Enterprise Project Performance

Water and wastewater systems are the backbone of community health, economic growth and environmental stewardship. Yet these systems are under unprecedented strain. Much of today’s infrastructure was built more than half a century ago, for a different era and very different demands. At the same time, climate change is intensifying droughts, floods and extreme weather events, making service reliability harder and more essential than ever.

Public sector leaders now face a pivotal choice: maintain aging, reactive systems or embrace digital transformation to create smarter, more sustainable operations. Forward-thinking municipalities are already making this shift, moving from outdated processes to data-driven, future-ready infrastructure.

The Case for Modernization

Smart water management isn’t simply about implementing new technology. It’s about creating conditions for better decisions, reducing operational risks and improving service delivery for residents. Modernization allows utilities to transition from reactive approaches, where problems are addressed only after they occur, to predictive models that anticipate and prevent issues before they disrupt service.

This shift enhances public trust through consistent, high-quality service backed by transparent communication. It enables municipalities to stay ahead of evolving environmental regulations while advancing sustainability goals. It also delivers measurable financial benefits by reducing costly emergency repairs and extending the useful life of critical assets, ensuring every investment yields long-term value.

Creating a Real-Time Operational View

The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way utilities monitor and manage their systems by providing real-time operational visibility. Networks of connected sensors continuously capture data on flow rates, pressure, water quality and energy use, creating a live, interconnected view of system performance. This enables faster responses, accurate forecasting and smarter planning.

For municipal leaders, IoT delivers:

• • Early anomaly detection – catch leaks, equipment issues or quality changes before disruptions occur.
  • Proactive maintenance – use real-time insights to reduce downtime and extend asset life.
  • Evidence-based decision-making – prioritize investments and policies with confidence backed by accurate, continuous data.

Technology as a Community Investment

Digital transformation in water management is ultimately about improving community outcomes. Reduced water loss supports equity by ensuring more reliable access, while energy-efficient operations lower costs and carbon emissions. Accurate, timely data enables leaders to respond faster during emergencies and plan with greater confidence for the future. These outcomes strengthen public trust, which in turn increases support for future funding initiatives, creating a virtuous cycle of investment and improvement.

Connected Solutions for Common Pain Points

Utilities today face mounting pressure to modernize aging infrastructure, optimize budgets and maintain reliability amid growing regulatory and environmental demands. Hexagon’s connected solutions help bridge these gaps, bringing data, people and processes together to transform challenges into opportunities for smarter, more resilient operations.

The Four Pillars of Transformation

Hexagon’s integrated digital ecosystem strengthens municipal water leadership across four foundational areas. The first is efficiency, achieved by reducing operating costs, minimizing service disruptions and streamlining maintenance activities. The second is compliance, which ensures that accurate, audit-ready records are maintained to meet evolving regulatory requirements. The third pillar, sustainability, focuses on conserving resources, reducing waste and cutting energy use and emissions. Finally, resiliency equips utilities to adapt to climate change, respond to unforeseen circumstances and meet future demands with confidence. Together, these pillars form a strategic framework that guides successful modernization efforts.

A Leadership Roadmap

For municipal leaders ready to begin their modernization journey, the path forward starts with a clear and actionable plan. The first step is to assess digital readiness, identifying both operational and technological gaps that may hinder progress. From there, leaders should develop an integrated modernization strategy that connects asset management, predictive analytics and capital planning into a cohesive approach. Securing funding through federal programs, grants and public-private partnerships is a critical next step to ensure the plan's viability. Finally, leaders must invest in people, providing training and support so teams can fully leverage new tools and processes. This combination of strategic vision, financial planning and workforce empowerment lays the groundwork for a successful transformation.--

Leading the Utility of the Future

Technology is only part of the equation. True transformation begins with leadership. Forward-thinking utility leaders recognize that most modern challenges require new approaches rooted in data, collaboration and long-term vision. By embracing smarter, more connected ways of working today, municipalities can strengthen infrastructure, improve service reliability and build resilience against future demands. The result is not just operational efficiency, but a sustainable foundation of public trust and accountability that endures for generations to come.

Explore how data-driven leadership is shaping the next generation of utilities.