Last Updated on October 18, 2017 by
In this technologically-driven age we find ourselves immersed in, it’s crucial to learn how to manage digital assets. Like millions across the world, you probably have email stored on your personal computer, smart phone or, as per the latest rage, in the cloud. You may even have one or more social media accounts to your credit, and more than likely have many pictures stored in online photo albums. But social media accounts, online banking transactions, multimedia, photos and email are only mere examples of one’s digital life, or identity.
A “digital asset” is, in essence, anything that is stored in a binary format and comes with the “right to use” – files that do not possess this right are not considered digital assets which, as we have discussed, can be classified as images, multimedia and textual content files. In the world of video, there has been an enhanced interest in doing more with video content in Digital Asset Management (DAM) and because the entire digital media landscape is always changing, even traditional print designers are being asked to create interactive, rich media and tablet-specific content.
From the web to mobile apps and digital publishing, there’s a broad advertising and marketing blueprint which has both enabled the use of and increased the demand for video content…as such, it’s become something of a no-brainer that DAM should be used to hold these assets. But what are some of the options out there for people looking to properly store their digital assets?
Let’s take a look at some of the more popular choices…
1. Dropbox
Dropbox is one of the world’s favorite cloud-based file-sharing solutions, acting as the perfect tool for backing up documents, quickly sharing files and saving images, docs and other media for a later time. But it’s also a robust service capable of so much more – document e-signing, photo slideshows, document encryption, podcast hosting and file management, just to name a few other functions.
You can backup photos and videos automatically using the Dropbox mobile app or you can also use Apple’s iCloud, which gives you five gigabytes of space for free; be aware that if you decide to go with the free cloud-based sources, you might not have enough storage space depending on what it is you’re looking to save.
After signing up for Dropbox, you download the software on your computer which allows you to easily drop and drag files into your Dropbox folder. These files are available from any computer, mobile app or tablet, and is a great way to share files between devices. Additionally, the Dropbox mobile app will automatically backup photos taken on your smartphone.
2. Google Drive
Google Drive can also be used to store files/digital assets in the cloud. If you already have a Gmail account, you can get 15 gigabytes of space – that’s a lot of room to store your files. If you upgrade to a Google Apps account, you have access to 30 gigabytes of space, and all of this works similarly to Dropbox in that all you have to do is drop and drag files.
3. LTO (Linear Tape-Open)
Many film, video and broadcast professionals are experiencing phenomenal growth of unstructured data in their production and post-production environments. The challenges many companies now face with regard to long-term archival storage of digital assets include how to directly access content and how to cost-effectively restore, find, search, archive and backup content. To this end, Linear Tape-Open (LTO) has become an effective solution many are turning to for archiving and restoring file-based content.
For starters, LTO digital tape media can save significant storage costs, as the cost of LTO tape comes out to be three to four times lower than an external hard drive and 20 times lower than a Storage Area Network (SAN). Further, LTO is eight times lower than an HDCAM SR Tape.
Because LTO equates to a mere spool of tapes with no moving parts, long-term storage makes the system shelf-stable and has contributed to why LTO has become the standard for archival media in many storage circles. With LTO, you will have the peace of mind knowing your assets are being protected with a proven, reliable storage medium.
4. Carbonite
Carbonite is a secure service that automatically copies all the files on a computer to its own servers. The approach costs $60 per year per computer, or you can upgrade to a business plan that allows for the backing up of multiple machines. While it takes a bit of time to backup all the files, once they’re backed up you can access them at any time; when new files are added, Carbonite automatically backs them up as well.
As you can see, it’s actually not that hard or expensive to have a proactive, solid backup plan for all of your digital assets. Not only that, but it’s worth the peace of mind knowing that you’re protected if anything happens to your business’ computer system. From online storage and online backup services to video storage solutions, online video storage and even LTO storage, Multiverse Media Group has the modern-day security approaches to ensure digital assets aren’t at risk.
