One of the most popular assets that our clients need help with is the storage, management and sharing of images.

Work with Asset Bank and ditch those CD's

So we thought it would be useful to share our knowledge on Image Library Software benefits.

Image library software is all about delivering complete and total control – always desirable in business!

Knowing exactly what you have in terms of images, where to find them and how to find them in a matter of seconds can really add a new dynamic to a business. It’s not just a case of storage at cost, over the years we have also added dozens of valuable features to our image library software packages.

Here’s a quick look at 8 of our key features:

1. Easily upload and retrieve files

Creating a library either from scratch or perhaps migrating an existing library over to the new service couldn’t be easier. Asset Bank allows for any file type to be uploaded both individually or in bulk. Once the library is established it will automatically generate previews like thumbnails and video clips for ease of browsing when you are looking to retrieve files.

2. Lightning-fast search

Image search is also easy. No matter how enormous or complex the image library becomes, lightning-fast searches can be carried out from any access point, with popular searches being saved for even faster results next time.

3. Custom Downloads

When your stakeholders download a file from Asset Bank they can get it in the size and format they need. Within Asset Bank they can also crop, mask or make colorspace conversions.

4. Multiple Lightboxes

It is possible to quickly create, use, share and flip between multiple image lightboxes.

5. Sophisticated Reporting

Our software creates powerful and easy to use reports such as; documenting which files are used the most, which searches are most popular, who might be using the files, and the search terms others are using.

6. Storage

The use of cloud storage for images allows for practically limitless scope in terms of size and recoverability.

7. Customise

Practically every last detail regarding the image library and the system put in place can be customised from the ground up to create a 100% perfectly tailored package for any business.

8. More than just images

Though images are probably the first asset on your mind, we find our clients almost always have a need to store and share other assets including videos, presentations and good old word documents. Asset Bank is fully equipped for all these assets if and when you need to manage them!

For more information on image library software and the management of digital assets in general, contact Asset Bank.

The answer is through our new Publish Lightbox feature.

Publish Lightbox allows users outside of Asset Bank to review assets and their metadata and choose to download some or all of them.

How it works

Add the assets you would like to share to your lightbox. Select ‘Publish’ which will generate a link.

Fig.1. Select 'Publish' when in Lightbox

The link will display a current snapshot of the assets within your lightbox and can be re-published later to reflect any changes you make. You can set an expiry date for this link or unpublish it manually at a later date.

Fig.2. Link to email to contacts

You can then send this link to anyone and they will be able to access the assets wihout logging into Asset Bank. Note, you can only publish assets that you have download permission for, ‘view only’ assets will not be shared. In addition, the attributes that are displayed beneath each published asset can be configured by an admin user (i.e. they can choose to show a different set of attributes on these published pages).

Fig.3. Assets available via link

More details

Publish Lightbox is enabled via a settings change.

For more information, please visit: http://www.assetbank.co.uk/go/help/publish-lightbox/ or contact the Asset Bank Customer Support Team: support@assetbank.co.uk, +44 (0) 1273 923 152

 

Thanks,

Amanda.

To assist us in this process we have invested in a Customer Support ticket system called Zendesk. This system allows us to organise and prioritise our incoming workload in a clear, structured way. It ensures we respond to support tickets within our Service Level Agreement and work with our clients to solve their support tickets as promptly as possible.

Key benefits for our clients

1. The ability to track the progress of their own and their colleague’s support tickets, including a history of closed tickets. Making it simpler to stay on top of things.
2. Automatic notifications sent when support tickets are raised and escalated to a developer or user interface designer. Keeping everyone in the loop.
3. Easy access to self-service resources such as knowledge base, user/admin help and other documentation. Making it quick to check for existing solutions.

Fig. 1. Bright Interactive's Zendesk ticket system

Using the ticket system

If you are already in the Asset Bank Customer Support programme, you can now register for Zendesk here: https://brightinteractive.zendesk.com/home.

Note, the usual support email address is currently running in parallel with Zendesk so our existing clients can choose which method of communication they prefer. We will let you know when this changes.

