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IBase Media Services Ltd
https://www.ibase.com

Profile Index

    The DAM Playbook

    This vendor does not appear in the in the DAM Playbook.

    DAM 10 Core Accreditation

    This vendor is not 10 Core accredited.

    Vendor Details

    Contact Name
    Matt Secrett
    Company Profile
    iBase is the flagship product of iBase Media Services Ltd. Our products have been under continuous development since 1993, keeping pace with and contributing to technological advances and the requirements of the digital media asset management, picture library and video library sectors. https://www.ibase.com/video-tutorial

    Contact Telephone
    +44 (0) 1943 603636
    Contact Email
    sales@ibase.com
    Company Website
    https://www.ibase.com
    Years Trading
    22
    Company Turnover Category
    The turnover of the vendor can give an indication of their size. US Dollars is used as common currency to allow comparisons. Note that turnover is not necessarily any indicator of financial stability but as part of any procurement due diligence you are obliged to carry out by your organisation, any vendors who have not agreed to show their turnover here might be required to do so if subsequently appointed.
    • $500k - $1m
    Company Turnover
    This is the actual turnover of the vendor in US Dollars.
    300000
    Percentage of Revenue From DAM Software
    A vendor might have a large turnover and many employees, but their DAM software division is a very small element of what they offer. If a large proportion of their revenue comes from DAM solutions (licenses, support, hosting, consulting etc) then this may mean they are more specialised, but also there are risks to their overall financial stability if there is a downturn in the DAM software market.
    100
    Number of Full-Time Employees
    Along with turnover, the number of full-time employees gives an indication of the size of the vendor. Note that although a firm might have many employees, not all of them might be dedicated to developing DAM solutions, so this cannot be relied on in isolation.
    5
    Office Locations
    • Ilkley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
    Product Name
    iBase
    Latest Version Number
    7
    Date Of Last Release
    01/07/2022
    Documentation URL
    https://www.ibase.com/sites/ibase/userdocs/7.0/QuickStartGuide.pdf
    Company LinkedIn URL
    https://uk.linkedin.com/in/digitalassetmanagement
    Company Facebook URL
    https://www.facebook.com/iBaseDigitalAssetManagement
    Clients & Customers
    • City of London Corporation
    • Edinburgh City Libraries
    • National Museums Wales
    • Natural History New Zealand
    • Science Museum Group
    • Tate Britain
    • San Diego State University
    • Minnesota Public Radio
    • Paul Mellon Center
    • Liberty of London
    • ABC Supply Co. Ltd
    • IHS Markit
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
    • Bradford Museums and Galleries
    • Ocean Networks Canada
    Partner Network
    If the vendor operates through a sales channel they may use intermediaries who have regional focus or additional specialisms in a given vertical market.
    • No

    Licensing

    Licensing Model
    This refers to the type of licence the DAM system software is supplied under. Proprietary means that the developer restricts access to the source code (the instructions used to generate the software). Open source means that the developer provides full access to the code so you can modify it yourself. Split model is hybrid and means they may offer both options with some restrictions removed (or added) depending on the model chosen. If split is selected, it is advisable to verify the differences with the vendor.
    • Proprietary
    Licence Notes
    iBase is available either as a one time only purchase (for deployment into the client's environment) or as a monthly subscription (hosted within iBase's AWS environment).

    Use of Open Source Components
    Many DAM systems use freely available open source components to deliver key functionality. The products themselves may not be open source, however. This question will help to identify to what extent they are open source.
    • Some open source components used, but core product is not open source

    Hosting

    Software Delivery Methods
    • Installed (On-Premise)
    • Cloud/SaaS

    Technology

    Client
    Client refers to the type of hardware or software device that can be used to access or control the DAM system.
    • Web client
    Client Notes
    iBase supports the latest version of all major browsers.

    Server Operating Systems supported
    This only applies for installed or hybrid DAM systems and refers to what types of OS they can be run on. This question is less relevant for DAM systems where a third party will be hosting it for you.
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac OSX
    Web Server
    The type of web server software that the DAM system can operate with. Not all DAM systems use a web server and for pure SaaS products the question is irrelevant. If you either want SaaS or non-web DAM systems, do not choose an option.
    • Other
    Web Server Notes
    iBase uses the Resin framework developed by Caucho. This provides a faster and more reliable service than Apache httpd and NginX.

