DFS 10.4.0 - 2 Benefits from using DFS

Introducing a DAM into an organization presents multiple advantages. The two most important benefits are:

1. Everything is stored centrally and is distributed by the DAM where it is needed. Anyone in the organization knows where to find the assets they need. No more local storage of assets or images. In this respect, Sitecore is a local storage too.
2. With the help of automated workflows and approval workflows, you can spend more time on value-adding tasks and remove manual processes. For instance, the system will automatically convert your video to the desired quality and format, and your PDF file will have a thumbnail of the front page.

At a quick glance, there are similarities between Sitecore Media Library and DAM for Sitecore. We have illustrated the differences below.

Description	Sitecore Media Library	Digizuite™ DAM
Show image on website
Cache digital assets for high performance
Scalable across several servers
Integrate with Active Directory
Crop and zoom images
Upload assets placed in a 'hot folder' - automatic import from chosen folders
Scaling of images
Automated crop formats based on one click
Automatic conversion of images to different kind of qualities, sizes and formats
Automatic conversion of video to all kind of qualities, sizes and formats
Support of corporate branding processes
Extensive metadata model and tools
GDPR compliance out-of-the-box
Support of videos out-of-the-box
Automated generation of thumbnails for many fileformats (incl. Videos, PSD and PDF)
Support for Adobe Creative Cloud
Can send images and other asset types to FTP locations
Support for use of images in Microsoft Office products
Handling of millions of assets
Handling of all types of media files (RAW, PSD, MP4 etc.)
Anything in - anything out
Integration to Content Delivery Networks (Microsoft Azure Storage, Amazon S3, Akamai)
Enterprise multichannel Media support from any device
Fast publishing of large amounts of data
Extensive support for Responsive websites

While both Sitecore Media Library and Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore can support and resize images, only Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore can perform advanced processes when resizing images, e.g. retaining transparency.

When it comes to other types of media files such as PDF and videos, Sitecore Experience Platform can only store them, but it adds no support for videos.

Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore offers the flexibility of having one asset represented in multiple qualities. Upload a 4K video to Digizuite™ DAM, and it will automatically generate a web version, a download version and a version for the info screen in your reception. On top of that, Digizuite™ DAM will generate nice stills to be used as thumbnails.

Because the Digizuite™ DAM engine handles everything behind the scenes, it allows Sitecore editors to focus on creating content, rather than figuring out how to transcode a video to a specific web quality. The editor simply works with a single source of a video that is displayed as a thumbnail in a list of instructional videos. The video will also be available for download as well as being published on your website. Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore offers this functionality, and Sitecore offers none of that.

For the rest of the organization, Sitecore Media Library is an island. Nobody can access media files in Sitecore except Sitecore editors. Digizuite™ DAM offers a complete suite of products, allowing access to the assets in the DAM through integrations with Microsoft Office products and Creative Cloud products.

2.1 Sitecore channels compared to Digizuite™ channels

Sitecore is the hub for all information, ensuring all information is available on the right channels. Sitecore delivers information to mobile devices, commercial platforms and corporate websites.

If we look at a scenario where you need to deliver your images from Sitecore Media Library to an FTP, CDN, and make them available in Microsoft Office products, as clip-arts or somewhere else? Then you would need to code. Sitecore Experience Platform cannot do this out-of-the-box, but Digizuite™ DAM can. In fact, Digizuite™ can push assets to virtually any destination in the right format and quality.

These functionalities place Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore ahead of Sitecore Media Library. Digizuite™ DAM can convert anything to anything, and it can publish it anywhere. Sitecore can only convert images and it is not able to publish on multiple branding channels, except for Sitecore websites in the same solution.

If you wish to publish digital assets to multiple channels, only Digizuite™ qualifies as a multi-channel solution. From a multi-channel perspective, Sitecore is just another channel among others.

In combination with Sitecore, Digizuite™ is perfect for multi-channel publishing and can be used to form a true omnichannel experience. A combination that is close to unique in the world.

Brands are empowered to execute a true uniform omnichannel strategy, giving the users relevant experiences no matter which platform they are using.

2.2 Digizuite™ DAM is a suite of products

• Digizuite™ DAM comes out-of-the-box with a full suite of products to support multi-channel strategies.
• Digizuite™ Media Manager is a web based collaboration platform, where marketers can find anything they need: brochures, images, PDF, videos, campaign material etc. The marketers will only be able to see the assets based on his/hers user rights. 
• Digizuite™ Media Manager is a central tool for marketers for easy collaboration. External partners including suppliers, photographers, and agencies can get access to the material or get access to upload new material on their own. External access can be granted permanently or with an expiration to simplify collaboration with external designers and photographers. 
• Digizuite™ DAM also comes with a standard video portal. It can be skinned to accommodate design guidelines. Both Digizuite™ Media Manager and Digizuite™ Video Portal support user-generated content. 
• Digizuite™ DAM also allows integration with Adobe Bridge, enabling designers to insert images directly from Digizuite™ into Adobe Creative Cloud products like InDesign, Photoshop and so on. 
• A similar integration exists with Microsoft Office products, allowing users to insert images into Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. 
• Digizuite™ DAM also provides a role-based security model, allowing an administrator to define user rights on assets.

2.3 Uploading assets is a part of an automated workflow

You can use Digizuite™ DAM to automate digital processes. Once you press Begin upload and the files are uploaded to Digizuite™ DAM, the power of the DAM is unleashed. The workflow engine of Digizuite™ DAM takes over and the uploaded assets are processed.

The workflow automates, assigns metadata, generates any quality and distributes the assets to relevant channels, in the needed qualities on each channel. Note that not all uploaded assets are available immediately. It all depends on factors such as the file size, number of qualities and how busy the server is. Generally, videos require more processing time than images.

You can also include derived assets in the automation workflow. For instance, if you upload a PowerPoint file, Digizuite™ DAM will create one additional asset per slide in the PowerPoint, allowing you to see all of the slides in Digizuite™ DAM for Sitecore.

If you are in a hurry, you should probably not wait until last minute to upload files. In many cases, images are received in large numbers, and they can be uploaded in one batch rather than one at a time.