will expect to find files in your DAM. I wonder if I can use this file The yes/no permissions model operating systems use doesnt reflect the real world. Consider the following: Mom, can I go out and play? Yes, but only after youve finished your homework. But dont play in the street! And come home before it gets dark! So, is this a yes or a no? Its a conditional yes, and its not yes forever. Some of those conditions delay approval, while others limit and ultimately revoke it. You cant get this level of permissions sophistication from an operating system. A conditional yes is also the norm in business: Is this PDF ready for distribution? Yes, once its been approved by editorial and the art department, and after the embargo has expired. But remember, we need to swap it out when the next version is ready. Define permissions that reflect your needs, not the limitations of your OS.

Look! Im contributing to the DAM! Files that offer no value need to stay out of your DAM. Users might think theyre doing the right thing by dumping into the DAM every file they create. But this is like mixing gold-plated coins with real gold coinsthe good stuff becomes more difficult to find. If there are good reasons at your organization for cataloging non-asset files, consider offering users a separate catalog for those files.

Google + DAM: Getting the best of both worlds

The larger your asset collection, the less effective a global all fields or all content search becomes. But you can still offer a search everything option by using formulas or other options to concatenate the values of multiple fields into one. The advantage is that you can define what everything includes. Heres how it works: Field Tags contains Sunflower Field Conditions contains Day Field License contains Print Your search everything field would contain a formula that copies each individual fields value into one: Sunflower, Day, Print The integrity of the metadata fields remains intact, and users more easily find what they expect. Dont overdo it Professional DAM systems enable you to create as many different metadata fields as you need. This encourages some organizations go DAM crazy when deciding what metadata to track. But too much metadata confuses users and discourages them from wanting to use the DAM system. Consider a salesperson who needs fast access to brochures: Your designers might care which application created the files, and Marketing certainly cares when the files are due for an update, but your salesperson just wants to see a thumbnail, title and general description of purpose. Anything more is visual noise she doesnt want to see.

Cataloging files that have no value is like mixing gold-plated coins with real gold coinsthe good stuff becomes more difficult to find. Google is not the goal
Enter a search term and see a million resultsit sounds like DAM bliss, but its not. First off, Google is a content search engine, not a file search engine. When you search for digital asset management software on Google, youre looking for information (content) on the subject, youre not looking for a specific file. Contrast this with a DAM system, through which users seek specific files they can use in layouts or presentations. Sure, content plays a part, but when adding a picture to InDesign or PowerPoint, that content needs to be wrapped into a file. That said, the simplicity of a Google search is appealing, and theres no reason you cant offer users something similar. Just keep in mind, free-form search is a nice option for users casually browsing without specific goals in mind. But when it comes to finding a specific file, theyll need to offer more targeted search options.

Metadata design sense

A DAM system without smart metadata design is just a collection of files you probably wont be able to use. But determining what smart means requires understanding exactly what your users need to leverage your digital asset investment.

Dont overwhelm users with too much metadata.

Searching, sorting, reporting As a general rule for determining if you need a given metadata field, consider whether the field would be useful for finding a file, sorting files in some meaningful way, or generating reports or views that provide useful general information, such as a thumbnail image.

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 2 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

Default DAM system configurations do you no favors here, because they come out of the box with a massive array of fields that are required for general-use catalogs. But you dont need EXIF fields if none of your assets come from digital cameras. And what about that Notes field? Has it just become a dumping ground for information users should be adding elsewhere? You can always add metadata fields later, so theres no need to think of everything up front. Plus, adding new fields is easy, but removing fields is potentially dangerous, because some of those fields might actually contain metadata.

house, or you subscribe to something like the US Library of Congress taxonomy or the Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Index, some sort of structured metadata makes asset collections more usable.