    It also allows for tightly-integrated PHP & Java with compilation for extra security and performance.

    Software Development Technologies Used
    This means the programming language or development technology used to implement the DAM system. This question is more important for open source software or if you have IT policy restrictions that require you to use (or not use) some technologies. It may not be relevant if you require a hosted DAM and never intend to host the system in-house.
    • Java/J2EE
    • Node.js
    • PHP
    • Other
    Database Technology
    The Database that the DAM system uses. All DAM systems require some kind of storage for asset metadata and they are usually based on an existing technology - but that may not always be a conventional database. If the DAM will be hosted by someone else (e.g. SaaS/Cloud) this question may not be relevant.
    • Oracle
    • SQL Server
    Database Notes
    iBase supports the latest versions of both SQL Server and Oracle DBMSs

    Search Technologies
    This refers to third party search components that the vendor uses to provide the text search features (and sometimes other related search functions).
    • Lucene
    • Oracle
    • SQL Server
    Search Technologies Notes
    Lucene Indexing is used within our system to assist the end user in locating assets relevant to them. It also integrates the concept of fuzzy searching to guide the users if their searches yield no results.

    Service Oriented Architecture
    Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) means the vendor's product uses a modular architecture where each core DAM function is delivered as a service which can be separated out independently from other functions. It is important for large-scale Digital Asset Management implementations or more complex integration requirements.
    • Yes
    Service Oriented Architecture Definition
    Some vendors have widely differing opinions of what Service Oriented Architecture means. Their response to this question allows you to understand if their definition concurs with your own. If you are not contemplating a large scale DAM implementation or one with many complex integration requirements, SOA may not be relevant to your needs.
    Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a style of software design where services are provided to the other components by application components, through a communication protocol over a network. A SOA service is a discrete unit of functionality that can be accessed remotely and acted upon and updated independently, such as retrieving a credit card statement online. SOA is also intended to be independent of vendors, products and technologies.

    Unique SOA Services
    If the vendor uses a Service Oriented Architecture, they should be able to identify a number of unique services that are isolated from each other. Note there is overlap between with question and the one about scalable asset processing. Some vendors do not have an SOA but do offer large scale asset processing capabilities.
    • Storage
    • Metadata
    • Metadata Extraction
    • User Management
    • User Authentication
    • Permissions (Access Control)
    • Workflow
    • Search
    • Collections (lightboxes and arbitrary selections)
    Service Oriented Architecture Notes
    iBase delivers SOA through an integrated web service-based API.

    Microservices
    Microservices are similar in nature to Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) with the key difference being that they can be deployed entirely independently of the platform that uses them. Microservices are usually prevalent in Digital Asset Supply Chain projects.
    • No
    Microservices Definition
    As with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) some vendors have different opinions of what microservices are. Their response to this question allows you to understand if their definition concurs with your own. If you are not contemplating a Digital Asset Supply Chain project, large scale DAM implementation or one with many complex integration requirements, microservices may not be relevant to your needs.
    N/A

    Search

    Search Features
    This describes the search strategies that can be used to find assets. If you do not understand any of them, leave the options de-selected. Most DAM systems should support at least keyword search at a minimum.
    • Keyword
    • Auto-suggest
    • Folders
    • Filters
    • Faceted Search
    • Linked Asset Search
    Search Notes
    A full suite of search tools is supplied within iBase to assist the end user in locating the assets they're looking for.

    This, alongside the ability to save selections of assets for later use, grants users immense control.

    Index/Search Text Content Of Documents
    Some DAM systems can search the text content of document assets and that might be important for your DAM solution.
    • Yes
    Document Text Indexing Notes
    Document formats including PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT and more, are all indexed and their content may be searched for within the system.

