ABSTRACT

Before making a case for digital asset management, you must qualify the scope of the deployment. Asset management systems can range from a single user installation for image filing with a cost of $50, through to a multi-million dollar installation for hundreds or even thousands of users. The type of asset will make a big difference, as will the number of assets.The assets come in many formats.They can be structured data or unstructured text files, photographic image and illustrations, or multimedia files: audio, video, and animation. As the number of assets increases, so does the complexity of the management. A large asset repository requires tools that would represent a complete overkill for a small library. Although a large library may have economies of scale, it will require more complex management applications to fully realise the advantages of digital asset management. The relationship between the size of the library and the cost is not necessarily linear.