Do you need a DAM system but are unsure how to find the ideal solution for your business? Choosing the digital asset management (DAM) software that aligns with your business goals and project needs is critical. However, all DAM systems are unique and may not be equipped with the features and capabilities that fulfill your team’s specific needs. In this blog, we will provide you with an in-depth comparison of two highly valuable platforms: OpenAsset and ProjectMark.
As leaders in the DAM space, our goal is to help you find the best software for your team. By presenting this clear comparison, we hope to help you choose the right digital asset management tool for your business.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset is a cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) software platform for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), and real estate industries. This cloud-based DAM solution empowers AEC firms by providing project-based functionality crucial for creating high-quality RFP (Request for Proposal) responses.
Equipped with an array of DAM tools, OpenAsset provides a centralized system for quickly storing, organizing, managing, and sharing digital assets.
With OpenAsset, users can ensure that their digital assets are up-to-date, easily accessible, and securely stored in the cloud, facilitating collaboration and improving overall productivity in the industry.
OpenAsset’s key features include:
- A project-based structure
- AI-enabled search
- Marketing collateral creation
- Asset categorization
- Asset sharing
- Workflow management
With OpenAsset, you can also access an employee module for creating resumes, storing employee data, and syncing employee assets between HR or ERP systems and OpenAsset.
ProjectMark
ProjectMark is a portfolio-driven network that allows companies in the AEC industry to manage their content online. It is a comprehensive solution that optimizes business development and marketing workflows for AEC companies. ProjectMark is made up of the following key tools:
- Design+
- Microsite
- Smart Portfolio
- Network
Although this platform offers a range of intelligent tools specifically designed to cater to the needs of AEC firms, it is not a DAM solution but a customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
ProjectMark also utilizes a smart content management system (CMS), enabling companies to efficiently organize and classify their company, project, and employee data. The CMS is seamlessly integrated with user-friendly proposal software and a mini-website builder. This integration empowers companies to easily and efficiently create professional and tailored PDF and digital proposals. By streamlining the proposal creation process, ProjectMark improves the quality of proposals while saving valuable time and effort.
ProjectMark offers:
- A CRM that’s user-friendly and includes hassle-free data management, as well as easy reporting and insights.
- Proposal creation collaboration with field staff, project managers, business developers, marketers, and executives.
- Store contacts, companies, projects, digital assets, and proposals in one place.
OpenAsset vs. ProjectMark: Capabilities
A DAM system, like OpenAsset, acts as a centralized repository for storing all your digital assets, providing convenient access for your team and other stakeholders. Since different teams may have unique requirements and organizational structures for managing important files and creative assets, choosing a DAM system that aligns with your current workflows and seamlessly supports them is vital.
On the other hand, the primary goal of a CRM system like ProjectMark is to enhance customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty by providing a holistic view of customer information and enabling efficient communication and engagement with customers. The primary goal of a CRM system is to enhance customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty by providing a holistic view of customer information and enabling efficient communication and engagement with customers. By leveraging a CRM system, businesses can improve their efficiency, productivity, and customer relationship management.
When evaluating suitable software options, ensuring that the system and its features are compatible with your specific workflows and can seamlessly integrate into your existing processes is crucial. This will help maintain a smooth transition and maximize efficiency. To determine which system better suits your needs, we’ll compare the essential capabilities of OpenAsset and ProjectMark.
Storage
Like other DAM platforms, OpenAsset and ProjectMark utilize cloud storage to manage users’ digital assets. Cloud storage has become a fundamental necessity for all brands, offering convenient access to content from any location worldwide. Additionally, it provides reliable backup and heightened security measures, safeguarding your valuable data. By opting for a software solution with cloud storage, you can enjoy the flexibility, accessibility, and protection it brings to your digital asset management process.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset provides a dependable and secure cloud-based repository that serves as centralized storage for digital assets. It guarantees the accessibility of both branded and non-branded images and assets, allowing your team to retrieve them whenever and wherever needed. This feature particularly benefits firms that frequently utilize project photos in their proposals, resumes, and marketing materials.
With OpenAsset’s mobile and bulk upload functionality, these firms can significantly streamline their workflows and effectively manage their visual assets. The ability to upload assets in bulk simplifies adding multiple files at once, saving valuable time and effort. Additionally, the mobile upload feature enables users to conveniently contribute assets on the go, ensuring a seamless and efficient asset management experience.
ProjectMark
ProjectMark offers a Smart CMS system designed specifically for the AEC industries. The projects section is a centralized hub for creating and storing all your project information, which can be conveniently accessed and utilized across various features such as Design+, Microsite, Smart Portfolio, and Network.