    Metadata

    Embedded metadata support (reading)
    Embedded metadata refers to information stored within asset files which can be searched from the DAM system. There are different standards for this type of metadata. Some image cataloguing software like Adobe Lightroom will write this data to asset files and a device like a camera may capture details also such as GPRS coordinates where an photo was shot. XMP metadata is often used with other types of files such as InDesign or PDF. If you are unsure whether this applied to you, do not check any options.
    • IPTC
    • IPTC Core
    • XMP
    • EXIF
    • PLUS
    • Dublin Core
    • Other
    Embedded metadata support (writing)
    See the reading question above for more details on what embedded metadata is. This question refers to whether embedded metadata can be written back to files if edited within the DAM system.
    • IPTC
    • IPTC Core
    • XMP
    • EXIF
    • PLUS
    • Dublin Core
    • Other
    Controlled Vocabularies
    Controlled Vocabularies are predefined lists of search terms. They can be realised in many different ways but the common factor is the user picks from a restricted selection rather than enters a keyword. Most DAM systems will usually support both controlled vocabularies and keywords.
    • Yes
    User Defined Metadata Fields
    The ability to configure metadata your own metadata fields is important for DAM systems so you can assign a dedicated field for certain items of information rather than using a generic classification method or one of the vendor's own standard fields.
    • Yes
    Cataloguing Interface Options
    When cataloguing assets with custom fields, some metadata will be controlled selections, others will be free text. There are further choices like date fields, file attachments etc.
    • Text field
    • Text area (narrative)
    • Drop down menu
    • Combo-box (multi-item selection)
    • Checkbox
    • Date
    • File attachment
    • Numbers
    • Other
    Cataloguing Interface Notes
    Verify how the vendor has implemented a given cataloguing interface control. It is preferable if they can demonstrate with examples of how they have implemented interface options for cataloguing and metadata entry.
    Additional data may be stored alongside the imported assets in the form of text records and asset classification.

    Furthermore, additional workflow-related restrictions may be placed on what data may be seen or edited by different users.

    Business Intelligence & Reporting

    Asset Usage Records
    To enable reports to be generated, DAM solutions must retain records of asset usage, including searching, download and editing of records. The reporting should include the user who carried out the activity and the date/time it occurred.
    • Yes
    Asset Usage Notes
    A fully customisable reporting system exists within iBase which allows a system manager to easily access and search through information. This includes details such as view, download and purchase histories of all assets.

    Audit Trail
    A detailed audit trail that logs every user action in a central record is useful to gain insight into user behaviour. Comprehensive audit trails allow DAM system users to produce reports that address their unique needs.
    • Yes
    Audit Trail Notes
    Full audit logs are kept and maintained so system managers may trace users' passage through the system and identify any issues.

    Built-In Reports
    A range of built-in reports that you can quickly generate is useful to answer common questions such as the "what is our most popular asset?".
    • Most popular assets by download
    • Average number of search results returned over a given period
    • Download activity over a given period
    • Login activity over a given period
    • Popular search terms
    Reporting Notes
    Other reports include:

    Audit events,
    Download History,
    Most popular search term(s),
    Order history,
    Request history,
    Search history,
    Search history,
    Zero result searches.

    Further reports can be generated upon request and all of the reports can be filtered by date and user where applicable.

    Asset Processing

    Dedicated/Scalable Proxy or Derivative Asset Generation
    Nearly all DAM systems will generate thumbnails and previews of media, including more dynamic types like video or audio. Some products use a separate server to do this which usually makes them more suitable for large scale asset ingestion and processing.
    • Yes
    Dedicated/Scalable Proxy or Derivative Asset Generation Notes
    Uses AWS Serverless Functions to process asset derivatives.

    Multi-Page Document Asset Previews
    If you deal with document oriented assets, having a solution which can generate multi-page previews (and also zoom in on them) can save the hassle of downloading a file only to discover it is not the one you need. For assets with very similar content, this can be a useful feature.
    • Yes
    Multi-Page Document Asset Preview Notes
    When a user uploads a document it is placed within the system alongside linked surrogate assets which consist of viewable page contents.

    This feature supports PDF, Word, XLS, PPT and many others.

    Asset Manipulation

    Image Manipulation
    Many DAM systems allow users to manipulate images by resizing, cropping etc. Choose any features which are important to your users.
    • Image re-sizing
    • Image cropping
    • Format conversion
    • Flip images
    • Rotate image
    • Batch manipulate groups of assets
    Image Manipulation Notes
    Customisable watermarks may be placed on assets at the point of import to protect ownership rights.

    Image format and size may be modified at the point of download to provide end users access to different versions of the asset.

    Video Manipulation
    Some DAM systems may allow video assets to be converted or modified. If that is a potential requirement for you, specify those features which are likely to be needed. EDL = Edit Decision List and refers to providing in/out points when editing video footage.
    • Format conversion
    • Batch operations on multiple video assets
    Video Manipulation Notes
    Customisable watermarks may be placed on assets at the point of import to protect ownership rights.

