• Rich media content is now in every digital channel we own: product launches, customer onboarding, support experiences, partner enablement … it’s everywhere. • That’s why so many teams are taking a fresh look at digital asset management (DAM) in 2026. • The use cases have outgrown the “creative team library” era, as AI is reshaping both the value and the complexity of DAM - and the cost model is changing, as well.The Forrester Wave™: Digital Asset Management Systems, Q1 2026, arrives at the perfect moment for buyers who want to make smart decisions about where their organization’s DAM solution fits next.Here are the three takeaways that matter most as you revisit your strategy. • Enterprisewide Content Use Will Become The DAM Default Organizations create and use far more rich media than they did even a few years ago. • It’s no longer sustainable to keep that content locked exclusively inside a creative team’s toolset. • Modern DAM capabilities finally make broader access safe and scalable.

Article Summaries:

  • Forrester’s Q1 2026 Digital Asset Management (DAM) Wave highlights a shift in how organizations view DAM. Rich media is now pervasive across product launches, onboarding, support, and partner enablement, making enterprise‑wide access the new norm. AI is increasingly embedded in DAM workflows, but buyers must balance AI ambitions with reliable, scalable performance and robust integration with other systems. Additionally, AI‑driven enrichment and generation raise compute and storage costs, amplifying both budgetary and environmental impacts. The report urges vendors to align their solutions with broader AI strategies while maintaining trust and to help buyers anticipate long‑term cost and sustainability implications.

Sources: