Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

Comments
Written entirely in Java, Asset Bank is designed to be easily customized by Web developers
with CSS and HTML skills. In the UK, where the development team is based, it
has found a market among corporations, charities, universities, and councils. Its nearest
direct competitor is FotoWare Cameleon.
Version: N/A
OS: Windows 2000, XP, and Vista; Linux
RAM: N/A
Supported file formats: All (vendor says: “you can add files of any type whatsoever to Asset Bank”)
Price level: Approx. $9,500, by subscription $400 per month
Address: Bright interactive, Brighton Media Centre, 68 Middle Street, Brighton, BN1 1AL,
United Kingdom
www.assetbank.co.uk
Canto Cumulus
Vendor: Canto Software
Purpose: Digital asset management software for workgroups
Chapter 6 ■ Digital Asset Management (DAM) 61
Description
One of the best-known DAM products, Canto Cumulus has been around since 1991
with ongoing development and several thousand server licenses sold. It lets workgroups
find, share, and publish their files, wherever the files are stored. Its facilities, which include
full support for RAW image files, make it particularly suitable for creative professionals
such as designers, publishers, advertising agencies, and large photographic studios.
Cumulus handles all the digital assets of a company—images, sounds, video, and presentations—whatever
the file format. You drag files into it to catalog them, and drag
them out to use them. Being a client/server system, it allows everyone to access the assets,
with permissions, and can be used across the Web. This means you can let people know
where to find assets, such as a large image file, without having to retrieve and send them
personally.
Comments
Cumulus Server Solutions are aimed at corporations larger than the average photographic
studio, yet there are several photographers using this product. It is very good
for sharing assets with clients, under password control. However, it may be overkill for
smaller studios. For individuals, Canto recommends MediaDex, which is built on the
same digital asset management technology. (See that entry.)
Version: Cumulus 7.5 (2008)