The Asset Bank Customer Support programme includes a service level agreement for resolving issues plus access to new features and enhancements via our quarterly releases. If you are not a member of Customer Support, but want to find out more, or if you have any feedback, then please contact us: support@assetbank.co.uk

Thanks, Amanda Faulkner (Asset Bank Support Manager)

As companies grow in size however, they start to amass much more digital content including:

• Various company and product logos
• Images they have purchased as part of a marketing campaign (e.g. elements used for a brochure or web banner)
• Product images
• Portraits of key staff
• PowerPoint presentations from Sales and Technical conferences
• Video and audio footage
• Key documentation
• Photos of company social events

Benefits of DAM over a network storage solution

Browser based DAM systems allow your users to log in from anywhere at any-time, to find the materials they need. A permissions based self-service model saves users time whilst saving you money.

Unlike a network folder, a single asset can exist in multiple folder locations. Users can then browse to the resource they need in the way that is most natural to them. They can also browse by keyword or even apply a filter prior to browsing (e.g. reducing the browse folder structure to only show video files). In addition, searching across all the assets you have is suddenly viable and produces good results due to metadata being attached to each asset (e.g. title, description and keywords). Advanced searching allows users to search on specific attributes including date ranges, and search builder allows complex searches to be constructed.

You can choose which assets are safe for everyone to download directly, without the need for additional human intervention. Other assets you can set to ‘require approval’ first (on a group by group basis), with the reason for use being passed to the relevant team for the OK before download. The same logic can be configured for uploads (trusted groups can upload directly, others need approval before the content goes live) and for editing existing assets.

As well as making it easy for people to find what they need, DAM systems also allow administrators to draw attention to new or featured content. Helping raise awareness of certain materials that will benefit the user base (e.g. elements of a campaign that can now be re-used by other marketing offices), and keeping users informed with any news or announcements.

Users may want the assets they find to be converted to the right filetype and dimensions to suit their task. Good DAM systems have image and video manipulation software integrated within them, allowing users to convert the files at point of download, for example converting a print resolution CMYK gif image to a smaller web ready RGB jpg.

As well as being the most efficient way to share, DAM systems also add extra levels of control and management over network storage including:

Summary

Small organisations tend to have less need for DAM systems. As they grow larger though, and as the number of assets they have and the number of people requiring access increases, Digital Asset Management becomes a logical next step. As well as being the best way to manage such materials, Digital Asset Management can also save money that would have been wasted through manual management of such assets, or through lack of awareness and re-use of materials that have already been paid for.

We hope this list has been useful. If you have any feedback or questions then please get in touch: feedback@bright-interactive.co.uk.

Thanks, Paul.

For new Asset Bank administrators we offer both on-line and on-site training. This is an ideal way to help you understand all aspects of the system including managing users, configuring the user interface and utilisation of reports. Please contact us should this be of interest.

Support & Upgrades Programme

If you are already part of this programme, then you can contact the Support Team for fixing of defects and fair use help. Just email support@assetbank.co.uk with your query. You will also be entitled to product upgrades which include enhancements to existing functionality plus brand new features. Please contact the support team if you are interested in joining or if you want to just check to see if you are already in the  programme.

Asset Bank Newsletter

We have an Asset Bank Newsletter that is sent periodically, keeping you up to date with any relevant news including descriptions of latest features and product enhancements added to each quarterly release. If you are interested, then please visit our homepage and sign up via the subscription panel below the Featured Projects area on the right of the page. You can of course opt out at any time and your email address will never be shared with anyone.

Customisations

Should you have a requirement for a new feature that would save you valuable time and effort, then please contact us. Clients often commission us to extend Asset Bank to help fulfil their specific needs. Read more about customisations.

Standalone Applications

If you have a requirement for an application that would sit outside of Asset Bank, but that would make use of the data you hold within it, then we can build this for you. A recent example of such a project is a Presentation Builder which allows a client to manage individual PowerPoint slides in their Asset Bank, but have a separate application that allows their sales staff to quickly build a presentation. This is just an example, but if you have any projects like this that you would like to get our input on, then please contact us.

Asset Bank API (Application Programmers Interface)

Should you have the IT infrastructure in-house, you may want your own development team to write code that interfaces between Asset Bank and another of your applications. This can be done via the Asset Bank REST API.

We hope this list has been useful. If you have any feedback or questions then please get in touch: feedback@bright-interactive.co.uk.

Thanks, Paul.