SeeFile Blog

10 Common Myths About Open Source Software

2011-06-21T13:38:34Z

Article written by Ralph Windsor - from DAMNEWS

Ralph Windsor, a senior partner in one of our featured DAM vendors, Daydream discusses some myths about open source software and explains why he believes open source represents the future for DAM.

Introduction

In this article, I will examine a number of the myths about open source software and try to clear up some misconceptions which I regularly encounter.

If you intend to invest into a DAM system, it is important that you evaluate arguments posed for and against types of software license to decide if they apply to you. The license should not be the sole criteria for choosing a product, however, as I shall illustrate, using an open source DAM system can offer some compelling benefits.

Before we commence, a disclaimer. I am a representative of a consultancy business that both uses and develops open source DAM software as well as integrating DAM systems with other proprietary and open source solutions. While I have made every effort to be objective and factual in my analysis, you need to do your own research and form an independent opinion about any conclusions reached.

Myth 1: Open source software costs no money

There is an implicit assumption that open source software costs no money and this is often the original reason why many users seek an open source product. However, this is not the defining characteristic of open source, it is the ability to access the source code of the software if you are user of it.

An open source DAM vendor can charge you for a software licence and still be open source. There is not necessarily a direct relationship between a type of license and what you have to pay to obtain it. The "free" part means that you have the freedom to access the source code and change it yourself providing you abide by the terms of the license.

Myth 2: Cost-free downloadable software and open source software means the same thing

Deciding to offer no-cost download of a DAM system is not exclusively an open source strategy but more of a marketing tactic intended to increase user numbers. The worst outcome for most software is having no one use it. Just like websites need traffic, magazines need readers and TV channels need viewers, if software does not have users it lacks an audience and a platform to grow and acquire momentum from which revenue can be generated.

A vendor may choose to solve this problem by offering a public download of their DAM system and to give themselves a competitive edge in terms of market attention, but that does not mean they are open source. The only defining criteria is that all of the source code is available and open to the users of the software irrespective of what method was used to distribute it and whether costs were applied or not.

Myth 3: Open source and Cloud DAM are different

It is common to find DAM systems being classified using one of three categories:

Open source
Proprietary (closed source)
Software as a Service (SaaS) or Cloud

The reality is that Cloud/SaaS DAM can be either proprietary or open source, so the third category is invalid. It is quite common for open source DAM systems to have Cloud hosting options and be implemented with that environment in mind. Cloud/SaaS describes software that is designed for multiple simultaneous groups of end users ('multi-tenanted' to use the terminology) and typically delivered to users via Cloud hosting providers (e.g. Amazon). It has no relationship upon the license used by the vendor.

There are only two factors which prevent all DAM vendors with a Cloud offer from offering their products as open source: willingness to do so and use of third party technologies which they lack the rights to distribute the source code for.

]]> Myth 4: Open source DAM is not "Enterprise"

'"Enterprise Software" is a subjective term applied to suggest the suitability of a product for the needs of larger organisations. The more important criteria is whether a vendor's software is right for your enterprise or not. Open source is only a license that determines how you may use the software, it does not prescribe any particular set of features which you should expect and therefore it is possible so obtain open source DAM which is both enterprise or non-enterprise in nature.

If you choose some relatively non-contentious enterprise software characteristics such as, the use of corporate friendly toolsets like Java, .NET, SQL Server and Oracle you can still easily find open source DAM software offered by different vendors that use them. Similarly, the scalability and integration options with corporate IT capabilities are all widely available in multiple open source DAM systems - even those not built in the aforementioned technologies. That open source DAM is non-enterprise friendly, is at best an out of date perspective and at worst, a complete fabrication.

Myth 5: Open source software has no copyright restrictions

Another common myth is that because the product and source code is offered freely that the developers have given up their copyright and you can just take it and do whatever you like. The extent to which you are able to exploit the source code to the software depends very much on the licence, just like other intellectual property.

Open source licenses aim to protect the rights of the original author while affording the users of the software some freedom and protection to view and modify via a legal framework. They represent a more equitable relationship between software author and end user that protects the interests of both parties, but they are still protected by copyright and intellectual property law.

An open source DAM solution avoids the need for complex software source code escrow schemes and in organisations that mandate them for proprietary software (e.g. public sector users) this can save months of protracted contractual negotiation and bureaucracy plus all the attendant staff and legal costs incurred by either party.

Myth 6: The Cloud makes open source DAM irrelevant

A popular myth is that if use a Cloud service you may ignore the characteristics of the underlying software and leave everything in the hands of the service provider. If they can be guaranteed to support your solution indefinitely even if your needs or their business change then that might be true - but does that sound likely?

The most practical way to protect yourself from risks with Cloud hosted DAM is to insist on open source software. If the vendor ceases to trade or merges with someone else and decides they can no longer support your DAM system, using an open source product gives you an option that allows you to assume control and protect your investment.

