Using both Portfolio and Xinet, in Digital Asset Management is interesting to reflect upon the ways that they are different representations of a DAM system.

Each DAM system varies in many different ways; the first way it varies is in the types of users Portfolio and Xinet providers for. Having used Portfolio first, I feel that this system is more aimed towards small or middle-sized companies. However it is expandable into larger companies such as the London Museum. Xinet, when initially opening it gives the impression of a larger system. It is more expansive and allows for use within a larger company.

In terms of metadata, the Xinet portfolio requires you to already add metadata prior to uploading to the server. Portfolio’s method of drag and drop metadata seems to me to be more user friendly and allows for easier adjustments to metadata. I understand why Xinet limits the addition of metadata because by making metadata more easily accessible like in Portfolio, you can run into standards problems. This also helps to control the vocabulary better than in portfolio, for this reason I believe that Xinet is more effective.

The interfaces are similar in that they both allow for preview icons with images and the option to display metadata next to each image or file. Portfolio’s interface is a lot cleaner and has a better navigation bar. I like that the navigation is easy to view as well as any action buttons. The overall aesthetic of Portfolio is reminiscent of a website and has amore stylized look to it. Xinet has a very plain interface and can sometimes be hard to navigate. I also don’t like the overall look of the Xinet it is very plain and the control buttons are very hard to see.

When controlling access to files in each system I feel that Xinet offers more security because you are allowed to make multiple user logins and expiration dates. Portfolio lacks this and I feel it would be a nice addition to the software. I also prefer the way you can access originals in Xinet through a server. I feel that this allows for more security when controlling original asset changes. I’m not aware that this is allowed in Portfolio. I wish Portfolio had the drag and drop from their website like Xinet, I would really like to see this feature added as well.

While I prefer the idea of Xinet, the installation process and set up is very long and labor intensive. For this reason I feel Portfolio is the better choice when it comes to more easily implementing it within a company. Also Portfolio is considerably cheaper than Xinet. I think that this will really play a part in which DAM system a person would chose for their company.