Question: Why do people still go around the DAM, even when it holds every approved, rights-cleared asset?
Tip: Stop asking people to come to the DAM. Bring the DAM to them.
Answer: You need a DAM that shows up inside the tools your team already uses to make it frictionless to create, use, and repurpose content.
Getting teams to consistently go into “the DAM” is an uphill battle, and it always will be. They share files in Slack and Teams. They pull from old email threads and file sharing tools. Increasingly, they turn to AI tools that draw from wherever, not from your governed digital asset library. The old model of DAM as the place people go is changing. What emerges is the ambient DAM: your library running quietly inside the tools your team already uses, so they can find assets, check rights, update metadata, get what they need, and create new assets and experiences without going to the DAM..
This session with Acquia DAM experts Jake Athey and Rachel Kohl will show you what has actually changed. Slack is no longer a notification system, it is a full workspace: search, share governed links, edit metadata, and upload new assets without leaving the channel. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server takes this further, letting AI platforms like Microsoft Copilot and Claude understand the context of what your team is working on and surface relevant, rights-cleared assets in the moment, not just in response to a keyword. AI Agents become the digital teammates to assist in your creative and content workflows. Existing assets are the building blocks for new assets and digital experiences.
This session unpacks what it takes to make your DAM ambient with:
- Depth of Action: How connectors evolved into a full working surface for search, sharing, metadata, and more.
- Conversational, Not Keyword-Based: Why MCP is a meaningfully different kind of capability, and what it means for AI-assisted content workflows when it draws from a governed source.
- Governance That Travels: How rights management and metadata stay intact no matter where an asset is used.
- Use Cases by Role: Real scenarios for marketers, creators, builders, sellers, and DAM managers.
- Getting Ready: Practical steps for assessing your readiness and prioritizing the connections that matter most.
The goal: help you see your DAM as more than a destination, and give you a clear starting point for meeting your teams where they already work to get more value from your digital assets.
The ultimate achievement: a DAM that stays governed and accurate no matter where your team touches it, before, during, and after they ever log in.