In modern asset management, time is money. Whether a company’s assets are utility poles or cell towers, many costs—such as personnel, equipment, permitting fees, and contract rates—are fixed. Saving money and improving ROI depends largely on finding...

Your company has just purchased an enterprise software system. The road to get here has been long. It’s been a significant investment for your business. The platform seems to be a perfect fit for your organization. You’ve found a software partner in...

The concept of multiple providers jointly occupying space on physical assets is nothing new; for decades, electric utilities and telephone service providers have shared space on utility poles. However, the past few years have brought huge increases...

In the last post, we discussed the challenges created when asset owners are the only source of information on current field conditions, and the dangers of individual assets being inspected once every decade or less. This situation means it is highly...

This week, we wanted to reflect on our gratitude. We work together daily with incredible people who provide us with electricity, entertainment, and the ability to communicate and connect with our world. In honor of these hard-working companies and...

While downed lines or other utility factors only cause a small fraction of wildfires, one fire is too many when the loss to property and life can be so massive. Wildfires and other damaging situations can result from infrequent maintenance and...

Why is it common for a provider to require several months (or more) to respond to a permit to attach request? Often, poor data is to blame. Owners may not be able to readily access the last time a safety inspection was performed, what condition the...

Modern and Innovative: Asset Management in One Centralized System

In an ideal world, every company involved in the joint sharing of field assets would be able to have a secure, expansive system that integrates all relevant data into one place. What...

Better data management, consistency, and communication: three concepts to unite safety and access, multiplying productivity for all parties.

An intricate weaving of wires to the untrained eye, power lines, telephone lines, CATV lines, fiber, and...

Data security threats have become a primary focus for utility asset owners, as the risks from cyber threats grow in frequency and sophistication. A recent report published on the U.S. Department of Energy website states that:

“There have been no...

It’s been all over the news this past year: Google Fiber made plans to deploy broadband into several markets at a breakneck pace. Speed to market is critical and the behemoth company hit roadblocks. While we do not speak for Google, delays on new...

Sorting through paper records, emails, or asset records spread across several different spreadsheets or platforms is no longer feasible for a best practice. Trying to keep track of maintenance needs, work requests (such as pole transfers), joint use...

People are using more and more data with their various devices. For state and local governments, getting broadband access for their citizens is an important card in the game. However, broadband deployment is being delayed in many areas, in part...

Today’s utility asset data is a vast world of information. Much of it is valuable; some of it is not. Asset owners hold data about many different asset types (utility poles, underground conduit in manholes or vaults, towers, cables, etc.), in many...

For businesses that own and operate joint use assets including utility poles and underground conduit, it is important to have a comprehensive inventory of the assets that you own, and their current condition. (There is a long list of benefits for...

Big data is being used in practically every industry today, yet many struggle with beneficial data utilization by having too much data without the tools and insight to make meaningful use of it. In many cases, large companies are so stressed out...

 The Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning are still in the early stages of what we see as an explosion of development. These two technological trends will be used in tandem to change the way electric utilities and communications companies...

There is no doubt the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is going to change the way we all do business. Companies, regulators and consumers are eager for a new wave of efficiency and productivity. However, the most valuable asset the IIoT will...

The Internet of Things – and the Industrial Internet of Things – promise significant changes and improvements for asset management and joint use in the years ahead

The information technology revolution is altering the way we communicate with...

Utility poles and conduit vaults (the underground version of a wire-carrying 40-foot pole) are everywhere in our world—along highways, down neighborhood streets and under the surface of busy intersections.

They carry power, communications and...

It is evident that everyday life has changed significantly over the past few decades. Twenty years ago, most people could not have imagined we would be carrying around palm-sized devices capable of streaming movies, playing the world’s catalog of...

In the world of joint use, connection and collaboration between pole owners, conduit owners and attaching companies is key. It is inherent in the term: if cooperation was not necessary, it would be called "solitary use." The thing is, it is...

Quick: How long has it been since you thoroughly reviewed your joint use contracts? I'm talking about the joint use agreements you have (for good or ill) with all the owners and attachers for the field assets you own. Last week, right? Good for you,...

Flashback to the year 1991. George Bush Sr. held the presidency. The Bulls held court in the NBA. When it came to getting down to business, we came to our respective conference tables armed with paper, pens and handshakes. Online docusign services...

We have drilled it into your head: double utility poles are a liability. They are a safety issue. They cost money. They drain your joint use department's resources. But what if we ended this series on double wood by telling you that they can also be...

You may have noticed the trend on a return visit to that older industrial city you pulled up roots from years ago. The neighborhoods are looking a bit more colorful and lively. On vacation, you may have felt the pull toward a lovely walkable...

For pole owners, attachers are partners: entities that rely on mutual agreement to operate together in one space. However, sometimes things go wrong in the relationship, creating liability for pole owners that were likely never intended.

Effective field asset management is not a straight line from installation to decommission; it should be viewed as a continuous loop, a cycle of data acquisition, interpretation, and renewal for all your field assets. The question is: Where are you...

Effective field asset management is not a straight line from installation to decommission; it should be viewed as a continuous loop, a cycle of data acquisition, interpretation and renewal for all your field assets. The question is: Where are you in...

Effective field asset management is not a straight line from installation to decommission; it should be viewed as a continuous loop, a cycle of data acquisition, interpretation, and renewal for all your field assets. The question is: Where are you...

Effective field asset management is not a straight line from installation to decommission; it should be viewed as a continuous loop, a cycle of data acquisition, interpretation, and renewal for all your field assets. The question is: Where are you...

You buy a brand new utility pole (or many), plan the job and install the poles. These field assets have an estimated life that you can generally count on before they will need to be replaced. On this day, you know that the data about those poles and...

From first sight to final inspection, utility pole inspections are a vital part of successful field asset verification. So what really happens out there during assessment of equipment? Today, we step back and consider a higher-level concern for...

Asset verification and management has come a long way since the days of pencil and ledger, but taking the step toward using connected, automated technology to keep track of your valuable assets not only makes things easier, but more cost-effective...

There is little doubt that good inventory management practices are valuable to nearly any business, especially an inventory process that relies on physical equipment to stay operational day to day. Much thought is given to calculating spares or...

As summer turns to fall in the U.S., the days get shorter, things needing completion before the holidays get more urgent, and your laundry list for the year may start to look a little daunting compared to the days left to accomplish it. Was a...