How HHLA ensures full control and GDPR compliance for all media files

19. September 2024 Amalie Widerberg

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is a leading European port- and transport logistics company, based in Germany and operating across several aspects of the industry. From container handling and transport to real estate, HHLA has an impressive portfolio of projects and activities.

With over 6,000 employees and a clear international presence, HHLA needs to process and distribute large amounts of media files for communications purposes – whereas ensuring full control and efficiency is a top priority.

We’ve spoken with the Head of Visual Communications at HHLA, Anke Maurer, about how they’ve incorporated the Fotoware DAM solution to solve challenges related to media management and corporate communications.

Why is it important for HHLA to manage media files effectively?

At HHLA, images and other media files are integral to marketing, documentation, training, stakeholder communication, and crisis management. Effective management of these assets is crucial for ensuring consistent branding, efficient operations, secure access, and robust collaboration, all which support HHLA’s growth and operational excellence.

How were you managing the media files before implementing the Fotoware DAM?

Before implementing the Fotoware DAM, media files were managed through traditional methods such as local or shared drives, cloud storage, and email. These methods led to significant challenges including disorganized and scattered files, inconsistent metadata, poor version control, limited access control, inefficient collaboration, and scalability issues. These challenges highlighted the need for a more robust Digital Asset Management (DAM) system to streamline media management and improve overall efficiency.

A very important selection criteria was the standardization of metadata. Here, together with Fotoware advisors, we have designed a comprehensive scheme with classifications and filters, mapped it in the system and incorporated it into daily practice.

From the very beginning, uniform file-organization and management was a key functionality that was intended to save us time in our daily handling of media files and reduce inefficiencies. Fotoware had good answers to many of our questions and, thanks to its competent project staff, also gave us the necessary investment security.

What functionality in Fotoware do you find most valuable, and why is that?

The intuitive User-Interface with advanced and easy-to-use search functionalities are essential benefits, they are the keys to a high level of internal system implementation usage, and is, of course, paired with the necessary automations to process and publish files at high speed.

These features streamline media management, enhance security, improve efficiency, and facilitate seamless collaboration, making HHLA able to manage digital assets in an effective way.

What have been the main benefits of implementing the consent management module?

Implementing the Fotoware consent management module gives us the opportunity to save people's declarations of consent where the people's pictures are located, namely in the DAM. We can create different consent forms for various purposes, quickly request and receive consent directly from the system to the people that will be photographed.

In the management section we can get a complete overview of who has or has not given consent for our organization. In that way, all users can see immediately the status of usage rights and expiry dates to all the images stored of the individuals. With this solution we are completely GDPR compliant.

What system optimizations are you planning for the near future?

Over the past 5 years, we have developed the system together with our project partners into a permanent tool for our marketing needs. Around 500 employees are registered with the system and work with it regularly.

In the future, we will test the possibilities of image recognition and automatic keywording using artificial intelligence. I'm looking forward to it.

How HHLA ensures full control and GDPR compliance for all media files

Why is it important for HHLA to manage media files effectively?

How were you managing the media files before implementing the Fotoware DAM?

What functionality in Fotoware do you find most valuable, and why is that?

What have been the main benefits of implementing the consent management module?

What system optimizations are you planning for the near future?

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