ProjectMark’s tools mentioned above allow you to automatically save your files as you make progress. This ensures your work is constantly preserved, meaning you can leave the editor or close the window anytime.
Search
Effective search functionalities play a crucial role in DAM and CRM software, significantly benefiting organizations. The ability to quickly and effortlessly search for specific assets makes a DAM system or CRM software highly valuable. Efficient searching allows users to access their images, videos, or customer-related data with minimal effort, eliminating the need to manually browse through extensive folders or databases. The efficiency gained from streamlined search functionalities translates into tangible time and cost savings for the organization.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset stands out with its unique search function that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI). This advanced search capability not only helps users locate the correct files but also assists in discovering other relevant assets that may have been missed or overlooked. By leveraging AI, OpenAsset enhances the search experience, making asset discovery more efficient and effective.
OpenAsset simplifies creating selections and photo albums based on specific search criteria, enabling users to effortlessly organize and categorize their assets. An added advantage is the direct integration with applications like InDesign and PowerPoint, allowing users to utilize the selected images without downloading them separately.
To ensure long-term organization and seamless retrieval of assets, OpenAsset implements a standardized keyword taxonomy and adopts a project-based structure. This guarantees that assets remain easily searchable and accessible throughout their lifecycle.
ProjectMark
ProjectMark provides a searchable database to quickly find the information you need. The ProjectMark DAM within their Smart CMS helps you find images that meet your marketing needs quickly and easily. Leverage the power of unlimited tagging to ensure your team has access to all of your company’s best digital assets. For projects, you can select multiple sectors for any given project you are uploading. Simply type to search for the sector or select from the dropdown options.
Moreover, the ProjectMark Network is an interactive maps-based platform where AEC companies can advertise their historical projects. Users can then search for companies with that experience by applying specific filters.
You can find your company profile in two ways. Firstly, start by clicking ‘’Search’’ or ‘’Access Network’’.
- Search for your company profile in the search bar. Once you begin typing, a dropdown list of options will appear.
- Find your company based on its historical project experience. You can do this by applying specific project and company filters to match your search criteria and narrow down results.
When your contacts, companies, projects, digital assets, and proposals are moved into ProjectMark, you can search for the latest revision of a project template or any other information you need.
Access
Permissions are a powerful tool. Not only do they offer users a frictionless experience by providing them with the relevant features to do their job, but they can also create a more collaborative platform by enabling user input while keeping quality control. A DAM enables seamless asset distribution across applications through integration. Integrations and permissions in a DAM streamline workflows, reduce duplication, and save time on manual processes.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset makes the secure sharing of images and digital assets a simple process, allowing you to share them exclusively with the relevant individuals or teams when they require access. With OpenAsset, users can exercise control over distributed assets through features like download monitoring and external access control. You can set access rights for individual image sizes, granting control over who can view and download specific versions of the images. These features offer peace of mind to organizations of all sizes, ensuring that assets are shared securely and only with authorized parties.
OpenAsset offers multiple levels of permissions for teams looking to stay organized. On the internal side, there are user permissions for “Basic Users” and Full Users”. These two user types ensure that your team doesn’t overpay for roles or permissions you won’t use. Learn more about their differences, here.
ProjectMark
In ProjectMark, tagging ensures your team has access to all of your company’s best images and digital assets. ProjectMark provides a centralized platform that consolidates all your marketing materials, making them easily accessible to multiple team members. With ProjectMark, you can gather and organize all your marketing assets in one place, ensuring efficient access and collaboration within your team.
According to ProjectMark, there are three levels of access permissions for Team Members on the platform:
1. Admin Users: This user has full access to the platform. They will be the only users with access to the Subscription settings and the only users who can add, edit or delete team member profiles or change access permissions.
2. Editors & Reviewers: This user will be able to create, edit and delete content on the platform, whether on the Profile, the Account Dashboard, or the Proposals section. This user will not have access to the Subscription settings or can add, edit or delete team members or change access permissions.
3. Employees: This user will not have access to the company profile and will have a professional profile only. Admin Users, Editors, and Reviewers can use the team member information when creating proposals and resumes.
Integrations
A DAM system enables users to distribute their assets across multiple applications through seamless integration effortlessly. By leveraging a diverse range of integrations and capabilities, establishing efficient workflows, reducing duplication, and minimizing manual tasks becomes considerably simplified. This allows users to streamline their processes, saving valuable time and resources.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset integrations are tailored for marketing and AEC professionals. These integrations encompass various tools such as project-based ERP & CRM, construction project management, and document creation tools. By leveraging these integrations, users can access a comprehensive set of tools that enhance their workflow efficiency and enable seamless collaboration within their respective fields.
