Modern companies make use of all kinds of software and networked services in order to keep abreast of the market in the fast moving data heavy digital era. Whether they are managing a complex project, keeping brand identity on point or operating cost effective computing solutions, digital tools are essential for contemporary businesses. Here is a very brief guide to some of the most useful digital tools in business today.
Brand Asset Management Software
Brand Asset Management software is absolutely invaluable for companies needing to keep track of multiple digital asset streams (read: every company) as they make their mark online. Bynder is the most popular Brand Asset Management software, but other platforms offer even more functionality. The market for this kind of software has started to become really competitive as companies look to make use of complex networks of assets. So, what exactly is Brand Asset Management Software?
Brand Asset Management Software is a kind of Digital Asset Management program – usually referred to as DAM. Digital assets can be anything from press releases to logo designs. Any file which a company can use to its advantage can be considered to be a digital asset. Unfortunately, across industries, 78 percent of digital assets go unused. They sit idling in databases or are lost in labyrinthine online paper trails. Sometimes an asset is able to be located but is stored with no context whatsoever.
Digital Asset Management programs help make the storage, administration, and use of digital assets far simpler. They are logical platforms where all of the assets a company creates can be accessed. Think of this technology as a centralized administrative hub. If, for instance, a marketing manager wants to find a logo or design theme created by the graphic design team, they can log in to a DAM program and access these designs without ferreting around in databases or emailing the relevant team. Furthermore, they will be able to see metadata that gives the design context so they can effectively use it in marketing materials. Brand Asset Management software is a kind of DAM tailored to the needs of companies looking to build a cohesive online brand. It allows companies to coordinate marketing and customer service strategies across various social media platforms in order to create a distinct brand identity.
Project Management Software
Successfully coordinating a project takes a huge variety of administrative and managerial work. Modern project management software exists to make coordination far, far less stressful, and time consuming. This kind of software essentially compiles all of the elements necessary for managing a project into a single accessible platform. It facilitates coordinated collaboration.
Setting, monitoring, and hitting deadlines is complicated work made simpler by centralizing project management resources. A good project management platform allows all team members to log in and access resources. It provides direct feedback to the project manager so that they can adjust deadlines or set new tasks. Keeping track of how a project is progressing and timetabling appropriately is far simpler when all of the relevant information is available to view in one place. Project management software allows a company to successfully complete a project even if workers are not all present in an office. Instead, employees working from home, the office, or traveling can report their progress and collaborate effectively.
Database Software
Encryption And Security
Because of the significance of digital data to modern companies, they are constantly under threat from malicious agents looking to steal or hold their most important assets to ransom. The threats from hackers and malware are multifarious and can be capable of completely destroying a company. Because of this ever-present threat, companies have had to invest wisely in digital security measures to protect their assets and profits.
Data encryption is one of the most effective ways of protecting sensitive information stored on a computer or online. Unfortunately, encrypted data read as nonsense code: it is useless unless decrypted. Only the authorized personnel from within a company are entrusted with decryption keys or key generators. In theory, this means that would-be hackers would have no use for data they steal, like cash spoiled by an ATM ink security device.
Encryption software can also be used for malicious purposes. For example, the infamous WannaCry ransomware attack perpetrated by the Lazarus Group affected thousands of companies by encrypting their data and demanding a ransom for a decryption key. The attack was allegedly funded and masterminded by the government of the DPRK, which hired the Lazarus group in order to attract much needed money to the cash strapped hermit kingdom.
Cloud Storage
Until recently, companies would have to store their data onsite on individual hard drives or centralized data centers in physical locations. This posed a great many issues: none more pressing than space and cost, but also the ease that these things could have been destroyed or wiped out. We life in the age of the data deluge. Companies are experiencing a crisis of accumulation. There is simply too much usable data being collected and created to sustain an affordable onsite storage solution. On site, storage increases exponentially in price with the size. New data centers are immensely expensive and expanding them involves the physical installation of new hardware.
Cloud storage solves the problem of accumulation. Cloud storage is remote and accessible over an internet connection. Data is stored on remote servers and can be viewed by anybody with a password. As a result, the amount of storage space a company has access to online can be increased instantly at a fraction of the cost of a traditional on-site upgrade.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing takes this concept even further: bringing all of the computing and storage functionality online. Cloud computing providers like Amazon Web Services allow clients to access a huge variety of applications, storage options, and computing functions that would be immensely expensive and hardware-dependent if purchased conventionally. As commercial internet speeds have increased, the limits on the power of cloud computing solutions have dissolved away.
