10 Reasons To Choose Third Light

Reason 1: IMS has a user interface that is attractive and productive Simple interfaces and intuitive features make adopting new software faster and more successful. You will find you can use IMS without learning a new or special interface — everything IMS does is either self-explanatory or easily understood at a glance.

• Even if the files you are browsing are very large, the page will load instantly
• If you hover over an image, you will see an enlargement and more details
• If you right-click on any thumbnail, you'll see options to edit or download the file
• If you drag-and-drop the image into your lightbox, it will be there next time you log in
• Whenever editing more than one item at a time, bulk-editing features are provided to save you time.

Since IMS is all about handling digital media conveniently, we've worked hard to make sure you will find our product easy and enjoyable to use. You can explore screenshots here.

Reason 2 - IMS has great features that will save you time Great features are what Third Light IMS is all about. It has evolved to solve real problems and offer elegant, effective solutions to the challenges that people who work with digital media truly face each day. Third Light IMS is a universal tool kit for managing digital media, with a long list of features and ideas that will make your job simpler.

• IMS helps you resize, crop or reformat files (eg. convert JPEG to PDF)
• IMS includes a neat drag-and-drop lightbox collaboration tool - use for approvals and set up multiple lightboxes if desired.
• "Roll-over" previews show you the image as well as details (metadata, change history, location maps)
• Instantly see a complete history of where and why a file has been used before
• Each user is assigned access rights, such as read-only or full control
• IMS generates reports that show which files are popular, and records searches for trend monitoring
• Offer your IMS site to international users in their own language, for ultimate value and usability

You can see a complete list of features to explore these ideas further. Imagine having all this information, and compare it to a file server where all you see is DSC0001.jpg!

Reason 3 - IMS lets you share and publish files of any size, instantly The most popular and widely used feature of all is easy, fast file sharing. Attaching large files is a common cause of email servers being overloaded and difficult to backup, and numerous CD-R discs being transferred around in internal mail or via courier. To solve all of these issues, IMS uses its unique position as a central server.

• Sharing files involves sending clickable links to access those files
• There is no need to receive large attachments via email which can congest servers
• There is no waiting for CD-ROMs to arrive via courier
• Avoids duplicate creation, local storage and unsuitable file sizes
• Sharing also creates a detailed audit of where files are going
• Recipients download files in the appropriate format (IMS guides them through this step)

Faster, more convenient and more manageable file sharing is at the heart of Third Light IMS. These features make it faster and more productive for users (and appreciated by IT departments)

Reason 4 - IMS encourages and supports real Workflow Workflow (the order in which events happen) takes a digital library from being a file server to being a management system. Third Light IMS earns its "intelligent" media server name from being much more than a file server. It provides the features and the logical processes that are essential to real world requirements.

For example, IMS can provide processes to support you when files move in and out of the server:

• Upload approvals allow incoming files to be sanity checked for metadata
• Metadata requirements can be filtered through accepted vocabulary lists first (ie. keyword dictionaries)
• Nominated users can manually review, edit and approve incoming files
• Details are gathered when files are downloaded (History Notes)
• Downloads can be partially or fully protected by approvals (again using nominated reviewers)
• Emails, RSS feeds and a central Notification Manager help you monitor processes

Our aim is to give you a ready-made solution which is shaped by real users - an Intelligent Media Server where features slot into place naturally.

Reason 5 - IMS integrates with your desktop Adopting a system like IMS is a natural progression from just storing files on a shared drive, thanks to the desktop tools and plugins that accompany the product. Third Light IMS servers can use these tools to bring IMS closer to the desktop.

• A purpose-built drag and drop uploader for MacOS X and Windows
• Adobe Bridge plugin to directly browse and retrieve files from IMS into Creative Suite products
• An export plugin for Apple Aperture (MacOS X)
• An export plugin for Adobe Lightroom (MacOS X and PC)
• Works well with standard FTP tools
• All tools and plugins are free and unlimited as part of your IMS purchase

You can also use your standard login to access IMS thanks to our Microsoft Active Directory login (and we also support OpenID, of course).

