Webarchives - Success Through Innovation

BusinessWire
Connecting the dots at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP using the iDAM(TM) Digital Asset Management system developed by WebArchives
08.12.05, 12:40 PM ET

Architectural industry leader, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), wanted an easy way to connect its eight offices and multiple project teams in order to search, organize and manage the firm's extensive digital image library.

Using the iDAM(TM) Digital Asset Management system developed by WebArchives, SOM's geographically dispersed offices are now linked. iDAM has made it possible for SOM to capture, catalog, manage and share digital assets throughout the enterprise.

"iDAM works almost at light-speed, which is exactly the speed at which our business operates. The robust search tool and intuitive organizational structure allow us to find images and other documents quickly and efficiently. The system streamlines our entire workflow," said Maureen Hanratty, Marketing Coordinator in SOM's San Francisco office. "Before iDAM we simply could not keep with the maintenance and archiving of our expansive image collection. But the iDAM system has allowed us to organize our images in one central location, and search them in any manner of ways. It's brought our work process into the 21st century!"

Now employees in all of SOM offices know what digital assets exist within the firm's vast digital asset library, and where to find them. Some of the digital materials stored include photographs, graphics, layouts, illustrations, slide presentations, along with video and audio recordings.

"In the constant search for images by architects, using iDAM has saved me a lot of time and effort by its ease of use in searches and range in download types," said Nancy Cheung, Visual Materials Coordinator in SOM's New York office.

SOM employees from every SOM office can use and re-purpose all of the firm's digital assets directly from their desktop computers using a web browser. The iDAM system installed for SOM has supported the firm's objective to create and manage content throughout its eight offices.

"iDAM's intuitive interface has enabled a smooth transition from our previous Digital Asset Management System. The development team worked closely with our internal review team to ensure the system achieved our goals and met our requirements. The web based solution has drastically improved the response time for adding users to the system by eliminating the necessity to install client software," said Robert Myers, Applications Analyst for SOM. "The product resulting from the close collaboration of SOM and WebArchives is a Digital Asset Management System focused on SOM's specific needs. We will continue to rely on WebArchives excellent system and development team to improve on our system as SOM's needs evolve."

"Organizations realize the value in bringing a company's collection of graphics, video, audio and text to their employees' desktop with a secure and easy-to-use interface. This enhanced access to valuable company resources facilitates development of new promotional materials, new business proposals and new project materials," says Jon Burlinson, Founder of WebArchives. "The iDAM system saves an architectural firm not just time, but money. Architects spend less time locating images and more time creating outstanding buildings."

"What we tend to find when talking with architects is that they are heavily dependent on someone within their organization knowing where the firm's digital images are or how they should be used," said Mark Burlinson of Interface Multimedia, an authorized distributor of the iDAM Digital Asset Management system. "Architects need a tool -- such as iDAM -- that allows their employees to search for images they want, to organize images in some consistent manner, and to make the images available to the people that need them for client presentations, marketing and brochure development."

About WebArchives

We are architects, engineers and technologists with over 50 years of combined experience in the information management industry. We provide our clients with real competitive advantages in the connected economy. Our global digital asset management system, iDAM(TM), enables companies to realize the potential of their existing intellectual property by unleashing its power across the corporate enterprise or global network in an easy-to-use collaborative platform independent web-based environment. Architectural industry leaders such as Torti-Gallas/CHK Architects, SMWM Architects and RIM Architects are WebArchives clients as well as real estate companies such as JBG Companies, Forest City Enterprises and Street-Works.

In 1994, WebArchives began collaborating with design and architecture firms to develop the first iDAM digital asset manager for architect and product design companies. Since then, we have developed award-winning digital asset management solutions for many AEC, media, real estate and product design firms use Internet-based technologies to manage digital assets.

About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Founded in 1936, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the world's leading architecture, urban design, engineering, and interiors firms. SOM has completed more than 10,000 architecture, engineering, interior architecture, and planning projects in more than 50 countries around the world. The firm has unparalleled expertise in designing super high-rise buildings. It was responsible for the design and structural engineering of America's tallest building to date--the 109-story Sears Tower in Chicago. Other signature projects include Lever House, an office building in New York City that set standards for office design around the world; the 100-story John Hancock Tower in Chicago; Jin Mao, an 88-story mixed-use tower in Shanghai; and the Bank of America World Headquarters in San Francisco.

For more case studies, contact us at: info@webarchives.com