On a recent episode of the Nuxeo Content Journey’s podcast, we chatted with David Lipsey an industry veteran in the Digital Asset Management space whose credits include being a driving force at the Center for Advanced Studies in Digital Asset Management (CASDAM), acting as the Global Chair for the Henry Stewart DAM conference series, and co-founding and teaching the new Digital Asset Management Certificate Program at Rutgers University. Our wide-ranging conversation covered all of David’s various areas of activity from the updating of the DAM capability model, to encouraging more professional certification, to the role of DAM in the changing business environment.
Here’s a little taste of that conversation:
Alan:
Are there any particular developing trends in the DAM market that are capturing your attention, and where do you see the benefits of those?
David:
We now know two decades into this, that there is always something coming over the horizon. We need to have a state of preparedness, a state of welcoming, and an approach to governance that acknowledges that this may be among the most unsettled fields of application software. It doesn’t nest neatly into typical enterprise application frameworks. DAM isn’t a ‘one-and-done’ exercise, it’s a now-it’s-done and we are going to have to do it again. In fact, I often end my advanced class at Rutgers with the question “What’s next?”
In short, there are always trends, look at things like video, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or the examples of holograms interjected into live performances. How in the world do we manage those as assets? There are rights issues, you’re managing code not an object, you’re managing licensing potentially.
There are other concrete things going on such as the growing realization that an asset without rights attached is simply not an asset, and we are getting better at knowing how to interact with rights-trees and rights-expressions etc. and not just in media and entertainment.
Alan:
What do you see as the future role for Digital Asset Management within the enterprise?
David:
There’s a much better understanding in the broader content universe that DAM interacts with product management, packaging development process, ERP systems, and the way it contributes to mission and mandate goals. I think the bigger picture where DAM fits into all of those is getting better understood. And that gives rise to either, knowing, believing, or hoping that DAMs role is very fertile and contributory towards an enterprise’s operations, whatever its mission might be.
I want to again thank David for his time, and the engaging and entertaining discussion. You can join us for the full conversation on The Content Journey podcast, now available on your favorite podcast service, and on our Content Podcast page.