Adding these plugins and tools makes it easier to rely on Third Light IMS as your one, definitive repository for digital media. It works the way you do.

Reason 6 - IMS has a Search Engine for all kinds of metadata Metadata is so much more than just captions and keywords. In a modern solution like Third Light IMS, you can define your own metadata without limit. What this means in practice is the freedom to store, search and present your data in the way that best suits your own requirements.

Third Light IMS gives you the option to create any number of fields, not only as text but using specific input types, each with controlled vocabularies that you can define.

• Text boxes
• Drop-down menus
• Checkbox lists
• Dates
• GPS coordinates
• Tree structures (taxonomies)
• Hyperlinked keywords
• URL links and related file links

All fields can be edited in batches, imported and exported. Any field you create can be intelligently searched and shared with other users, and if you have a lot of metadata you can create grouped panels of related fields. Metadata is naturally embedded with Adobe XMP and IPTC, so it is automatically discovered when you upload new files.

IMS gives you an adaptable system that can exactly match your requirements, and we're committed to saving you time if you plan to use metadata intensively.

Reason 7 - IMS is affordable and easy to deploy Owning a leading digital asset management system should not involve a complex IT project. We've made owning and maintaining IMS as simple as buying a product off the shelf. We offer IMS in several different packages so that you can choose to run the server in house, or outsource it completely to Third Light or another ISP.

If you prefer to outsource your IMS server to Third Light, we offer hosting with a particular emphasis on high performance and security.

• Hosted as an annual subscription on our shared servers
• Hosted as a VMWare Virtual Appliance
• Hosted on hardware dedicated to you (co-location in our data centre)

On the other hand, if you prefer to host your own applications, Third Light IMS is available in the following packages:

• Self-install on your own hardware
• Self-install on a Virtual Machine ('virtual appliance')
• Order a ready-made server directly from Third Light, built to your requirements

It takes under 20 minutes to install IMS from the CD-ROM. We can help you migrate your content from existing file servers as part of your IMS deployment, too - free of charge.

Best of all, Third Light IMS is a completely self-managing solution so it takes care of its own security patches and updates from within the product (there's no need to master a new server environment).

Whichever package suits you, with Third Light IMS you can expect high uptime, a low total cost of ownership, and satisfied users.

Reason 8 - IMS is a ready-made e-Commerce Server Selling prints or downloads of your photography - or videos - can be a lucrative opportunity. If you have something unique and in demand, you can easily take it to market with Third Light IMS! Third Light IMS includes a fully tested and integrated e-Commerce solution for your digital media, with a long list of features for selling your works without paying high up-front fees.

• Sell prints, gift items, canvases (produced and delivered worldwide)
• Sell royalty free downloads
• Sell licence-restricted downloads
• Sell any custom product you need to add
• Offer galleries with custom registration forms
• Every page, from start to finish, in your own brand
• Built in checkout and card handling services
• Sales accounting and reporting as standard
• Multi-currency credit card handling (low 5% handling fee)

Third Light IMS has e-Commerce in its heritage right back to 2003, when we were the first to offer white label printing services in the UK through PhotoBox. IMS servers are designed to be hosted on the internet: they are PCI DSS compliant and support standard HTTPS encryption as standard.

So, if you plan to generate revenue from your assets, IMS is an affordable solution that is ready to launch you into the marketplace today.

Reason 9 - IMS is supported and maintained In a fast-changing environment, Third Light IMS keeps pace with changes and is backed by a friendly, experienced team. When you deploy your Third Light IMS server, you might need some extra help getting started, so we offer on site training anywhere in the world as an option. We also provide dedicated support and access to our product upgrades for one simple annual fee.

Here are some of the services we offer to keep you and your IMS running smoothly.

• Dedicated support staff with access to developers
• Searchable online documentation, always up-to-date
• On site training or telephone training workshops
• Built in software updates to keep your site tuned up
• A long heritage of implementing feature requests and keeping ahead of trends in the market

Our software updates provide access to a continual stream of new features (review our newsletters), innovative new developments and improvements.

With Third Light IMS support and maintenance in place, you will never need to replace or reinstall your site with new versions or pay for new releases.