The shift from old-school asset management to smarter, connected operations
Across the UK, local authorities are rethinking how they manage their infrastructure - from highways and lighting to drainage and green spaces. Many still rely on long-standing, modular systems that were once fit for purpose – but today, they’re starting to hold teams back.
Faced with rising public expectations, budget pressures, and growing service demand, local authorities are moving away from legacy platforms in favour of connected, cloud-based platforms that enable real-time visibility, automation, and smarter collaboration.
Why legacy systems no longer fit the way you work
Legacy tools like Mayrise were built for a different time - when local authorities had fewer digital tools, more paper-based processes, and simpler inspection needs. But today’s service demands require more agility and smarter insights.
Here’s what councils are up against:
- Siloed modules: Managing services like highways and street lighting through separate modules means duplication, slower updates, and reporting blind spots.
- Manual processes and reporting lag: From paper-based job tickets to static reports, legacy platforms often require manual updates and delayed data access - especially when feeding into claims or audits.
- Limited flexibility and configurability: Want to tweak a form, add a new asset type, or configure a mobile workflow? Many legacy systems can’t keep up - or require vendor support or system workarounds.
- Lack of visibility and real-time insight: Without a centralised dashboard or mobile-friendly interface, it’s hard to track work progress, monitor SLAs, or respond to emerging issues with speed.
What are modern platforms doing differently?
Modern systems like Causeway Alloy are built around how your teams actually work – helping you move faster, collaborate better, and deliver a higher standard of service.
- See what’s happening, at a glance
- Real-time dashboards and map-based views surface key data across teams and services. Track SLAs, prioritise work, and give each user the data they need.
- Automate the everyday
- Inspections, follow-ups and maintenance tasks are scheduled and assigned automatically - reducing manual admin and speeding up responses.
- Understand context, not just location
- Layer data like flood zones or soil types to make smarter decisions in the field. Mobile teams can search, report, and update jobs directly from the map.
- Build confidence with audit-ready logs
- Every job, inspection and decision is traceable - supporting compliance, claims and service transparency.
- Integrate, don’t duplicate
- Link with CRM, GIS, or BI systems to streamline reporting and data sharing.
- Migrate with confidence
- Pre-configured packages for highways and street lighting mirror how councils already work - making the switch easier, faster, and lower risk.
What councils are seeing after switching
Authorities who’ve made the move report significant improvements:
- Easily monitor in-field operations in real time - including operatives’ locations - to help teams prioritise work and respond faster.
- SLAs tracked live in dashboards, not compiled manually in reports
- Smarter test scheduling and fault management - especially in lighting
- Live service tracking – dashboards show real-time job progress, asset condition, and performance indicators.
- Mobile-first working – operatives receive and update tasks directly in the field, reducing admin and streamlining reporting.
The result? Teams spend less time chasing information and more time delivering services for their communities.
When is it time to move on?
If you’re working around your system more than your system is working for you, that’s a red flag. Here are some signs it might be time to consider a change:
- You're using separate tools for different asset types
- Reports need to be manually compiled from different systems
- Teams rely on spreadsheets or printed job tickets
- Changes to workflows or asset types require vendor input
- Your teams lack mobile access or live dashboards
Get the checklist
To help you assess your current platform, we’ve created a short checklist:
“Is your asset management system helping or holding you back?”
If you're already considering a move and want to understand what a modern system could look like for your service areas:
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