Many creative teams start with Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box to manage assets. These tools are easy and cheap, but as campaigns scale, cracks appear: version chaos, approval bottlenecks, and off-brand mistakes. The alternative? Digital Asset Management (DAM), built for creative operations.

• Simple setup and low cost.

• Familiar folder structures.

• Fine for small teams or early-stage startups.

• Version chaos across folders.

• No built-in approvals or annotations.

• Poor search — only filenames.

• Difficult external collaboration.

• AI-powered search and tagging .

• Built-in review and approval workflows.

• Brand consistency through metadata and statuses.

• Secure external sharing with controls.

• Contextual campaign organization.

• Use cloud storage if you’re small and scrappy.

• Choose DAM if you’re scaling campaigns, managing multiple collaborators, or need brand control.