ProjectMark
ProjectMark is currently integrated with Procore and has multiple other integrations planned in its product roadmap. For document creation, ProjectMark offers Design+, an intuitive design software and content editor tailored for AEC professionals. Design+ allows users to leverage historical data to create exceptional bid proposals, SOQ brochures, and other marketing collateral. Users can create custom resumes, populate project sheets in a few clicks, and have real-time collaboration to reduce the time spent on generating valued documents.
Collaboration
To foster an efficient and creative workflow, your team needs seamless collaboration and communication with internal departments and external agencies. By effectively leveraging a DAM system, you can accelerate the content creation process from start to finish. This ensures that reviews and approvals are streamlined and easily understood by all stakeholders involved. A well-utilized DAM enhances collaboration, promotes clear communication, and results in a smoother workflow for the entire content creation journey.
OpenAsset
OpenAsset streamlines the creation of comprehensive marketing materials and proposal documents through its branded templates, employee resume module, and intuitive drag-and-drop functionality. With OpenAsset, you can easily customize and personalize your materials, leveraging pre-designed templates to maintain consistent branding.
The user-friendly drag-and-drop interface simplifies the process, making adding and arranging content elements effortless. Moreover, OpenAsset’s project portfolio feature enables the seamless presentation of your work, enhancing the efficiency of the proposal creation process. With these features, OpenAsset empowers users to create professional and visually appealing marketing materials and proposals with ease.
ProjectMark
With ProjectMark’s real-time collaboration feature, your team can make changes to a document without concerns about its overall impact. Gone are the days of waiting until the document is fully formatted before sharing it with the technical team. With ProjectMark, you can continuously refine the content in collaboration with your team, ensuring a seamless and iterative process to create the perfect proposal.
OpenAsset: Best DAM for AEC Firms
ProjectMark and OpenAsset are both great choices with similar features and functionality. However, their image capabilities, integrations, and document creation flexibility differ. OpenAsset works with over 800 small, medium, and large built-world companies, standing out as the ideal DAM solution tailored specifically for AEC professionals. While ProjectMark functions as CRM software for AEC firms, OpenAsset offers various functionalities beyond CRM.
ProjectMark cannot integrate with the most used tools across AEC firms, such as InDesign and Microsoft Office. However, OpenAsset provides expert guidance and multiple AEC-specific integrations that ProjectMark ignores.
With OpenAsset, you can include role-specific content when building resumes. When creating employee resumes for bid proposals, one of the most time-consuming tasks is editing documents to have project experience that aligns with the proposal. However, with the Advanced Selector feature, you can significantly save time. By selecting a checkbox, you can effortlessly include relevant project experience in a resume document.
Additionally, OpenAsset offers automatic image resizing capabilities and provides multiple export options to cater to your needs. With OpenAsset, you can define the parameters for image sizes, ensuring that users have access to the versions of the images. OpenAsset’s image resizing functionality and flexible export options empower you to efficiently manage and distribute images in the most suitable formats and sizes.
ProjectMark: Best CRM for AEC Websites
With ProjectMark, you can access tools like Design+, Smart Portfolio, Microsites, and Network.
Smart Portfolio allows you to display your project portfolio on your own company website through an interactive ProjectMap. This makes maintaining an updated and visually engaging project portfolio on your website easier than ever.
The microsite feature is a mini-website builder that allows users to create and present specific content on an interactive interface. Microsites can help you to deliver a customized experience for your customers and gain real-time analytics about your client’s interests.
Lastly, ProjectMark Network allows you to tailor portfolios to specific clients for their region. This project-driven network enhances visibility, enables opportunity tracking, facilitates partner connections, and supports talent recruitment for companies.
Although these tools are useful, when it comes to proposal creation, ProjectMark’s proprietary proposal builder (Design+) requires additional training and does not have the design flexibility of other popular design software used by AEC firms, like InDesign. Additionally, the automatic resizing of images is not mentioned by ProjectMark, limiting the rich capability to insert perfect images to your document needs.
What else can a DAM do for my organization?
Now that you have gained the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision, you can take the next steps for your company. As you continue to weigh your options, we’ve also created helpful comparisons for Bynder, Brandfolder, and Canto.
For more information, read our guide on digital asset management, which covers the way marketing professionals use our DAM to streamline work and avoid clutter. This guide answers the question “What else can a DAM do for my firm?,” often asked by AEC marketing professionals who trust OpenAsset to organize their files and images.