Developing a useful taxonomy requires thought, discussion, research and a plan for maintenance.
If you choose to develop your own taxonomy or controlled vocabulary, plan to do some research, and its a good idea to find an expert who can help. A good taxonomy requires a lot of thought, and a plan for maintenance too. If youre not already working with a DAM services organization, this is a great reason to establish a relationship. Theyll help guide you through the process, and youll benefit from learning what has worked at other organizations.
NOTE: The Controlled Vocabulary website is a great resource for more info: http:/ /www.controlledvocabulary.com

Its easier and safer to add the metadata fields you need than it is to remove the ones you dont use.
But I might need this info one day If your digital assets contain metadata you dont need now, but might need one day, you have two options: Capture the metadata into fields you hide from users or (if your DAM system supports it), update your asset records later to capture the extra metadata when you have a use for it. The goal is to not bombard users with information they dont need.

FIGURE 1: Text fields provide value, but theyre best for content that production doesnt rely upon. For status and restricting metadata values, use menus, check boxes and other options that are less prone to data entry error.

Status of asset Metadata can also be used to move assets through their life cycles. At the most basic level, these values help users determine whos working on an asset or where it needs to go next. For example, status metadata can be used to assign an asset to an individual or department that needs to see it, and it can even serve as a flag that prompts your DAM system into performing some automation function, such as changing access permissions or copying a Ready for Archive asset to off-site storage. Avoid using text fields for status metadata to reduce data entry errors. If someone adds yelow as a content description tag, thats a problem you can fix any time; but if someone types ready into a status field, thats ambiguity that can bring a production to a halt. Figure 1 shows the best options for status metadata fields, which are: Menus Check boxes Radio buttons Labels

Restrictions for access, use Even more so than status metadata, metadata that communicate restrictions need to be easy to set and easy to understand. The same field types are recommended. Its important to also consider that these fields are likely to be used by your DAM systems automation capabilities, so you want to make sure you use values that will result in error-free non human decision making. In other words, allowable values for an Approved field should be yes or no, not maybeask me. The importance of unambiguous restrictions fields cannot be over emphasized. When a single field value cannot convey all necessary information, consider using two or more fields as a group to make the restriction clear. For example, say that a Licensed For restriction field contains Print as its only value. Your layout artist, whos working in InDesign and will ultimately generate a PDF for your printed brochure, assumes the asset is fair game.

Metadata function
Categorizing your metadata fields will help you determine whether you have everything you need, and it will make permissions assignments much easier (as youll see in the next section). Most metadata can be classified as: Content description Status of asset Restrictions for access or use Attributes of file

Content description The most common metadata describe an assets content. These values enable users to find images of yellow flowers that are landscape orientation. This is also where taxonomies and controlled vocabularies come into play. Whether you use one youve developed in

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 3 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

So what happens when Marketing wants to distribute the PDF on your website? Is this a license violation or not? The addition of a text field can help clarify any ambiguity that might remain from the restriction field alone. (Figure 2)

asset, and restrictions for use wouldnt necessarily change, But an entirely new file will be created, so the attribute metadata will also be completely new. This type of metadata is most important during an assets production, but it becomes much less important once the asset is released for general use.

Metadata by type
Below are examples of the four metadata categories most commonly used in DAM systems, and field types that work well for each.
Type Example Yellow Field Text, CV* Menu, CV*

User account basics

When building a better DAM, forget about users as specific people. Instead, focus on the functions those people perform. This will enable you to design and maintain a system that addresses user needs in general, as opposed to being something that works well for certain individuals only.
Content

Daytime Nighttime Portrait Landscape Square To Do In Edit In Approval Distributed Needs Update Due Print Only Web Only

Menu

FIGURE 2: When a single field cant convey all

important information, use a partner field to fill in the blanks.

Menu

Status

The benefit of a field partnership like this, is that the check boxes provide a base restriction thats clear, and that automation can understand, while the text field provides downstream information that can help protect you even after the asset has left the control of your DAM. For an added layer of protection, have your DAM write-back text restrictions into your asset files so they will always be available, no matter where the file goes. Restriction metadata needs to tell a complete story. If something isnt clear, something will go wrong. But if you provide enough metadata flexibility so that all considerations are taken into account, the common user assumption that if I can see it, I can use it wont keep you up at night.

