Getting Up in the Cloud

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What is “the cloud” and what does it mean for your DAM?

With how fast the world moves and how quickly you and your team may need access to data and content, you’ve likely seen and heard terms like “cloud” and “cloud services” being a potential solution. But what exactly does that mean?

“The cloud” can seem like this nebulous—or cumulus if that first pun wasn’t good enough—being. But, it’s a term that’s been around for over a decade (earliest use can be linked back to 1996) and one that’s seen an uptick in use as organizations and teams need to grow and scale.

Let’s dig into the essentials of what it means to be in the cloud and also what it can mean and do for your digital asset management system (DAMS).

The Basics: You’re likely already in the cloud

Simply put, “the Cloud” is a way to reference software and services that run on the internet rather than locally on your computer.

Servers that are accessed across the internet—which these software and services run on and allow you to access your data on any device with an internet connection. A few examples of cloud services include: Microsoft’s Office 365, Google’s Drive, Apple iCloud, Netflix.

You’re probably already using at least one of these or another similar example. 

Terms to Know

A few key terms you may have seen when looking at cloud services: cloud-native, cloud-based, and cloud-enabled. While each term refers to the cloud and how a service is built to leverage the cloud, there are some differences to what that means for the particular software and service.

Defining each model:

1. Cloud-enabled: An approach where the application was built traditionally but then migrated to the cloud.

2. Cloud-native: An approach to building and running applications that uses the cloud to its full potential. Applications are flexible and built to scale. And, because microservices are being used, areas of the service/software can be upgraded seamlessly without impacting other features.

3. Cloud-based: An approach that is a combination of cloud-native and cloud-enabled, where you may want to leverage some of what the cloud can offer, but don’t want to completely start from scratch by redesigning your application to use in the cloud. Applications are more tightly integrated, and upgrades are needed for the entire stack, which may cause.

Which service model you need largely depends on your current challenges, business constraints, workflows and future goals—to name a few.

Overall and the way that the industry is heading, cloud-native is the most advanced and provides you with the most flexibility. Even with legacy systems in place, a strong path forward to cloud-native can exist. 

Now what does the cloud mean for the DAM?

Cloud DAMS are hosted on a network of remote servers—aka “the cloud”—which offers a variety of technical advantages over an on-premise DAMS. On-premise DAMS, as the name may indicate, are installed on the company premises. One of the biggest advantages is that you can start with your cloud infrastructure slowly.

With on-premise hardware, a significant effort needs to go into the analysis of what is needed for today’s work.

But that’s not where it ends. You’ll also need to forecast the quantity of storage, users and workflows that are to be used tomorrow.  Buying the wrong physical hardware can hamper the ability of your organization to meet the needs of next month let alone next year with our rapidly changing world.  

With cloud, you can pay for what you need, with incremental additional fees as you scale up and, just importantly, down, when you don’t need it or when a project has changed, therefore not wasting large capital dollars.

Scalability, flexibility and rapid deployment apply to many aspects of our DAMS that can benefit from the cloud:

1. Storage 

2. Servers 

3. Database

4. Media processing

5. Test environments 

6. Multiple copies for backup, business continuity or disaster recovery

Usually, you’ll see that cloud DAMS are more cost-effective and scalable allowing organizations to pay for what they need and providing that flexibility to scale up or down. And, because you’re investing in cloud storage, you’re paying for unparalleled security (think of the top technology companies across the globe such as Microsoft, Google, or AWS for example).

There is much more to discuss on this topic—we’ve only scratched the tip of the iceberg. But the important item to take away is that cloud isn’t just for “techies.” It’s attainable, powerful, and something you’re likely already taking advantage of in professional and/or personal use. 

Want to talk more about the cloud and how your DAMS could benefit? Let’s chat.