How Penrith City Council Centralised Its Media Library with HIVO

Transforming Asset Management Across Council Communications

Located at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Penrith City Council is a large local government authority serving a population of over 212,000 residents across more than 400 square kilometres. With a growing number of campaigns, events, and marketing initiatives spread across departments, Council faced increasing complexity in managing digital assets—especially photos and videos used in community communications.

Council needed a reliable, secure, and scalable solution to unify their digital media workflows, simplify internal and external collaboration, and enable efficient content discovery. They turned to HIVO.

Key Outcomes

Central Repository for All Communications and Marketing Assets
HIVO implemented a secure cloud-based DAM system, bringing together photos, videos, and campaign collateral from previously scattered local drives, folders, and USBs into a single, central repository.
Structured Folder System and Metadata Taxonomy
HIVO worked with Council to design a custom information architecture, metadata schema, and tagging system—making it simple to organise, find, and manage thousands of assets.
Easy Uploading and Sharing for Staff and External Contributors
HIVO’s shared links and upload portals enable photographers, videographers, and staff to submit or access approved content securely, replacing ad-hoc tools like USB drives or generic cloud folders.
Consent Management for Media Containing People and Minors
With HIVO’s automated consent tracking, Council now ensures usage rights and release forms are properly managed, especially for media featuring minors or members of the community.
User Permissions and Version Control
Fine-grained user access controls and asset version history ensure that only authorised staff access the right assets, while maintaining audit trails and version records for compliance.
Insightful Reporting and Content Analytics
HIVO provides advanced reporting to help Council track asset usage, expiry, usage rights, and photographer credits, giving teams complete visibility into how content is used and shared.

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Secure, Scalable, and Purpose-Built for Local Government

Penrith City Council needed a platform that could scale with their evolving needs, integrate with marketing tools and CMS platforms, and meet strict government data security standards.

HIVO delivered:

A secure SaaS platform with 3TB initial storage and the ability to expand as needed;
Support for all standard media formats, including video and high-res imagery;
Cross-browser compatibility, including mobile device access;
Single sign-on (SSO) for easy authentication and identity management; and
Integration-ready APIs to connect with other Council systems.

As an ISO 27001 certified platform, HIVO is trusted by government organisations at all levels across Australia, giving Council peace of mind when handling sensitive media, personal information, and usage rights.

Implementation, Onboarding, and Training

HIVO led a full implementation process that included:

Setup of folder structures, taxonomy, and permissions
Onboarding and migration of existing digital assets
User training across Council’s Communications and City Economy & Marketing teams
Ongoing technical support, system documentation, and optional online learning modules

The result is a fully operational, user-friendly DAM platform that empowers Council staff to work more efficiently, stay compliant, and deliver consistent brand communications across the region.

“HIVO has brought order, control, and confidence to how we manage our digital assets.”

“We needed a platform that would centralise our communications and marketing media while making it easier for staff and suppliers to collaborate. HIVO has delivered a streamlined, secure, and scalable solution that aligns with our operational goals and community values.”
— Stacey Martin, Economy and Marketing, Penrith City Council

About Penrith City Council