How to Migrate a Digital Asset Management System

When starting to write this article, I Googled “DAM migration” and something struck me about the AI overview I got – “DAM migration is the complex process of moving digital assets…”. What stood out to me is how the complexity of this process was immediately highlighted. While this is no simple process, with the right provider its complexity is mitigated for you, the end user.

Google Search AI Overview for "DAM Migration"

So why is there this perception of a DAM migration being some mammoth task? Well, the truth is that for one, it’s easy for vendors to create a bit of smoke and mirrors around it to sort of “tie you in”. The second reason is that, let’s face it, change can be uncomfortable – especially when you’ve got your current systems in place. But in the world of efficient organisation of digital assets, inaction is your enemy.

What is DAM Migration?

DAM Migration , in its simplest form, means migrating your DAM system (and your archive) from one place to another. There are two types of DAM migration: migrating from a non-DAM set-up to a DAM (basic migration), or moving your archive from one DAM provider to a new one (legacy migration). Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

Basic vs Legacy DAM Migration

Basic DAM Migration vs Legacy DAM Migration

Generally, those looking for a basic migration (no existing system) will need a bit more support in preparing their files to be uploaded onto a DAM. This is largely dependent on the state of your archive - is there metadata, have files been tagged, are you uploading from an existing digital system or are there hardcopies that need to be digitised? The good news is that, whatever your situation is, a good provider will be able to help you get everything uploaded, organised, secure, and shareable. From a technical standpoint, the process is fairly simple and its usually pretty fast too (I’m talking days not weeks) with the amount of time required dependant on the volume of data to be moved.

A legacy migration is a little different. In this scenario, users have generally become unsatisfied with their current DAM provider in some way. This could be a lack of new functionality (no upgrades), outdated UX, high prices, or inefficient pricing models – to name a few. From our experience, the hardest part of a legacy migration is often the approval process to use a new system. The actual technical part of the migration is a simple process from the client’s side – which is how it should be. The complex and technical side of the move should be handled with grace and ease by your new provider, with minimal impact to you.

This article will focus mainly on legacy migration, while some information will be relevant to both categories of users, not all will apply to new users.

DAM Migration in 6 Simple Steps

How to Migrate Your Existing DAM System to a New Provider

Know What You Need from Your DAM System

This may seem obvious but knowing what you need from your DAM system can save you a heap of time, and frustration, when looking for a new provider. The phrase “not all DAMs are created equal” is a good one to remember while you’re shopping around – but more on that a little later. For now, let’s look at three questions to ask yourself to help clarify what you need from your DAM system.

1. What digital assets do you have?

You’ll want to gain a good understanding of what’s in your archive – are you working mainly with images, designs, documents, video, etc. Knowing this will help you filter out DAMs that aren’t tailored to support your most used assets.

2. What does your team need to increase efficiency?

Are you looking for a system that is better suited to collaboration, or to improving a specific workflow? Do you perhaps need more secure and refined permissions with SSO? Or are you looking for a system that is specialised for template sharing? You’ll need to take a hard look at your operations to uncover what capabilities would help your team increase their efficiency, and then find a provider whose system supports those needs specifically.

3. What problem does your new DAM need to solve?

This is maybe more of a hypothetical question, but it can help you gain clarity on what your team’s issues are and what you’d like resolved. Ultimately, any tech platform is in the business of ‘solving problems’ – you’ll need to have a clear idea of what your problem is before you can begin to find a provider that can help solve it. Once you’ve refined what your problem is, you can begin to look for a provider who offers a feasible solution.

Beyond Feature Lists: What Different Providers Offer

Remember when I said “not all DAM systems are created equal”? We’ll take a closer look at that now.

While all DAM systems exist to help organisations securely store, organise, and share digital assets, there are notable differences in their approach. Some of these differences include the types of files they handle and what they ‘specialise’ in. You’ll want to look for a provider that can support your business’s needs, beyond the feature lists.

