Canto (http://www.canto.com) has released Cumulus 8, an update the
company describes as the most significant in the product line's
17-year history. The new version introduces entirely new digital
asset management (DAM) capabilities, and provides the technological
foundation the DAM leader needs to push the platform even further.

Usage statistics and reporting is among the most noted new features,
according to Canto CEO Ulrich Knocke. Customers can now value their
assets by knowing which are being used most, and fine-tune their
metadata by knowing the search terms users choose.

Cumulus 8 can also catalog assets via email, offering easy,
network-secure uploads of photos taken with mobile devices, security
cameras, etc. Knocke says that performance has been dramatically
improved, too. For example, Cumulus 7 can assign a metadata set to 40
records in the same time Cumulus 8 assigns the set to over 8,000
records, offering an exponential boost in productivity potential, he
adds.

Additional new Cumulus 8 features include: enhanced collaboration
through user commenting; the ability to find files faster with
user-defined filters that show only certain formats, approved, etc.;
the ability to compare multiple assets at once with the new
full-screen preview; the ability to protect downloaded images with
licence-free watermarking, included in all editions; and the ability
to reate image variants from inside Cumulus 8, using built-in Image
Editor.

The Cumulus 8 product line has also been updated, offering a new
entry-level edition and more affordable network-based licenses for
add-ons. In addition, Cumulus 8 API (application programming
interface) updates extend performance gains to add-ons created by
Canto developer partners, and also provides new business
opportunities for Canto partners.

Cumulus 8 is available for download from the Canto website at no
additional charge to customers on active software maintenance
contracts. Out-of-contract upgrades are available.