Avoid adjusting permissions for specific users. Rely on access policy and keep things consistent.
As an example, lets examine what Sandra does with her DAM system: Uploads new files Edits metadata for her files Shares files with customers That in mind, lets now forget about Sandra. What matters is that some user needs permissions to perform the functions Sandra performs. We need to abstract the use from the user. We can address this in one of two ways: Use roles to define permissions, and then assign users to those roles Define user account templates that define permissions, and then base new user accounts on those templates Defining access via roles The preferable solution is to create a role that defines each core need Sandra has. For example, wed have one role that permits a user to upload new files, another for editing metadata, and a third for sharing files. By assigning a user to all three roles, she would inherit the access she needs. The advantage of this approach is that other users will have to upload files too, while others will have to edit metadata, but not upload anything new.
Restriction

Checkbox Date Menu Checkbox Checkbox OS** OS** OS**

License Valid Approved JPEG

Attribute

20MB Created Date

* CV: Contolled vocabulary **OS: Values provided by operating system

Roles become building blocks you can use to quickly and consistently assign permissions to users. User account templates for consistency If your system doesnt provide roles-based administration, the next best option is to create user account templates. For example, youd configure an account that permits all the access that Sandra needs, and when another Sandra comes along, you create that users account based on that template. This is the best way to ensure that each new user starts out with access permissions youve tested and know to provide the needed access. Syncing user needs with permissions With roles established that act as building blocks for all required access, its much eas-

A well designed DAM system prevents if I can see it, I can use it from landing your organization in court.
Attributes of file A files creation date, size, type and other such metadata can be considered attribute metadata. These metadata values are of a transient nature, and users dont typically edit them directly. For example, when doing a straight conversion of a Photoshop file to JPEG format, the description of the content, status of the

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 4 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

ier to assign users the permissions they need, and to manage your user accounts. For example, lets consider access needs for users in Sales and Design departments, a production manager, and customers too.
Upload Sales Design Manager Customer Edit Share Download

With roles configured to permit each of the required functions, it would take no time at all to add a new user to any one of these departments or functions. If a customer one day needed to also upload files, youd know exactly what to do. When coupled with content, status, restriction and attribute metadata categories explained in the Metadata function section, we can take this building block approach to permissions all the way down to the level of individual metadata fields. Referencing the table above, Design and Manager roles each have edit permissions, but you might need more granular control than that. For example, youd want designers to be able to edit content metadata fields, but your status or restriction fields should be editable only by those in management.

The problem with this approach lies in accountability and communication. First off, when changes are made to your assets and metadata, you want a record of who did what when. When a new file has been added, you want to know who added it, because you might need information that only the cataloging user would know. If 20 users all share the same account, all youd see is that some designer added the new file. Its even worse when youre trying to figure out which of your 20 designers is the one who checked out a file you need to update.

Likewise, when an employee leaves, access to the DAM is automatically revoked. Some DAM systems also permit access to LDAP record field values, so you can pull values like employee contact information, language and moreperfect for tacking who did what in your DAM. LDAP integration is especially valuable to larger organizations at which the DAM administrator might not know when employees come and go.

Document, educate, communicate

Once you provide your organization and customers with a DAM system, your team becomes like a software company, complete with engineering, QA, support and marketing departments. In the same way you look to your DAM vendor for answers and support, your users will look to you. Specifications If you and your professional services organization drafted a specification for your system before you built it, youre already many steps ahead of the pack. A system specification is beneficial for many reasons: Discussion and communication Its easier to discuss system functionality proposals with those not familiar with DAM functionality, such as your IT team. Blue print A good specification enables you to identify design concepts that might need some rethinking before you spend time implementing them, and it serves as a great to-do list while building your system. QA checklist If you define how your system is supposed to work, you can better test it to make sure it works as expected. Documentation A good specification can be used by a writer to draft user documentation. Without a specification, your writer would have to be familiar with the system, or have you at his side. If your DAM system is already in use and you havent yet written a specification for it, consider writing one now. It will help you communicate design ideas with your services people, and it will help you implement user change requests.