    Video format and size may be modified at the point of download to provide end users access to different versions of the asset.

    Data Import/Export

    Importing Metadata
    Importing metadata is an important feature if you have either legacy assets or metadata is generated using some other tools (for example a spreadsheet). Not all systems offer this, but usually if the feature is not available, the vendor will be able to carry out batch importing for you via professional services (note: this will usually incur a cost, unlike a built-in capability).
    • Yes
    Metadata Import Formats
    This question only applies if the vendor has features to import metadata. There are common formats like CSV, XML and Excel which DAM solutions may support. If this is a requirement you are likely to make frequent use of, it is essential to verify whether the product supports the formats you typically work with.
    • CSV (or any delimited file)
    • XML
    • Excel (XLS or XLSX)
    Exporting Metadata
    As well as importing metadata, sometimes it is important to be able to export sections of it to conduct further analysis in third party applications. Not all products support this, but usually it will be possible to request the vendor provides an export via professional services (although a fee may be charged).
    • Yes
    Metadata Export Formats
    This question only applies if the vendor has features to export metadata. There are common formats like CSV, XML and Excel which DAM solutions may support. If this is a requirement you are likely to make frequent use of, it is essential to verify whether the product supports the formats you typically work with.
    • CSV (or other delimited file)
    • XML
    • Excel (XLS or XLSX)

    Integration

    API
    API means Application Programming Interface and allows third party software to control a DAM system. If you intend to integrate your DAM with another existing solution then you need to choose the API protocol that is compatible with that.
    • REST
    API Notes
    For more details of our API visit dam.ibase.com/userdocs/api/v2/index.php

    API-First Architecture
    API-First means that anything the user can do via the graphical interface is possible via the API. If a DAM has an API-First architecture it is far more likely to be easier to integrate with other solutions than one that does not.
    • No
    API-First Notes
    If the vendor claims an API-First architecture then they should be able to provide a definition of it. In addition, documentation which describes their support for it will typically be available. Implementing API-First is a complex undertaking so vendor development teams will definitely know whether they have this attribute or do not.
    N/A

    Hooks
    Hooks are related to APIs but are initiated by the application rather than by an external application making the request. Hooks allow other actions to be initiated based on events, for example if a user downloads an asset, an action can be commenced to notify another application that this has taken place (along with the ID number of the asset, date/time etc).
    • Yes
    Hooks Targets Supported
    In most DAM applications that support them, hooks are initiated as web requests, so the system will call a given external URL and provide some parameters. Some solutions also support initiating scripts or applications which can run on the server where the system is hosted.
    • Scripts (using an existing scripting feature, if it exists)
    • Third party program running on server
    • Other
    Hooks Definition
    If the vendor claims support for hooks, check how they define them and see if their interpretation concurs with your own. A reasonably detailed explanation along with citations/links should be given here.
    Workflow events are supported and configurable according to client's requirements.

    Storage Integration
    Many DAM solutions will now allow assets to be stored on the server of Cloud storage providers. This allows asset files to be distributed and/or integrated with other solutions. Some third party services use generic protocols like FTP, others are proprietary.
    • Amazon S3
    • Amazon Glacier
    • Box
    • Dropbox
    • FTP
    • Microsoft Azure Blob
    Storage Integration Notes
    iBase is compatible with Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Box and Dropbox. Users may also upload assets via FTP which the system will then collect and import.

    AI Component Integration
    A number of DAMs integrate with multiple third party AI image recognition components. This question allows you to see which ones they use.
    • Amazon Rekognition
    Content Delivery Networks (CDN) Integration
    Content Delivery Networks allow digital assets to be distributed across a wide geographic area to improve performance and reduce the pressure on the DAM system for in-demand assets.
    • Amazon Cloudfront
    • None
    Content Management Systems (CMS) Integration
    Many DAM solutions now provide specific integration modules that allow users to select assets from their Content Management System of choice without leaving the CMS application in order to do so.
    • None
    Creative Tools Integration
    Some DAMs will integrate directly with specific creative tools so designers and creatives do not need to leave them in order to use assets from the DAM.
    • None
    E-commerce Integration
    A number of DAMs integrate with e-commerce systems so that product catalogues can be updated automatically from the DAM. There might also be features like tracking of asset usage and conversion ratios for product images etc.
    • None
    E-commerce Integration Notes
    iBase comes complete with its own rights-managed and royalty-free e-commerce system, with the ability to hook into WorldPay, PayPal, Barclaycard, etc.

    Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Integration
    • None
    Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)
    • None
    Marketing Operations & Project Management Integration
    • None
    Master Data Management (MDM) Integration
    • None
    Mobile Apps Integration
    • None
    Office & Productivity Integration
    • None
    Product Information Management (PIM) Integration
    • None
    Rights Management Integration
    • Digimarc
    Sales & Marketing Integration
    • None
    Social Media Integration
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Stock Media Providers Integration
    • None
    Templating & Print On-Demand Integration
    • None
    Video Integration
    • None
    Web Analytics Integration
    • Google Analytics

    Scripting & Plug-Ins

    Scripting Capabilities
    Some advanced DAM solutions have a scripting capability that allows users or third parties to add functionality which the vendor did not originally envisage. Usually programming skills will be required to use this, but some tools have visual interfaces also.
    • No
    Plug-In Support
    In addition to scripting (or sometimes instead of), some DAM solutions will have a plug-in architecture that allows third party developers to extend the core platform.
    • Yes
    Plug-In Capability Notes
    Plugins are written by iBase to custom requirements.

    Authentication

    Authentication Support
    If you need to integrate with an existing corporate authentication service then this option will be important for you.
    • Active Directory
    • Azure Active Directory
    • LDAP
    • SAML
    Authentication Notes
    iBase roles can be mapped to AD groups, which allows system administrators to grant or deny permissions on assets. OAuth2 is also supported.

    Multi-Lingual Options

    Multilingual Application Interface Support
    The interface means the controls to use the DAM system. This is different from the metadata support which is usually entered by end users when cataloguing assets.
    • English
    • Polish
    • Russian
    • Chinese (Mandarin)
    • Arabic
    • Other
    • French
    • Spanish
    • Italian
    • German
    • Dutch
    • Norwegian
    • Swedish
    • Finnish
    Multilingual Metadata Support
    See previous question. Most DAM systems with multi-lingual support will provide it for metadata.
    • Yes
    Multilingual Support Notes
    iBase can support any Unicode language.

    Version Control

    File versioning
    File versioning refers to the digital media associated with an asset record. This is usually the minimum requirement for a DAM system to claim support for versioning assets. See also responses to the related question about metadata versioning below.
    • Yes
    Metadata versioning
    Metadata versioning is separate from the files associated with assets. Many DAM solutions will track updated digital assets but only retain a single current version of the metadata. Since metadata is likely to be edited many more times than assets get replaced, this can be an important point to check.
    • No
    Independent Metadata And File Versioning
    This questions assesses whether the solution allows versions of either the file or metadata to be reverted independently or if both are linked to a single shared version instance.
    • Yes
      •

    Product Videos

    Uploading

    Easily upload files by dragging them onto your browser. Support for any image, video, sound or document file included as standard. Multiple versions are automatically created and embedded data is imported for easy searching.

    Overview Editing Page Content

    An overview of the iBase page editing features, add and edit text, add images and videos, create a carousel of items in your iBase system, create links to external resources, display a gallery of your image highlights - and more.

    Editing Metadata

    Any number of metadata fields can be associated with your uploaded files, including text, number, dropdown, date or currency fields. Data can be edited on a per-file basis or in batches for bulk updates. In addition, hierarchical keywords can be associated with files for structured searching.

    Collections

    A collection can contain folders, files and other collections. An item can be added to any number of collections, these are not copies of the item but shortcuts.

    Folders

    Create and manage folders to organise assets, move items from one folder to another, set the permissions on folders to control who can access what. Share folders with others by email.

    Searching

    All of your stored metadata is automatically indexed for quick and accurate searching. iBase supports fuzzy searching, auto-complete, advanced field search, geolocation searching, saved searches and more.

    Sharing

    Collaborate with colleagues on projects or share files with external users whilst keeping your collection secure. iBase also makes it easy to post files and metadata to popular social sites.

    Downloading

    Download any resolution or file type. Grant or deny access to original files and other versions, based on what you want people to download. Watermark, crop or rotate image files before downloading.

    Profile Last Updated: 14/10/2022
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      All profile information has been provided by the vendors themselves and they are responsible for both its accuracy and validity.