For larger organisations with many users and assets, the risk management advantages are potentially the most important USP of an open source product over proprietary alternatives and the factor that makes Cloud hosted DAM a tenable proposition for a corporate user.

Read the full article here

SeeFile 5 Runs on Mac OSX Lion, Which is Set to be Released in July

2011-06-07T14:29:39Z

Yesterday, Steve Jobs made a second appearance during his medical leave to announce the latest OS for Mac computers and mobile devices at the WWDC 2011. He also announced iCloud services to sync data easily from any Apple devices (and PC if you use an iPhone or iPad). During the keynote speech, Apple announced the release of OSX 10.7 in July this year.

At SeeFile, we want to continue to provide the easiest DAM solution to install on a Mac. Since the first preview of Lion was made available, we had been working on a compatible version of SeeFile on the new OS.

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Stay tuned for more information...

SeeFile Introduces Version 5.0 - DAM Done Light

2011-05-26T12:05:24Z

Photographers, creative professionals and media companies can now use the full power of the Web while keeping files local

BOSTON, May 26, 2011 -- SeeFile Software (http://www.seefile.com) introduces the fifth generation of its easy to install, Web-based Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution. Since 2003, SeeFile has offered one of the first entirely Web-based DAMs.

Highlights
- Fifth generation of a powerful digital asset management, large file transfer and online collaboration platform in one easy to install and use solution
- Be in the cloud without giving away your files
- Easy access to your media bank from any standard Web browser
- Full usage of HTML5 capabilities for a great user experience
- New user interface and features based on feedback from media industry professionals and partners

DAM done light
Companies are struggling to manage and perform searches on the increasing number of media files. SeeFile offers an alternative that matches the file structure of any folders, drives or servers a company wishes to share with clients and partners. Our solution offers a great collaboration platform replacing FTP servers, email attachments and other limited options to share and review media files.

Designed by your peers
Based on feedback from clients in the photography, printing/publishing, and ad agency industries, SeeFile has created a complete set of features that matches key needs in different media industries:
- Smart filters based on dates, approval and comments to improve production
- Easy navigation in different folders and collections
- Quick annotations on images and multipage PDFs to improve collaboration and reviewing
- Approval of projects and jobs
- Invite guests by email to preview content
- Transfer large files without the need to install a client application

]]> Quote from a customer:
"We're excited about the new version, especially the updated user interface and the ability to email a file link to clients. The new SeeFile UI is efficient in its use of screen real estate and easy to understand. We're even able to drag and drop files directly from Adobe Bridge to upload them to SeeFile, which has made it quick to train photo assistants without wasting a lot of time. The developers of SeeFile appear to have listened to studio photographers and then created a complete solution that fits into a professional workflow." (Read more).

-- Daniel Life, Rat Race Studios

Pricing and Availability
The software is retail priced from US$699 to US$6,795, depending on number of users. For customers who don't have a Mac available to act as the server, SeeFile and its distributors provide bundles with Mac Mini hardware. Cloud-based service is also available in North America at http://www.seefile.com/service.html.

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About SeeFile Sofrware
SeeFile LLC is a software development company based in Boston. SeeFile has received rave reviews from a number of graphics and photography magazines, including Seybold Reports, Fortune Small Business, Studio Photography and Design, Shutterbug and Big Picture Magazine.

Media Contact for SeeFile:
Marilina Fernandez - SeeFile Software LLC
617-262-2464
marilina@seefile.com

5 Key Archiving Tips for Photography

2010-04-20T13:51:21Z

Interesting video from brianpobuda.com helping photographers archiving digital assets.

Why is digital asset management important for news publishers?

2010-03-16T15:40:49Z

Original article posted on digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

Interview with Heike Gramkow,
Director Sales & Marketing, picturesafe media/data/bank GmbH
Publishing news still means evaluating what is worth to be "in the news". Therefore pieces of information are gathered. The sources for story-starters are traditionally news agencies, TV, broadcasting and today of course the internet providing a large variety of new sources.

All those pieces which today are usually provided in digital representation, can be called assets. So it is more than usefulto bundle and stream all these pieces into ones system.

For users (i.e. people working on publishing news) it is very efficient to have just one tool for reseaching their main sources.

The second main aspect is to foster the creation of efficient workflows. The de Pers Groep (DPP) has set up a great production system, covering all steps from the integration of information sources to specialized editor clients and further on to a seamless integration with the production system.
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How is DAM different from a database?

A database is an essential part of a DAM. Like with any other system, a "pure" database is perfect to store information of any kind and doing the math to shuffle it around. A DAM is something on top of a database: First aim is to provide a convenient view onto all the "drowned" pieces of data, helping to convert them into useful information. Editors usually do not want to learn a complex query language and work with command line tools, thus intuitive search interfaces need to be provided.

