The company calls the technology a win-win solution for IT and production departments.Xinet unveiled its latest answer to boosting the power of digital asset management with the unveiling of the company's new solution WebNative Portal.
Xinet's Tony McCarthy, director of worldwide technical sales, says the biggest news out of this release is that the solution is a win-win for both the IT and production departments.
"With the larger enterprises, the security resides in the IT space, and all the data is kept in the production department. By Xinet breaking out the display layer with the use of WebNative Portal, we've found a way for the data to stay secure and yet allow for the site updates to be dynamic and in real-time."
Not only does the display layer of WebNative Portal give users a way to update existing images, copy and other collateral, but once the file has been changed with the uploading of new text or images, it is can be automatically displayed across multiple servers.
On the marketing side, this technology makes it easy to maintain and keep brand continuity and integrity across the entire enterprise, no matter how large.
Unlike other digital management solutions, WebNative Portal has a Web interface layer with no data on it. There's no indexing or catalogs.
McCarthy says that what makes this solution unique is that the high resolution data resides on the back end, where it's safe and, more importantly, secure.
Using the tool, an uploaded file is copied on the main server, which is the data source, and the display portal just displays the data with a read-only interface. The data is not accessed through a native client.
By breaking the display layer away, McCarthy says you keep all the data security in the IT department where it belongs.
"The common goal of any digital asset management solution is providing a balance between automation and security," said McCarthy.
"The key is that no high resolution data ever leaves the primary server, unless it's by demand."
"We've taken our experience in the file serving business, and as a byproduct, we've been able to feed the database and then display it in the Web browser." The portal is extending the capability of the designer because their view is that data should only move on command.
Using the solution not only increases branding congruency, it also expedites the process of distributing digital assets.
"In the past, people would send out data on a CD, whether it be marketing collateral or images, but now you can put the data in a file folder and it's immediately available in real-time for the sites. You can push the link via e-mail, and users go and pull the data. It establishes an audit trail, and by emailing the link it guarantees a person will get it," says McCarthy.
For Michael Moon, CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based GISTICS, this release recognizes the differences inherent in content management and digital asset management.
"Content management basically manages things or blobs [of content], moving them from one place to another and keeping track of where they're moved. Content management is blob-focused on objects. DAM focuses on metadata associated with the blobs. It recognizes that what transforms the blobs into money is really the metadata defining it. That's the cornerstone or precious asset."
While Moon is quick to point out that the digital asset management arena is still very much in its infancy, he does say that Xinet's WebNative Portal release is a future-focused solution.
"This release is important, because it's focused on managing and securing the metadata, not just the blob. A strong digital asset management strategy enables companies the unique ability to adapt quickly to key future changes in business.
This is powerful because it recognizes the true differences that exist between content management and digital asset management."
WebNative Portal beta user Stefani Pagano, vice president and manager of digital services for New York-based ad agency McCann Erickson, says her company's use of WebNative Portal has allowed the creative teams much more control over what is ultimately dispersed.
"We are implementing it for internal use so our creatives can view final images and link to them in order to build new layouts. We're also currently developing an external site for at least one client so far, to enable them to view their assets via the portal. They will be able to look at rights usage and basic information about each file," Pagano said.
"We like the ease of templates, and creating new looks. We're able to make changes on the fly and see them in real time. The other big thing is the security it provides. It also provides the level of security that our IT team looks for," Pagano said.
"This is a great added service that we can provide both internally and externally to people who need to interact with us."
Xinet's release raises the tide of digital asset management. The solution gives the brand marketer a way to keep everything as dynamic and digital as possible, and the good news for IT managers, is that it does so without sacrificing or corrupting the metadata.
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