This ties back in with knowing your needs. For example, some providers offer more of an archive system, where others are more focused on a brand system for sharing templates and design work. Knowing your needs will help you hone in on a provider who will support your goals.

Three of the most important things to consider when buying a new DAM system, beyond features, is a provider’s scalability, security, and support – the three S’s.

The Three S's That Really Matter When Choosing a New DAM Provider

1. Scalability

We all want to make a purchase that going to last – especially when it comes to choosing new software. No one wants to go through this process regularly which is why you’ll want to ensure the DAM that you choose is scalable. You may not know exactly what your growth goals are for the next five or ten years, looking at your historical data should give you an idea of what your trajectory will be. You’ll want to ensure you choose a DAM system that can withstand your company’s growth. Even better would be to find a system that can grow with you.

2. Security

In our digital age, security, consent, and permissions cannot be stressed enough. Securely managing data and remaining compliant is an essential part of any business or organisation’s survival.

You’ll need to be certain of two main areas of security when migrating to a new DAM provider:

1. The security of the new system. What is their hosting provider (AWS is the industry gold standard). What other security system do they have in place? Are there regular updates? Etc.

2. How secure will the migration be? What precautions are followed to ensure the safe transfer of your files?

Want to know more? Check out our blog on DAM Security

3. Support

Support is something that is often overlooked but crucial when you do need it, like a good insurance policy, you may not need it all the time but when you do, you’ll want the best. But what is the best? The definition of ‘the best support’ would undoubtedly vary depending on each team, or decision maker’s perspective. But if we’re being honest, isn’t it a delight to speak to an actual human and not a drudge through a complicated system of bots and prompts when you need something resolved ASAP? Being treated as a person, and not just a support ticket number is something to be desired these days. Finding a provider who offers smooth, efficient and human support, is a way of ensuring you’ll get the support you need when you need it.

Prepare Your Existing Archive

Think of migrating your DAM as similar to moving house – it’s a shlep, but it does provide the perfect opportunity for some spring cleaning! Preparing your assets for a migration is an excellent time to clean up, reorganise, and add missing tags and metadata (if possible). Doing this before your migration will help ensure a smooth transition and a well-structured archive within your new system. However, you can also do this clean up once you’re on the new system too.

For optimal efficiency, you’ll want to consider how you’d like your DAM to be structured. Giving your new provider a clear outline of your structure (the layout of your folders, where permissions need to be set etc.) will help you to get the most out of the migration – ensuring you end up with a DAM system that is beautifully tailored to your team’s needs.

DAM Migration in 6 Simple Steps

The Actual DAM Migration

The actual migration bit should be the easy part for you. To help guide the process, you can meet with your provider and set a clear timeline for the migration; this will help to manage expectations and keep everyone on the same page. Then it’s simply a matter of handing the reins over and letting them do the “heavy lifting”.

Training And Onboarding

Let’s face it, the ideal situation is that your new DAM has such good UX and is so intuitive that your team needs a minimal amount of training. This is the dream. But the reality is that you will need training and your new provider should provide enough of it for you and your team to feel confident using the new platform. The last thing you want is to be left in the dark, battling to get a handle on your new system and actually slowing down your workflows.

Ultimately, the training and onboarding process should be smooth, well thought out, streamlined, and most importantly, helpful. With all the time, effort, and money you’ve put into migrating to a new system, you want to be assured that you’re getting the most out of it.

That being said, it’s likely that you will run into a few hiccups along the way. A normal part of undergoing any change is a learning curve. If/ when this happens, you’ll want to be assured that you have enough support to help resolve any issues as smoothly and efficiently as possible. The gold standard here is having the contact of an actual human who is available to assist you when you need it. Just like insurance, right?

If you’d like to discuss more about DAM migration, contact us today and we’ll walk you through the details.

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Written by Katya Mulvaney | Katya is a SaaS and Digital Marketing Specialist. She oversees the marketing and communication at LightRocket. If you subscribe to our emailer or follow us on social media, then you're likely already familiar with some of her work.

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