Account sharing prevents you from knowing which of your 20 designers checked out the file you need to update.
The second problem with account sharing is that not all designers are always just designers. If one of your designers fills in for a vacationing manager, then does she connect using the Designer account or the Production Manager account? Either way, shes not going to be able to do everything she needs to do, and your change history is going to be polluted by false data. If your DAM system permits unlimited user accounts and roles, theres no reason to ever permit account sharing. Even if your system limits you to a maximum number of simultaneous user connections, you can still create as many user accounts as you need. LDAP/AD If your organization uses LDAP, Active Directory or Open Directory for employee record management, look into linking it to your DAM system for user authentication. When properly configured, this will save you many hours of user account administration, because you can base your DAM system on organizational hierarchies already defined in that system. For example, when a new employee is hired, she will have instant access to your DAM thats based on the roles to which the employee is assigned in the LDAP system. For example, someone newly hired into Accounting will have the same access available to others in the departmentno more, no less.

Abstracting users from use is essential for permissions that are easier to understand, apply and maintain.
Better still, if a new production manager came aboard, or the current manager went on vacation and assigned someone else to fill in, youd be able to quickly and easily adjust access as needed. Dont let users share When DAM systems dont provide rolesbased administration, organizations sometimes try to compensate by letting users share accounts. For example, a single Designer user account is created for all designers to share.

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 5 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

Promote, analyze, gather

Once your system is configured, youll switch from engineering mode to marketing mode. Its now time to sell the system, and your goals at this point are significant. Promote use You want to make sure people are taking advantage of your DAM. The first step, of course, is to make them aware of it. Webinars, demonstrations or other events can get the word out and get users started. Change management can be tricky, so this is another area where your professional services team can provide some great value. If you experience user resistance to your DAM, overcome it by making sure the benefits of the system are communicated clearly and often. A professional services team with process and change management experience will know how to make this easier for you.

Either way, the sooner you know, the better. Assets that were there yesterday probably havent traveled far. Even if the asset has been erroneously deleted, your chances of recovering it from a recent backup are much better than trying to figure out which older backup contained the most recent version of the file. Dont let yesterdays asset loss result in tomorrows production delayidentify trouble now, while you still have options.

FIGURE 3: Metadata fields can be used to

collect information that helps keep catalogs and collections in better shape. This image shows how status fields can communicate more than just to-do and approved.

Run a nightly task that reports on missing assets. Dont let yesterdays asset loss result in tomorrows production delay.
In the case of missing metadata, the last person to edit the record might have just forgotten to enter a value thats still known. Ask for the missing metadata today and youll likely get the info you need; ask in six months, and youll get a raised eyebrow. Fresh metadata Metadata values that are inaccurate or no longer current are worse than no values at all because users will have no reason to doubt the bad information. For example, if a user sees an empty usage restriction field, shes likely to seek clarification. But if the field says the asset is Approved for Print, thats what shell assume. If the terms of your license agreement have changed to cover online use only, she wont know the difference.

Proper change management helps ensure your system is accepted and used.
Analyze use Always be aware of how many people are using your DAM system. If usage is below expectations, find out why. Users might not know about the system, they might not like the system, or they might just not understand it. In any case, you need to know so that you can act. Start by looking at the usage statistics your system provides. When properly configured, usage statistics can provide useful info like: Search terms users are using to find files (see what users want most) Search terms users are using that are not finding files (see where you need to adjust metadata values) Files most/least often downloaded (see which files are most valuable) Gather input Keep an open channel with users so its always easy for them to offer suggestions. Publish a special email address, share your phone number, and survey them regularly.

Also consider adding metadata fields inside your catalog specifically intended for user communication. (Figure 3)

Keep a clean house

Asset and metadata check-ups help ensure your assets will be easier to find, and that all necessary status and restriction information is in place and accurate. Missing assets and metadata Using automation functions, you can verify that the metadata you have are the metadata you need. Field validators can ensure the values users enter are in the proper format. Scheduled search tasks can look for empty fields or, as shown in figure 3, metadata flags set by users can indicate when an asset record needs attention. The conditions you search for will depend on the circumstances you consider to be trouble. For example, it might be fine to lack an email address for a copyright holder, and it might also be fine to lack a phone number, but its not fine to lack both values. Automation can help you avoid these situations. To ensure your asset collection remains intact, the very least thing you should do is configure a nightly task that reports on assets that can no longer be found. Files reported missing might have been inadvertently deleted, or they might have just been moved outside of the DAM system.

Metadata thats not accurate is worse than no metadata at all.

