In response to client feedback, we’ve introduced a series of enhancements for BrandDirector 4.0:

• Upgraded technology and additional functionality
• Options for standard templates, workflows and forms for more rapid configuration
• Modular implementation and licensing for a more tailored solution
• Bolstered our implementation services and capability

FTP-enabled bulk-upload

DAM systems often have to handle very large digital assets, resulting in long upload and download times over normal web connections, and frustrations when connections time out.

BrandDirector's new FTP capability enables select groups of people to upload assets to secure repositories on an FTP server, speeding up file transfer times and increasing efficiencies. FTP transfers can be done automatically in bulk during an overnight, encrypted transfer. The next day, files are merely linked from the FTP server into the DAM, during the normal course of tagging assets. The linking process triggers all the usual functions (thumbnail generation, secure storage in the asset library, etc) but takes a fraction of the time it would take to upload the file over the internet.

The FTP function is currently available in the Image Library. The key architectural features are:

1. Allow users to focus on capturing and working with assets and asset metadata, rather than synchronously waiting for large uploads to complete.
2. Provide a mechanism for transporting binary digital asset files to the server that is:
   
   
   1. Reasonably fault tolerant
   2. Supports resumption if the upload becomes interrupted
   3. Time and bandwidth efficient
   4. Allows multiple files to be uploaded in one step
   5. Secure authentication

Intermediate-size thumbnail previews for very large images

People tend to rely on visual inspection of artwork to identify the correct version. However, the sheer size of digital artwork files can be anywhere from a few hundred kilobytes to tens of megabytes, making full size previews very inefficient. And while thumbnail versions are small enough to fit a few dozen to a page, and make for quick identification, we found that our clients often wanted something in-between.

When you click on a thumbnail in the Media Library, a pop-up window now displays a larger, more detailed version of an artwork file, while remaining bandwidth efficient. The exact size of these intermediate size thumbnails can be configured to suit your individual needs.