Portico Group Increase Efficiency and Productivity with OpenAsset

Before OpenAsset, project photography was stored in network folders on the network. Our CIO knew that we needed a photo management system, so asked around for recommendations. They were happy to learn that OpenAsset was used by other firms like us.

One of the biggest issues that the firm faced was staff turnover. Image files were stored on a server, and the marketing manager was the only person who knew what assets were available and where to find them.

We’re really an image-focused firm. A good photograph of the design speaks to the quality of the work.

Portico group hired me as a consultant to help them with library, archive, and records management. So OpenAsset and parts of the Deltek Vision database became my responsibilities. At the time that I had joined, a lot of work had been done in OpenAsset, so it was my responsibility to optimize the database

I consulted with OpenAsset users at other firms to get an idea of where to start with the keyword strategy. Our OpenAsset account manager also offered clear advice – when it comes to keywords, keep it super simple.

Users can often find the image they need with one or two keyword filters applied. This makes it easy to keep the keyword structure very streamlined.

For example, Portico specializes in development of zoos, museums, gardens, and parks, so our images will often contain plants or animals. When building their keyword taxonomy, we realized it’s not necessary to create a keyword for each species of plant or animal in an image – that would create an impossibly complex keyword structure to manage. Instead, we apply keywords that represent broader species classifications and then the user can visually scan results to locate the image they need. For example, we have a keyword category called “Animal Type” which contains keywords like Amphibians, Insects, and Primates.

Users can easily find images for projects that they have little knowledge of, which is great for new team members’ onboarding process.

The drag and drop feature makes it easy to place photos into InDesign and PowerPoint documents directly from OpenAsset, so users don’t need to download local copies of images to work with them in design programs.

Laura Grove

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Rebecca Mackay

MARKETING TEAM LEADER