Theresa Regli at CMS Watch – Core application versus corollary applications in DAM:

"Where the confusion often starts is when, as is often the case with DAM products, #2 [the external or "self-service" application] looks completely different from #1 [the "core" application]. This is where it's important to note that most DAM products are a platform: that is to say, highly malleable and open to customization. That includes the interfaces. So when a vendor is showing the core application and then switches over to the external or as they sometimes call it (to further confusion) "portal" application, chaos ensues."