Click here to read full article at digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

Whose Fingers Are in Your DAM?

2010-02-26T17:38:06Z

Article written by Matthew Gonnering on Ecommerce Times

In the midst of a digital asset management breakdown, you may wonder why you went to a DAM system in the first place. Stop wondering. DAM systems are the one of the best ways for large creative operations to compete in the digital age. The key to doing more good than harm is to find a DAM solution that provides the levels of granular control your organization needs.

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You suddenly start getting emails from your sales team that old logos are being used on spec sheets -- but that's just the beginning. Someone has photoshopped a new product box of unreleased software into your homepage image. And one of your distributors is on the phone wanting to know why his competitor has your new marketing material and he doesn't.

Yikes. Instead of solving a problem, have you just created a digital asset monster?!?

Improving access to assets is the promise of every digital asset management (DAM) service. Less discussed but more important are the controls available to govern access to those assets. Improper governance controls can cause digital assets to be lost, deleted, stolen, modified or used in ways that work against a company's business objectives or brand.

For example, if an outdated logo is used in your channel, confused consumers could ignore new products, undermining months of product development and launch efforts. Using dated images or old product references in new campaigns could set back your branding efforts severely. Information made public prematurely will give competitors an unfair jump on your innovative product differentiators, harming financial performance.

To avoid these problems, many DAM systems offer workflow tools that allow different classes of users to have different levels of access to assets. This includes the rights to view, comment, edit, download and forward materials.

Also required are features that allow rights to be triggered by other rights. For example, Group B should be restricted from downloading an asset until User A has approved it. These capabilities are essential for a DAM system to extend beyond being just a digital repository to become a tool for managing workflow.

Continue reading at Ecommerce Times

Why you need DAM system?

2010-01-14T15:55:04Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

"Need" is different than "Why" - and yet, most folks don't dive deep enough to move from the former to the latter. Let's take the instance of someone who is seeking a DAM solution (Digital Asset Management).digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

SeeFile 4.7 for OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard

2010-01-13T14:29:41Z

We are happy to announce that a beta version of SeeFile 4.7 for Mac OSX 10.6.2 is available. Contact us by email at info@seefile.com or by phone at +1-617-262-2464 if you wish to install a demo of SeeFile on your Mac server.

Digital asset management defined

2010-01-13T14:12:52Z

I found this great definition of DAM today:

You can't afford to ignore the issue of Digital Asset Management, or DAM. It's more than a fun acronym. Solid DAM can make your business more efficient. Poor DAM can result in waste, confusion and many lost opportunities.digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

Demystifying Digital Asset Management

2010-01-11T15:01:52Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

Digital Asset Management is a great way to get digital documents organized so that you can find exactly what you are looking for when you need it. That sounds easy enough, but where do you begin? This session will take you through the ins and out of D.A.M. and give you some valuable insight on how to get started and how to implement a solution to fit your needs. We will also unravel the mysteries of metadata, and use applications such as Adobe Bridge and Extensis Portfolio to build a basic D.A.M. workflow.digitalassetmanagement.org.uk, Digital Asset Management, Jan 2010

You should read the whole article.

Where can I find a DAM mentor?

2009-12-30T12:50:17Z

I found this fascinating quote today:

There are not enough mentors today (in most fields for that matter), so I have made it one of my goals to start this DAM mentor program and remain vendor agnostic.Henrik de Gyor, Digital Asset Management, Dec 2009

You should read the whole article.

What are the levels of DAM experience?

2009-12-09T13:07:09Z

Article written by Henrik de Gyor on Digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

Before I mention DAM jobs descriptions themselves, many of these positions require experience, but what are the levels of experience in Digital Asset Management? How do you qualify the experience or even rank experience with DAM?

There are several levels of DAM experience from basic (1) to increasing in complexity (7). These levels include:

1. Simple DAM user (this is often the majority of DAM users)

Searching
Collaborating
Downloading

2. Power user (aka Super user)

Applying metadata to assets
Uploading (Import)
Downloading (Export)

3. Practitioner in DAM Operations

Establishing and evolving workflow
Training
Create documentation to be openly shared
Support

4. DAM Administrator

Possibly network maintenance
Possibly maintaining servers
Maintaining database(s)
Working with API
Running reports from DAM

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Understanding the relationship of DAM system options, implications of the decisions made and configuring those system options to best suit business/workflow needs
Testing configurations to make sure they work the way they are intended to
Setting up roles
Setting permissions per role
Setting users within those roles

6. Implementation

Roll out of the DAM solution
Train users
Support users
Document the best practices
Increase user adoption

7. Customization

Identify and understand what is missing from the system which your organization may need
Explaining what is missing from the system with written documentation
Explaining the value of adding the customization since it will cost extra (time and/or money)
Possibly draft a vision what the customization may look like and how it could work
Possibly even coding the solution
Thorough testing of solution

Ultimately, the best would be to have experience in all of these hands-on experience at one point or another. If this is not an option, try to experience the most number of levels available.

