Get started with Asset Management: Workflow, DAM, MAM, PAM, how to choose, and cost!

In this episode of 5 THINGS, Michael gets you started with how to choose and prepare for an Asset Management solution!
1. What is Asset Management?
2. What are the differences between DAM, MAM, and PAM?
3. What options should I look for?
4. How do I plan for Asset Management?
5. How much does it cost?
Complete transcript at 5thingsseries.com/episode/asse...
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Episode Excerpt:
1. What is Asset Management?
Let’s face it, asset management isn’t sexy. Very few people work their butts off in the hopes they can, one day, administer asset management. However, the need for asset management is only growing on a daily basis. Face it, we’re not deleting media - we’re only acquiring more of it, and we need to find it send it to more places.
Wait, I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. What is asset management?
In the media realm, it’s any system you use to tag, catalog, and track your bits and pieces of media and ancillary files. In fact, just using your Mac OS Finder or Windows Explorer is “asset management by OS”. Sure, it’s rudimentary and basic, but it is a way to track and find files.
Specialized software to tag, find, and retrieve files from various storage locations is pretty common at this point. I mean, metadata is indexable and thus searchable. But…what If I were to tell you that GOOD asset management can talk to and work with multiple hardware and software solutions directly? That it can interface with non-media-based technology, like business apps? That it can automate routine processes, like transcoding and media movement and outbound delivery? And the real good ones can find data not just by the terms you search for, but can extrapolate results based on context and similar search terms?
…and this is why the sharpie marked hard drives or stack of post-its on your shelf just don’t cut it anymore. And this is also why we have the holy trinity of asset management - DAM, MAM, and PAM.
2. What's the difference between MAM, DAM, and PAM?
No doubt while looking into asset management you’ve heard these terms. We’re no strangers to acronyms in the Media and Entertainment space. DAM, MAM, and PAM. Ahh yes, the jokes practically write themselves.
A safe bet is to use the term “DAM” - Digital Asset Management. This all-encompassing term covers the subcategories of MAM - Media Asset Management and PAM - Production Asset Management. Please forgive the gross oversimplification, but let’s think of it like a fast-food burger joint.
DAM covers every process related to keeping the restaurant running and thriving. But perhaps we can get more granular than that. That’s where MAM and PAM come in. PAM covers the inbound shipments of the food, scheduling of the workers, how the workers interact with customers, and the QC of the service. MAM covers the actual food prep and usage…the nitty-gritty low-level food processes that you normally associate with the heart of a burger joint. However, those lines have now blurred - the same reason you may find a shift manager at the burger joint manning the deep fryer.
MAM and PAM extensibility with other applications, commonly via watch folders, XML or even APIs, allow MAM and PAMs to branch out and create a Venn Diagram of ability. Also, from a pure marketing standpoint, no one wants to acronym their way out of a potential deal, so, again, the lines have blurred.
In addition, many MAMs and PAMs are geared for different segments of the industry - or even other industries outside of the Media and Entertainment market. This creates different feature-sets, which blur the distinction between ‘AMs even further. In fact, if we look at one of the more specific DAMs, such as Avid MAM and Avid PAM - they actually flip the usage - PAM is used by the editors for creative purposes, while MAM handles much of the advanced automation and business processes.
This is why I prefer to stick with the DAM moniker, and only differentiate when we’re talking about specific products that have MAM or PAM in their name (like Avid). However, some tech purists will want use to use MAM if just discussing the media and entertainment market.
Psst, here’s the secret - if you’re not discussing a product with DAM, MAM, or PAM in its name, forget it! The lines have blurred to the point that it’s all asset management and the real challenge is….
...and that's all the room we have! Check out 5thingsseries.com for more!
#5THINGS #AssetManagement #MichaelKammes #DAM #MAM #PAM #MediaAndEntertainment #Metadata #Automation #Storage #NAB #Adobe #Avid #Catalog #Data #Enterprise #Solutions #Software #Workflow #Tech

[@rehamraafat3826]

Hello I need your help to estimate a mam software will be used with lto library and 4k pro res videos

[@JeffreyHandy]

I just realized you have Wilson back there. Nice touch.

[@MichaelBartonMTS]

Follow up video?