Egmont UK installed Virtusales’ BiblioDAM digital asset management software to create a smoother workflow and reduce time and storage space taken up by preparing and duplicating files.
The Challenge Prior to using BiblioDAM, all files were stored on servers and accessed directly by designers. It was a laborious monthly task to transfer the files across and each server had a different back up schedule with IT. Peter Blunt, Digital Process Manager for Egmont UK said the old system “was becoming increasingly unwieldy as the number and size of assets increased.” The Solution BiblioDAM: Digital asset management and workflow The Initial Objective Egmont’s goal was to hold all digital assets in one accessible repository and to make assets available externally to potential buyers, essentially making money from content they already had and saving considerable time by reducing the amount of images being duplicated by illustrators.
Why Virtusales
Provides digital workflow solution as well as digital archive
Inbuilt work in progress tools such as invites, locking assets, version control, actions log and statuses with associated validation
Industry standards maintained as part of the regular release cycle
Development policy allows publisher to contribute to the system's roadmap, so all users benefit from development sponsored by others
Indepth knowledge of the publishing industry
Flexible hosting options
Fewer Errors and More Control
Users can lock work in progress preventing multiple versions being created, with incorporated version control and a roll-back feature included. Validation and statuses prevent unapproved assets being fed out or accessed by unauthorised users and the Invite mechanism has reduced the number of overwritten and lost files. BiblioDAM retains Mac resources forks so links are never broken, reducing the time taken to prepare files for repro from up to a week to as little as an hour.
Better Organisation and Control
BiblioDAM is a central store for all digital assets allowing quick and easy search and access. Previously designers simply created folders on the servers with no naming convention which resulted in files that were disorganised, difficult and time consuming to locate. "Now we can find and reuse materials easily." Peter Blunt, Business Manager, Egmont UK
Saving Disk Space
Style guides are up to 50MB and used to be duplicated for books and magazines: the de-duplication functionality within BiblioDAM has saved one terabyte of space.
Generate New Revenue
Egmont UK is better able to exploit proprietary rights and licensed products to generate new revenues. BiblioDAM’s ‘Invite to Explore’ feature allows users to invite external parties to view specific assets for sales purposes. Repurposing assets has already started and Egmont hopes to roll this out to POD and eBooks in the near future. The International Sales team is also very excited to use it as a sales tool for marketing information such as sample chapters and cover images. "We should be able to complete deals quicker, freeing time to do even more deals." Gillian Laskier, Sales Director, Egmont UK
Increased Efficiency Saves Time
Files are now easier to locate and quicker to access, increasing the efficiency of designers and product development. Now the books and magazines departments can share assets, generating significant time savings. For example, books needed to access Ben 10 which previously would have required at least an hour to copy all assets across onto the relevant server - with BiblioDAM it now becomes a 10 minute job. The cloud-based nature of the software has also enabled freelancers to work remotely, reducing the physical amount of desk space required.
Improved File Sharing
The unique transfer method is a robust way to transfer files to external parties securely and quickly with less confusion over versions. Egmont now use fewer international couriers and have experienced reduced courier costs. Better communication via BiblioDAM has sped up workflows and improved relationships.
Benefits of BiblioDAM
SAVING SPACE
One terabyte saved through de-duplicating files
SAVING MONEY
£3,500 a year saved in back-ups alone
Reduced courier costs
SAVING TIME
The BiblioDAM Transfer Tool can transfer 60GB 25 minutes faster than using FTP
Preparing titles for repro has reduced from up to a week to as little as two hours
Files are easier to locate and quicker to access