What are the advantages of digitising your asset management? What impact can a digitised system have on councils and their communities?

These were the topics on discussion on this week’s Highways News podcast in association with Brightly.

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The company’s campaign-Assets. United, is a joined-up approach to asset management from Brightly, which gives its users – UK councils – a holistic view of all assets within their jurisdiction, irrespective of asset class, so they can make smarter decisions.

The initiative uncovers synergies between assets while putting the systems’ users in control of the actions they need to take.

We take a deeper dive with Nick Vague, Senior Solutions Consultant at Brightly and Brightly customer Chris Faires, Digital and Technology Manager for Highways and Environment at Hertfordshire County Council.

Speaking on the podcast, Mr Faires said: “Our approach has been to develop a very mature Asset Management operating model, and we've been doing this for the best part of two decades. What we've done is draw on global expertise to create a risk-based view, which gives us a much better understanding of all of our assets both on and under the ground in one system.”

Brightly’s system has helped the shift to greater digitisation in asset management, which is opening doors for councils to overcome the challenges they face. By leveraging digital tools, such as Brightly Software, they can use smart asset data to help interrogate current operations, inform and defend financial decisions, and realise widespread cost-efficiencies that make budgets work harder for the council and benefit the community.

You'll also hear some of the latest news from the Highways News website and our podcast partners, and why Costain wins "Adrian's Accolade" this week.

Next week we begin the countdown to Highways UK,  as we look forward to the event, ahead of a series of podcasts brought to you from the NEC at the UK’s biggest and best highways and transport show… our podcasts sponsored by AGD/Traffic Group Signals, Q Point, Westcotec, SRL and SWARCO.