MetaCommunications Inc. on Monday introduced Digital Storage Manager, which it bills as an “Intranet search and archive management system for creative workgroups.” The software is aimed at creative professionals who need to find, tag and archive files used in their production processes. Pricing starts at 100GB of managed storage for US$995, with unlimited Mac OS X and Web-based client access. The company also offers tiered licensing for 250GB, 1TB, 2.5TB and 5TB storage.
Digital Storage Manager creates a database file system that serves as a central view of both online and offline production files. It provides real-time indexing of the files, customizable metadata tags, file search and retrieval and archiving and backup capabilities as well. The system utilizes MetaCommunications “Virtual Ticket” product to search across online and offline servers, and can be used to tag digital files including images, logos, PDFs, photos and other kinds of content.
Digital Storage Manager automatically captures file metadata and preview information from commonly used creative tools. Users can manage files and folders as a job, and jobs can be assigned metadata that automatically propagates to each associated file. A Retrieval Request Queue lets users fulfill requests for offline media, notifying them once the media is available, and Digital Storage Manager can also batch-archive files and metadata editing.
Integrated plug-ins are offered for QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign and Illustrator and Mac OS X Finder. Integration is also provided for commonly used backup and archival solutions including Brightstor ARCServe, Dantz Retrospect, Powerfile R200, Roxio Toast and Mac OS X’s Disk Utility. A Software Developers Kit (SDK) integrates with third-party solutions including FileMaker Pro.
Look for MetaCommunications Inc. in booth 414 at Macworld Conference & Expo in Boston, Mass. Macworld Expo runs from July 11 – 14, 2005 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass. The exhibit halls are open July 12 – 14, 2005.