DAM Platform Evaluation Criteria

Once the search process has begun for a DAM Platform, you'll need to find a way to compare the platforms you are looking into. Often, these comparisons can feel like apples-to-oranges since each group of stakeholders in your organization finds different features and capabilities valuable. During the Search Process (Part 4 of the Consumer's Guide to Choosing a DAM Platform), a vital step is developing your list of "Must-Haves" in a platform. This ensures apples-to-apples comparisons and a more streamlined evaluations process. In this section of the Consumer's Guide, our team outlines some helpful ideas for "Must-Haves", potential "Must-Haves" depending on your workflows, and "Would-Like-to-Haves" for your team to use during evaluation.

Criteria to Consider When Evaluating a DAM Platform

Stacks has assisted in the evaluation of countless DAM Platforms with clients of all shapes and sizes. Over time, we've developed a list of common criteria we've found to be helpful to clients as they navigate this process.‍

Typical "Must-Have" Criteria

"Must-Haves" are basically the features, capabilities, and pieces of the proposal that you cannot or will not compromise on. Be sure everyone in your stakeholder group has the same list of "Must-Haves" as they compare platforms. "Must-Haves" that we have found most clients use include:

• Cost (annual subscription, onboarding fees, implementation project cost)
• On-Premise vs. Cloud-Based platform configuration
• Supported process use cases
• Supported file types

Potential "Must-Have" Criteria

Since every organization is unique, some other criteria becomes "Must-Haves". Some criteria that can either be "Must-Have" or "Would-Like-to-Have" includes:

• Security features (user permissions, encryption, password protection, etc.)
• Onboarding & implementation time requirements
• Platform customization
• Past work with similar organizations and/or industries

"Would-Like-to-Have" Criteria

While it may seem like this criteria is less important, it can include things that are extremely valuable. This is where negotiations are won and lost. Some common criteria that often falls in this category includes:

• Integrations with other systems
• Special features & automations
• Artificial Intelligence
• Culture fit with platform team

Looking Back

Did you just jump into the Consumer's Guide here? Take a look back at what you missed in the earlier portions of the Consumer's Guide to Choosing a DAM Platform!

Part 1: DAM Systems, Platforms, & Programs

What is a DAM Platform? How does it fit into the overall DAM program within your organization?

Part 2: Common Features of a DAM Platform

What problems can a DAM Platform solve for your organization?

Part 3: The Pre-Search Process

How can you prepare for a successful platform search?

Part 4: The Search Process

What are the right things to look for during your search?

Next Steps

Once a decision is made, take a look at the next steps to successfully implement your new DAM Platform in Part 6!

Part 6: Next Steps after Choosing a Platform

How do you properly implement a DAM Platform?