Digital Media

Indiana University Moves Digital Assets to the Cloud

• By Michael Hart
• 04/12/16

Indiana University has adopted a new cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) system to manage assets such as images, logos and video. The multi-campus university should be able to improve collaboration between its media relations operations and university departments.

Previously, the images and branded materials the university owns were installed on multiple servers in different locations around the state. With the new cloud-based system, from Widen Media Collective, its use of digital assets will both become faster and more reliable. Likewise, with a more centralized system in place, various components of the university will be able to present a more consistent brand image to the public.

"We needed a dependable platform that we could manage, search and utilize for our marketing and news images," said Eric Rudd, a producer, art director and photographer with Indiana University Communications. "Our DAM solution needs to keep pace."

The university's communications department employs a wide network of photographers, videographers, graphic designers and project managers who need to browse and search for images in preparation for their use on billboards, printed materials, presentations, digital signage and other marketing materials. They also have varying levels of expertise when it comes to managing them. So the hope is that a more centralized cloud-based system will both accelerate and ease the process.

"We create a lot of content here that gets put on the web," Rudd said. "We're hoping the DAM will feed all of our online content, including our website and online newsletter."