A great asset manager for a large corporation

We use Widen as a digital asset manager that houses our corporate photography, videos, branding materials, and other documentation. Everyone in the company can log in through Single Sign-On and begin using the tool to find and access the content they need to get their jobs done quickly and independently.

Pros

The search functionality is powerful. Metadata parameters are as broad or as narrow as I'd like them to be when I'm uploading my content, but I know that I'll always be able to track things down with the search bar. I love that, as an administrator, I can assign different "roles" or "groups" to both users and assets to ensure that the right content can be found by the right people, and restrictions or limitations can be put in place when required. The front page is pretty customizable, though that part isn't as intuitive as it could be. (A free-form HTML editor option would be nice, for the geeks among us who want to really extract the full potential of a customized front page). Fully integrated Single Sign-On makes it easy for anyone in the organization to log in and get going with virtually no effort on my part as an administrator. The analytics reports let me know how much use we're getting out of the tool, what people are searching for, and creates opportunities for optimization. It also gives us a clear indication of what type of content require to get their jobs done, so we can better cater to their needs.

Cons

Again, the lack of a truly free-form HTML editor option for the homepage layout is a bit limiting - We've managed to find clever ways around that to ensure people can still easily navigate around and find what they need, but the ability to customize that homepage would be great. It would be nice as an administrator to be able to quickly and easily change my view mode to be able to see what content is available for different role types. Currently, I find myself having to log into a number of dummy accounts with different access levels to verify what content is/isn't displayed, which can interrupt my workflow.

Widen is a responsive and powerful DAM with bonus features and very attentive customer service

We are able to archive and distribute thousands of marketing assets to a global audience very efficiently and with a sufficient amount of protection and guidance about proper usage. Portals have allowed teams to communicate out about curated groups of assets and instructions with a single url which has helped their ability to promote the most valuable and up to date marketing assets.

Pros

Assets are served up quickly around the world and it is a very stable platform. When technical issues do arise, they are very communicative about their progress of solving the issue. I like the dedicated customer rep as well as access to new features and feedback through their Trello boards. I also like the ability to extract metadata from image IPTC metadata and map it to our custom fields.

Cons

I like the ability to create portals in order to highlight and add info to curated groups of assets, but there are some weaknesses in portal functionality and portal creation capabilities. It would be ideal to be able to create custom dashboards/homepage without extensive use of html. The current wysiwyg is extremely limited in design/layout capability. We'd like a better way for our users to be able to search for portals.

My Widen DAM Review

Using Widens DAM to organize our assets has greatly reduced our marketing teams time spent hunting for images.

Pros

My favorite things about Widens DAM software include an easy to navigate interface, very intuitive searching capabilities, customizable metadata fields for great detail to be attributed to assets, the ability to download files in multiple files types (fairly quick conversion depending on size of original file), the ability to customize your login screen and home screen (keeping everything on-brand is important!), and their customer support team is amazing.

Cons

I feel that the asset sharing options could be expanded upon. Currently, you can type an email in and send a set of assets. I would like to see additional options implemented because it feels fairly limited currently.

Amazing product for managing content fantastically

For me this application is a huge blessing that keeps my content management easier by each passing day.

Pros

It helps in embedding codes in order to categorize all my files and folders. URLs can also be track down through this amazing platform in just few minutes. Moreover, this platform allows me to have a robust search filter that helps me to get all my required files within just few seconds.

Cons

Regardless of all these features it also supports me to manage all my content digitally and also to have an access every time. It is always proved to be helpful to me. I failed to find any single feature to be like least about it.

Widen Collective

The Digital Asset System was put in place to provide easy access to assets owned by Trek Bicycle Corporation for those internally and externally. These assets can be ordered and downloaded at any time of day or night. It's an invaluable tool for our dealers, distributors, and international offices. ' The Media Template is an online ad, and media builder. It allows Trek to control brand consistency, while it allows our users to build media in minutes using pre-approved images and text without the need of expensive software programs. We use this portion of the site to provide promotional items and in store signage to our large dealer base. Overall, I think the Widen collective is a great product and I really enjoy working with Widen.

Pros

Good customer support Robust reporting features Assets can be downloaded in a variety of file formats Various types of file formats are supported Permissions can be setup to protect assets Users can access the site through a standard web browser Media can be built in minutes without needing expensive software programs Assets/media can be ordered and downloaded at any time of day or night Software updates made throughout the year

Cons

Pages can be slow to load at times Reporting tools can be confusing Custom enhancements to the site can be expensive Some education is needed for new users of the site The site is not setup for printing on demand Home page can be confusing if your site includes the DAM and the media builder