When we first decided to implement a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system, we were excited about the promise of organisation, efficiency, and easier collaboration. But as with any major change, there were plenty of surprises along the way. At databasics, we’ve now guided many organisations through their own DAM journeys, and we’ve seen the same “I wish I’d known that earlier” moments time and again. This blog shares the top five digital asset management implementation tips we—and our customers—learned that could save you time, money, and headaches as you prepare for your own DAM implementation.
When we first implemented Canto at databasics, we were excited about its features: AI image recognition, version control, and seamless integrations. But we quickly realised that technology alone isn’t enough. Success depends on understanding how your teams work and aligning the DAM to fit those workflows.
Before diving in, map out your asset lifecycle:
Who creates and approves content?
How are assets shared internally and externally?
What challenges are users facing today?
Engage key stakeholders early—marketing, communications, design, and IT. Their input ensures the DAM supports real-world needs and encourages buy-in.
Customer insight: One of our clients, University of Melbourne, discovered during implementation that involving diverse departments early helped them standardise asset usage across faculties and eliminated siloed storage practices.
We underestimated the importance of metadata. Without a clear taxonomy, even the best search tools can’t deliver the results users expect.
Invest time upfront in developing a metadata schema that reflects your organisation’s language and needs. Consider:
Categories like campaigns, departments, asset type, and usage rights.
Controlled vocabularies for consistency (e.g., agreed-upon keywords for events or product lines).
User-friendly tagging processes to encourage adoption.
Start simple and iterate. You don’t need to have it perfect on day one.
Customer insight: Glen Eira City Council streamlined its photo library in Canto by developing a concise set of metadata fields, making it easier for staff to search and reuse images for community engagement campaigns.
We assumed users would embrace the DAM immediately because it solved so many pain points. But habits are hard to break—many colleagues defaulted to old tools like shared drives or email attachments.
To overcome this, we:
Appointed DAM champions in different teams to advocate for the system.
Provided hands-on training and quick reference guides.
Shared success stories internally to highlight how Canto saved time and improved collaboration.
Customer insight: For Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, success hinged on early training and regular reinforcement. Their teams quickly saw how much faster they could prepare assets for sponsors and media when everyone used Canto as their single source of truth.
One of our challenges was finding the right balance between open access and control. Too much freedom led to concerns about brand consistency; too many restrictions frustrated users.
Plan user roles and permissions carefully:
Who needs upload rights? Who should only view or download?
How will you handle external agencies or freelance contributors?
What audit processes will ensure access stays current as teams evolve?
In Canto, setting up groups and role-based permissions helped us create a structure that scaled as our team grew.
We once thought of implementation as a destination. In reality, a DAM is a living system requiring ongoing attention:
Regular housekeeping to archive outdated assets and remove duplicates.
Revisiting taxonomy as new campaigns or asset types emerge.
Training new staff and re-engaging existing users.
At databasics, we schedule quarterly reviews of our Canto instance to ensure it continues to meet our evolving needs. We also use this time to introduce new features and remind staff of best practices.
Customer insight: Victoria Department of Health, another databasics client, views their DAM as a dynamic tool. They periodically refresh their metadata standards to reflect new event types and marketing channels, keeping the system relevant and user-friendly.
Implementing a DAM like Canto can unlock enormous value for your organisation—streamlining workflows, protecting your brand, and empowering teams to do their best work. But the key to success lies in preparation, ongoing support, and applying proven digital asset management implementation tips from those who’ve been through it.
At databasics, we’ve learned these lessons firsthand and helped many organisations across Australia and New Zealand avoid common pitfalls. Whether you’re just starting your DAM journey or looking to get more from your current system, we’re here to help.
Ready to explore how a DAM could work for you? Contact us for a chat or book a demo today.