Unlocking School Efficiency: How Digital Asset Management Transforms Education

Photo by Katerina Holmes

The thing about digital asset management (DAM) systems is that they are supremely versatile. The clue is in the name. Pared down to their essence, DAM systems are just software tools that manage - you guessed it - digital files (or assets). As such, they can be deployed in a broad array of contexts; which is good news for enthusiastic vendors like us.

Unsurprisingly, within the broad embrace of the DAM universe there is plenty of space for acronym-friendly niches. Think PIM (product information management), or MAM (media asset management) or MRM (marketing resource management). To varying degrees, all these systems are variations on a DAM theme, each targeting specific markets and use-case scenarios.

So how about SAM, or Schools' Asset Management?

If you haven't heard of SAM before, that would be because I just made it up, which is actually kind of odd because DAM systems are ideally adapted to the management of school assets.

Let's take a closer look at how DAM systems can become SAM systems, and why they are such a good match for the schools' use-case.

Photo by Roy Reyna

Enhanced Control for Secure School Archives

Digital asset management platforms generally have three key concepts at the heart of their design and workflow: control, access and security.

One of things that distinguishes a DAM from a simple online storage service (like Dropbox or Google Drive) is a DAM's ability to efficiently control who can see which files.

For a school, just as there are physical barriers controlling who enters the school grounds, so a DAM system can provide an effective digital barrier, ensuring only those with appropriate permission can gain access to the school's digital archives.

LightRocket Enterprise can synch with a school's staff, student, and parent database too (we call it SSO - or single user sign-on), ensuring only registered users can access school content. We can also implement additional checks such a two-factor authentication and captcha forms. Some clients even ask to us to set up a gateway page, effectively blocking access to the system prior to authentication. Yes, control is a big thing for schools, just as it is for DAM systems.

Streamlined Access and Organization with DAM for Schools

Now, if access and control sound a little similar that's because, in some ways at least, they are. When we're talking about access in this context, we mean how a good DAM system (check out LightRocket Enterprise as an example), is able to filter access (determining which files are visible/downloadable and to which users).

When it comes to large archives, we can also take access to mean the way a DAM system can literally render digital content accessible by making content findable. So, access becomes about findability.

Of course, we're not just talking about making files findable 'en masse' (which is what a basic storage service - like Google or Dropbox - might do) but findable in a very specific and targeted way. If you leverage the metadata management and classification tools offered by a system like LightRocket Enterprise, you'll be able to perform laser accurate searches that will deliver up the exact file you need, exactly when you need it.

Apart from being super-efficient, and saving a whole bunch of time (and therefore money), the ability to perform precise searches is essential to releasing the value of your archives. If a file can't be found, it can't be used.

Photo by picjumbo.com

How DAM Benefits Schools

Now apply this principle in the context of a school. Imagine searching for a picture of a particular student, playing in a school football final, say 10 years ago (who doesn't want to be able to access pictures of one's schooldays?). And how about finding the relevant consent form that might have been created in relation to the student in question?

Imagine how long it would take to find such a specific picture without a DAM system that enabled you to search by date, keyword, consent form and with facial recognition (to name but a few of the nifty features we offer).

The alternative would likely involve a frustrating, and probably fruitless, search of hard drives and folders that might once have been vaguely organized by someone or, perhaps, were never organized at all. You get the picture. Schools need a DAM.

Security Matters for Schools

And on to DAM security. If you feel like there's a theme developing here, you'd be right. DAMs are very focused on keeping files safe - which is a natural priority for schools. Control and access are, after all, an expression of security. On top of this, most DAM systems usually have layers upon layers of security.

At LightRocket, we take security extremely seriously. So seriously in fact, we have our own security consultants patrolling the metaphorical perimeter fence of our systems. Bottom line for a school, for whom privacy is always going to be sacrosanct, investing in a DAM system is a smart and cost-effective way of putting precious, sensitive, and private content in a safe place.

Schools are surely one of the best matches for the feature set offered by DAM systems - and I'm sure there are plenty of neat customizations that could make our DAM even more of a SAM.

A good DAM system will centralise archives into a single location, make content available via a browser in a controlled manner, ensure files can be accurately retrieved and keep everything safe by ensuring only those with appropriate permission can either see or download files. It's hard to imagine a better match for schools who are serious about organizing an protecting their digital assets.

Ready to transform your school's digital asset management? Contact us today for a free demo of LightRocket Enterprise.

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Written by Yvan Cohen | Yvan is a Co-Founder of LightRocket Enterprise and has spent the past two decades immersed in the challenges and realities of digital asset management. As a professional photojournalist, Yvan uses his decades of media experience to help shape LightRocket's world-class DAM platform; focusing on collaboration, intuitive workflows and continuous innovation.

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