When managing a project, teams need quick access to files stored in multiple productivity and design tools. Even the best digital asset management (DAM) system can become ineffective if it’s not accessible where teams do their work. Too often, users still waste time switching between systems just to find the right, approved file.
Now imagine if every template, document, and media file appeared instantly within your team’s most used apps. With DAM connectors, teams gain a living library inside their daily workspace, allowing them to focus on creating rather than searching.
A digital asset connector is an in-app extension that links a DAM system to host applications and makes your library of files feel native. Once authorized, it opens an add-on inside the host app showing search results, previews, metadata, and asset actions, so you can work without switching context.
For example, teams can drag approved product images from Bynder into Figma, insert branded slides from Brandfolder into PowerPoint, or sync folders from Dropbox via CI HUB Drive. By presenting correct renditions, handling permissions, and preserving version history, the connector keeps work flowing and assets trustworthy.
Let’s take the example of Bynder as a popular DAM, and see how the experience of using the CI HUB Connector revolutionizes the workflow by bringing the Bynder library directly into everyday apps like Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Adobe CC platforms, and more.
The CI HUB Adapter for Bynder integrates Bynder’s digital asset management system directly into the apps teams use every day. Whether working in Adobe CC, Microsoft Office, Figma, Sketch, or Google Workspace, users access approved assets within their familiar environment. The in-app DAM integration brings efficiency and brand compliance to every workflow. Here’s how it works in practice.
The CI HUB connector streamlines creative workflows by giving instant in-app asset access, smarter search, and consistent brand use across platforms.
With AI-powered natural language and image-based search, teams can find assets by simply searching or uploading a visual reference. This enhances creative productivity and reduces time spent locating files.
Key metadata, such as type, dimension, modified date, version, and color space is visible right inside the connector. Thumbnail previews and deep links to the original admin view help confirm the correct file is in use.
Brand content is available inside creative and office apps. Whether in PowerPoint, Photoshop, Figma, or Word, users can insert Bynder assets without leaving their workspace. This keeps the momentum and reduces constant tab switching.
CI HUB Drive mounts Bynder as a virtual drive in the operating system. Desktop users work with files as if they are local, while metadata and permissions sync back to the DAM.
Every integration, from Office to Google Workspace to desktop, enforces the use of approved digital assets. Teams work faster because they always pull from a single source system without risking outdated or off-brand materials.
PureRED, a U.S.-based marketing and advertising agency, frequently experienced delays and risked using outdated graphics. Teams manually downloaded assets from DAMs like Bynder and Picturepark, inserted them into Word or PowerPoint, and struggled with updates during lengthy catalog projects. After adopting CI HUB’s real-time, bi-directional integration, creators accessed approved assets directly within their tools. This eliminated platform switching, streamlined workflows, improved collaboration, and ensured consistency. As PureRED’s vice president of technology put it, CI HUB was “a game changer in the field of connectivity tools.”
Read the full PureRED success story!
The Bottom Line
Seamless multi-tool asset access turns digital libraries into operational systems that reduce friction across creative and marketing workflows. When team members find and use the right files inside the tools they already work in, decision cycles shorten, quality control improves, and campaign delivery becomes more predictable. That practical shift drives measurable gains in speed, consistency, and team capacity.