Read the full article at digitalassetmanagement.org.uk

More Trouble for File Sharing: Virgin to Monitor in UK

2009-11-27T15:38:50Z

From ReadWriteWeb by Jolie O'Dell

Virgin Media, one of the UK's leading providers of television / broadband / mobile / phone services, has announced plans to use deep packet inspection technology to track illegal file-sharing activity among around 40 percent of its UK users. Users whose activities are being monitored will not be informed of this fact.

The tech comes from Detica, a company better known for working with government data and intelligence agencies than media files and P2P networks. Their CView product is designed to help put an end to illegal filesharing, and with ISPs showing interest, it's unlikely that Virgin's deal will be the last we hear about.

In a lengthy document on illegal filesharing, Detica outlines how CView can be used to baseline the level of illicit filesharing then continue to measure the same activity as punitive measures are rolled out. The company believes that every ISP has an obligation to reduce illegal filesharing "by an agreed percentage over a period of time," a goal that can only be achieved through accurate, thorough measurement of user activity - this is the very reason Detica created CView.

]]> Beyond measuring user activity on P2P networks, CView will not collect data on individual users. Raw traffic data and identification information is reportedly deleted in the closed system and cannot be accessed by a human operator. CView gathers data on peer-to-peer packets in user traffic and then inspects the packets to see whether the content is being shared illegally.

Although the tech only examines aggregate traffic data, and although a Virgin spokeperson states that records will not be maintained on individual users, privacy concerns are right behind raining-on-our-parade concerns when one examines the question of monitoring user behavior. Isn't warning, fining, censoring and/or restricting access for infringing users the next logical step?

Give us your doomsday scenario - or your vote of confidence for the Detica/Virgin partnership - in the comments.

Cloud, The New Taste of the Internet

2009-11-10T13:25:39Z

By REUVEN COHEN from Elastic Vapor

Lately there seems to be a minor debate among the clouderati about the semantic differences between the term "the cloud" versus the use of "cloud computing". So I thought I'd jump into the fray.

As someone who spends his days eating, breathing and sometimes drinking cloud computing, it's fun to see how the debate has recently devolved into a debate purely focused upon the finer semantic nuances of the various terminologies. The debate seems to generally focus on the varied usages within the companies that are attempting to "cloud-ify" themselves & their products/services. This cloudification seems to be the trend du'jour within the technology industry, an attempt to augment marketing materials and or product positioning to include cloud related buzz words, whether they make sense or not.
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As a marketing term, cloud has enabled us to broadly define the movement away from the desktop / server centric past to the cloud [Internet] enabled future. Wikipedia's cloud definition says it well, "it is a paradigm shift where technological details are abstracted from the users who no longer need knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure "in the cloud" that supports them". Yup, enough said.

This message is to of you -- the ones who are jumping on the cloud bandwagon, let me say this as plainly as possible. Regardless of whether it's "the cloud" or "cloud computing" it all comes back to the fact that it's a buzzword. A way to say we're cool, we're now, we're new, with out saying it directly (a neologism). It's the New Coke of Computing / the new taste of the Internet.

So what is The Cloud? It's the Internet. And what is Cloud Computing? It's the next big thing in computing, it's using the Internet.

How can I use DAM to assist with preliminary research?

2009-11-02T13:52:24Z

By Henrik de Gyor from Another DAM blog

A Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution can be used for preliminary research even before considering other external sources/vendors to acquire new assets or before creating new assets. You may already have what you need internally, so it may be worth looking inside your organization first. A DAM should able to provide users with "for placement only" (FPO) assets for consideration in a project. These FPO assets could be watermarked by the DAM to easily discern between a lower quality FPO asset (which can not be published as is) and the approved asset for use in a project with the proper rights cleared. Provided you have a fair number of assets for a project with enough metadata to find what you have on hand in a DAM, searching the DAM first may yield less research time for a project.

Realistically, once you acquire and/or create new assets, you may want to add them to the DAM in a timely manner so others may find it too. This makes it easier to reference and use these assets again whenever it fits the need of a project.

DAM user can create a DAM lightbox (or special collection) of specific assets found in the DAM for a particular project which could can shared and collaborated over with other DAM users, regardless of geographic location. These digital lightboxes could even be created and edited before meetings to discuss the project to streamline the process.
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If you want to maintain brand consistency, you could store your organization's logos in the DAM so the same, current set is easily searched, distributed and used from a single source (the DAM) rather than fragmenting distribution along with your brand.

How do you use DAM to assist with preliminary research?