Not Just Entertainment: ABI Research Finds Rich Media Asset Management Pervasive.

OYSTER BAY, N.Y. -- Say "rich media" and "digital asset management" to most people, and they will most likely think of the entertainment distribution industry, with its massive need to manage picture, sound and video collections.

But according to Vamsi Sistla, director of residential entertainment technologies at ABI Research, the need for DAM extends far beyond those limits, to embrace enterprises and organizations of many kinds. Banking, public sector, advertising and marketing, public relations, health care, insurance, libraries and museums -- the list of vertical markets is practically endless, and could include any major corporation that operates internationally and needs to release media materials 24/7 to employees or the public anywhere around the world.

The market opportunities for software vendors and system integrators addressing this need are enormous.

ABI Research is releasing a new study titled "Rich Media Digital Asset Management: Opportunities for Software, ASP Service Platforms and System Integrators", which focuses primarily on market sizing for DAM software vendors, hosted, ASP and platform providers, and systems integrators.

DAM can be an expensive and specialized proposition for a large organization, and many firms now find hosted DAM solutions more attractive than a "do-it-yourself" approach. Hosted and ASP-model DAM services are a growing segment within a growing market. "They offer real advantages," notes Sistla. "The enterprise lowers its up-front and operational costs, and enjoys service-agreement security for its rich media. On their side, hosting providers can expect continuous and growing sources of revenue."

While DAM comes with built-in business rights, those rights and rules don't extend beyond the firewall. Platform providers integrate DRM - governing the rights based on transactions - at the last mile. Sistla continues, "DRM is a must in the digital media distribution value chain. DAM vendors might benefit if they align themselves with the existing DRM leaders, or bring them into their product portfolios." ABI Research analyzed leading DRM vendors in its study "Conditional Access and Digital Rights Management".

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in New York, ABI Research maintains global operations supporting annual research programs, intelligence services and market reports in automotive, wireless, semiconductors, broadband, and energy. For information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.