Stale metadata is much more difficult to identify than missing metadata, so the best strategy is to avoid staleness in the first place: Schedule metadata reviews Mark your calendar to perform a general check of your systems metadata. If your system contains too many assets for you to manage alone, find some helpers. You can also stagger reviews so that half your fields are checked one month, and the other are checked the following month. Or, assign subsets of assets or fields to the departments best equipped to verify their values.

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional add-ons. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 6 of 7

WHITE PAPER: Building a Better DAM

Have a metadata party! When metadata validity would be a better shared experience than a personal one, plan a party and invite all interested individuals. Fire up a projector and shine your DAM system interface on a wall. Go through each asset record, soliciting and collecting the groups knowledge and opinions. Granted, this is not an option for reviewing of hundreds of thousands of assets, but monthly or even quarterly parties can help. Identify stale dates For more sensitive assets, configure date fields that serve as stale dates. Once the date arrives, the DAM system takes the asset offline and prompts you to review it. This is particularly helpful when you know an assets metadata is subject to obsolescence. For example, any images whose captions refer to a sitting president by position should be scheduled for review at a time when the office might be held by another.

This asset was licensed to Acme on December 19, 2011 for use only in printed materials distribution in Canada. For more information, contact info@MyPhotoHouse.info.

information to help you get the most from your digital asset management initiative. For more than 20 years, Canto has been a leading provider of digital asset management systems and services. In that time, 14,000+ Canto Cumulus systems have been sold and 1,000,000+ Cumulus user licenses have been distributed. Canto Professional Services includes some of the industrys most experienced, qualified DAM service professionals. Their advice, guidance and expertise is valuable during all phases of your DAM initiative. We hope this white paper has been useful to you, and we hope youll offer us the opportunity to work with you to design, deploy and manage your digital asset management initiative.

Educate and express yourself

Even after your DAM system is deployed, learn as much as you can about the art and science of digital asset management and its related disciplines. Here are some ideas: Training Take advantage of every class, workshop or other training option your professional service team offers. Forums Join user forums where you can share ideas with others. Step outside the DAM box Dont forget about resources outside of the field of DAM, such as archivists, taxonomists and librarians. They understand the goal behind DAM, and they can offer invaluable advice and guidance.

Plan metadata reviews to help keep metadata fresh, accurate and reliable. No DAM vacations
Dont let your DAM sleep when you do. Even if you dont have sophisticated workflow requirements, many DAM functions can be automated to make things easier on you and your users. Copyright values are a great example. Verifications and updates that would take you hours can be done by your DAM nightly. Usage restrictions are another example. Have your DAM system embed advisories into assets that are personal to those who license your assets. For example:

Schedule system evaluations

Schedule regular reviews of your DAM system with power users, your professional services team, and other stake holders in your DAM initiative. Discuss ideas for improvements, and ask your services team about whats new in the field. No matter how good your DAM system is today, you can do better next year because youll know more. Act upon the new things you learn and youll never stop building a better DAM.

For more information on how Canto Cumulus can benefit your organization, contact your local Canto partner, or contact Canto directly. United States +1 (415) 495-6545 Europe +49 (0) 30 390 485 0 Everywhere info@canto.com

Next steps
Look for webinars and other white papers from Canto that offer more best-practice

About Canto & Cumulus

Canto has been dedicated to helping customers fully utilize their digital assets since 1990. Canto Cumulus is a cross-platform solution that enables companies to easily organize, find, share and track their ever-increasing numbers of digital files, in any format. Cantos worldwide network of certified developers offers an impressive assortment of plug-ins that enhance the Cumulus product line further.

About Canto Professional Services

Canto Professional Services personnel provide expert advise, guidance, needs assessment, change and process management, training and more to those considering, deploying or already benefitting from professional digital asset management. Learn more: www.canto.com

Canto, the Canto logo and Cumulus are registered trademarks of Canto. Other company and product names might be trademarks of their respective owners. Some product claims and features are not included in all versions of the software and/or might require additional Cumulus Add-ons or Plug-ins. GEN/mkWP-BetterDAM/2011.08 Copyright 2011 Canto GmbH. All rights reserved. www.canto.com Page 7 of 7