The cost of digital asset management (DAM) software is so much more than a dollar figure.  

DAM creates value by enhancing the productivity, user experience and agility of your business. 

So, when discussing the cost of a DAM system, we must also consider the cost of time, money and resources wasted without one.  

Here, we’ll look at 6 DAM features that create the most value and what they really mean for your business.  

6 Factors That Influence The Price Of A DAM System

With DAM software, you get what you pay for. A lack of features and customisations means a less enjoyable platform for your users.  

So let’s take a look at six of the most common factors that determine the final cost of a DAM system and the value they bring to your business. 

1. Amount Of Users

Businesses change every day. People will frequently join, quit or retire from your organisation, and your DAM software needs to be able to keep up. Afterall, there’s nothing worse than reaching your limit on user access, especially in a growing organisation.  

That’s why looking for a solution that can expand or reduce your amount of users is crucial.  

Look for a vendor capable of boosting security measures, collaboration privileges and admin coverage as your organisation expands. Doing so means you’ll never have to worry about your software keeping up with your growth plans.  

2. Is It Cloud-Based Or On-Premises?

On-premises systems incur a one-time fee paid upfront and a higher deployment cost. The level of support and maintenance they require usually means the additional cost of hiring an internal team to manage it – costing you time, money and resources – a deterrent for many. 

Cloud-based DAM systems cost less than on-premises as they’re easier to install, setup and operate on a subscription basis. This means you’ll only pay for the users and storage you need and can easily increase or decrease these as needed.  

As it evolves with your business, cloud based DAM saves you time, money and resources, allowing your organisation to remain agile.  

3. Storage Requirements

Imagine you’re a small start-up with big growth plans – you don’t need whopping storage in the short term, but the long term is a different story. The last thing you’ll want to deal with is storage restrictions as you’re rapidly growing. 

With on-premises DAM systems, expanding your existing storage capacity not only costs a significant amount of money, but time and probably a fair amount of frustration too.  

Cloud based DAM providers on the other hand, scale your storage requirements easily and instantly. For businesses, this means expanding your storage is as simple as upgrading your subscription, and you’ll only ever have to pay for what you actually need.   

4. Customisations

While some vendors customise certain aspects of their DAM software, others like Collaboro create an entirely bespoke platform from the ground up. 

Without these customisations, you risk investing in clunky software that doesn’t work cohesively with existing workflows and programs like CMS’s and MarTech stacks. Employees will still have to manually upload and download assets or constantly switch between different platforms. This creates bottlenecks, frustration and poor productivity. 

The value of such rich customisation is often hidden in the platforms user friendly interface, seamless connectivity with existing software and intuitive search functions. Basically, a platform completely tailored to your business. Use is simple and enjoyable for employees – and that’s invaluable.  

5. Post Implementation Services

Most organisations don’t have the time or resources to take care of essential DAM admin themselves. And without a dedicated digital asset manager, you DAM system quickly becomes an unorganised, untagged mess. 

It’s these ongoing services like onboarding and tagging, employee training and large file upload that transform your DAM system from a piece of software into an end-to-end solution.  

Collaboro does exactly that, taking care of these additional services to ensure a seamless experience from day one. We’ll take the burden of continuous admin off your shoulders, and give you peace of mind knowing assets are always where you want, when you need them. For busy organisations, that’s priceless.  

6. Features

As a bare minimum, most DAM software includes metadata and tagging, advanced search functions, customisations, direct support and data storage compliance measures.  

However, on top of these, some DAM providers also offer video and image editing capabilities, API’s, creative templates, workflow tools and more. It’s these extra features that transform your DAM software into an intuitive platform. They make your employees day-to-day easy, efficient and quite frankly, more enjoyable.  

Now that’s value. 

What’s Included In Set-Up Fees?

Most vendors will charge for implementation services such as: 

• Server configuration (for on-premises) 
• Brand application 
• Building out metadata schemas 
• Tagging implementation 
• Initial asset migration 
• Layout customisation 
• Building out intuitive search functions 

At Collaboro – we’re different.  

We know these implementation services are key to a successful DAM solution, that’s why they’re included in our pricing from the get-go. No hidden or additional costs for the services that take away the bulk of admin work and guarantee the long-term success of your DAM software.  

Why You Shouldn’t Focus On Price Alone

There’s a lot more to pricing than meets the eye, and there’s a lot more to a DAM system than what you see at face value.  

The value of a DAM system is hidden in the automation of workflows, enhancing user experience and the ROI of company time and resources. These are the areas that really make a difference, and they are invaluable. 

Focusing on price alone can be detrimental for your business. It means sacrificing the features and services that benefit your organisation the most in the long run. 

To find out more on the ROI of digital asset management software, see our article here.  

Why Choose Collaboro For Your DAM System?

Collaboro is an Australian Cloud-based DAM solution that empowers your teams to do more. Our DAM platform will centralise all your digital assets, making it easier for your teams to organise, find and share all your digital media files, in one place, from anywhere.

But a successful DAM solution requires more. This is where Collaboro brings local Australian expertise and support services to provide a customised end-to-end solution.