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By Cary Sherburne, Senior Editor Bob Long, Executive Vice President at MetaCommunications, is quick to point out that Digital Storage Manager is not another Digital Asset Management solution. Rather, it is specifically designed to aide creative workgroups to better manage the creative process. While there is some minor overlap in functionality with Digital Asset Management solutions, the bulk of the functionally is additive. Digital Storage Manager integrates with Quark, InDesign, Illustrator and other packages commonly used by creatives, and features real-time indexing of files similar to the functionality of Google Desktop Search, including both metadata and full text. It also offers a very nice extended preview capability through the Digital Resource Explorer. Running on Mac OS X on the client side, Digital Storage Manager ships with Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) that supports a 2 GB database free of charge. The product can be downloaded for a free 21-day trial, and is priced based on the amount of total storage under management with unlimited client and Web access, starting at $995 for 100 GB, with incremental upgrades up to unlimited storage under management at $19,995. This entry-level pricing strategy makes it affordable even for small creative groups. At this point, there are no plans to support the PC platform on the client side. Digital Storage Manager supports both decentralized and centralized archiving workflows, with the centralized workflow being managed by a cybrarian or archivist. It can integrate with Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) products such as Retrospect and ArcServe. Its ability to collect and assign metadata is quite robust, and it completes searches very quickly. The company also offers a software developer’s kit (SDK) for integration with FileMaker and Print MIS systems to be able to pull metadata directly from those systems. This new entry to the market is well worth a look. As all segment of the graphic arts market are looking to automate and improve productivity to stay competitive in an increasingly tight market, tools like MetaCommunications’ Digital Storage Manager are a welcome addition to the field.
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Prior to launching her consulting practice, Ms. Cary Sherburne was the Vice President of Marketing Communications and Outsourcing Solutions at IKON Office Solutions. In that capacity, she developed and implemented a branding campaign to build brand awareness for IKON in the marketplace as well as enhance employee pride in the organization, and was responsible for all internal and external communications, including trade shows and events, corporate newsletters, and industry and press relations. In the outsourcing role, she set strategic objectives and priorities for IKON’s product and services portfolio in its Outsourcing businesses, including development of programs and sales support materials for that environment. Sherburne was a Director at CAP Ventures, an internationally known firm specializing in market research and strategic consulting for the digital document and print on demand industry, before joining IKON, where she launched and managed the company’s Document Outsourcing Consulting Service. Her tenure in the printing and publishing industry has also included sales and marketing positions at Xerox Corporation, Indigo America and Bitstream. She is a frequent speaker at industry events and a recognized author. Cary can be reached via email at cary@sherburneassociates.com, online at www.sherburneassociates.com and by telephone at 603-430-5463.
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