If you have been evaluating emergency dispatch or CAD software recently, you may have noticed the Hexagon name starting to disappear. From product pages to vendor conversations to procurement documents, a new name is showing up in its place: Octave. For fire departments, EMS agencies, emergency communications centers, and law enforcement organizations in the middle of technology decisions, that shift raises real questions.
What exactly is Hexagon Octave? Is it the same company under a different name, or something genuinely new? What happens to existing Hexagon products, contracts, and support commitments? And if you are evaluating platforms right now, does this change who you are actually buying from?
This article answers those questions directly. We cover what Octave is, how the split came together, what it means for public safety software buyers, and what purpose-built alternatives are worth considering alongside it.
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What Is Hexagon Octave and Where Did It Come From?
To understand what Hexagon Octave is, it helps to understand what Hexagon AB was trying to solve with the split.
Hexagon AB built its business across two fundamentally different worlds: hardware-driven measurement and metrology on one side, and enterprise software for industrial and public sector operations on the other. Keeping both under the same roof made sense for a period. Over time, the logic weakened. Software businesses scale differently, get valued differently by investors, and require a different strategic focus than hardware product lines.
The decision to separate them was announced in June 2025. The software half was given a new name, Octave, and a mandate to operate as an independent, publicly traded company. Mattias Stenberg, who had been running the relevant divisions inside Hexagon, was named incoming CEO.
What landed inside Octave was substantial: the Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division, the Safety, Infrastructure and Geospatial division, plus the Bricsys CAD platform and ETQ quality management business. Taken together, that is a company with roughly 7,200 employees and annual revenues close to €1.5 billion, operating at margins that put it firmly in the upper tier of enterprise software companies.
What the Hexagon Octave Rebrand Actually Changes
For existing Hexagon public safety customers, the immediate practical answer is: relatively little in the short term. Products will be renamed, branding shifts from HxGN to Octave, and support teams operate under a new organizational structure. Underlying software, contracts, and support obligations are expected to continue.
Octave’s stated mission is to become a predominantly SaaS-oriented, cloud-centric software provider, with AI and cloud delivery at the center of its strategy. For agencies currently running on-premises Hexagon CAD systems, the long-term direction of the platform points strongly toward cloud migration and modernization, especially for new deployments and upgrades. The timeline and cost of that transition remain an open question for most agencies.
Why This Matters for Procurement
If your agency is actively evaluating CAD or dispatch software right now, the Hexagon-to-Octave transition is a valid due diligence consideration. Questions worth asking any vendor in this space:
- What is the continuity plan for legacy HxGN products, and how long will on-premises support continue?
- What does the cloud migration path look like, and what will it cost to move?
- How does Octave’s public safety roadmap compare to purpose-built alternatives?
- What are the contract implications if Octave undergoes further restructuring?
These are not hostile questions. They are standard procurement diligence for any platform mid-transition.
Where Octave Fits in the Broader Market
The public safety software market has grown more competitive, with agencies under pressure to move away from fragmented legacy systems toward integrated platforms that connect dispatch, field communications, and situational awareness in real time.
According to MarketsandMarkets, the global public safety and security market is projected to grow from $575 billion in 2025 to $981 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 11.3%. Demand for real-time data integration, AI-assisted decision support, and mobile-first operations are among the primary drivers. (Source: MarketsandMarkets, Public Safety and Security Market, 2026)
Octave faces the real challenge of transforming a large, mature portfolio of installed-base products into a competitive cloud offering while keeping existing customers on critical operations running. That is not a trivial task, and the transition period creates natural uncertainty for agencies on legacy Hexagon systems.
What Agencies Evaluating Alternatives Should Know
Whether you are currently on a Hexagon system or starting a fresh evaluation, the Octave transition is a good moment to look at what else is available. The market has more options than it did even a few years ago, and several platforms are worth a direct comparison.
Some of the most commonly evaluated alternatives in the public safety space:
| Vendor / Product | Strengths | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| GINA Smart CAD | Localization into 15 languages, fast onboarding, modern UI, mobile CAD apps | Small to large companies, international deployments |
| Mark43 CAD | Accessible via web browsers, unified CAD and RMS workflows, mobile friendly | Mid sized to large agencies |
| CentralSquare CAD | Comprehensive suite, multiple CAD options, large installed base, industry experience | Agencies of all sizes |
| Tyler CAD | Broad integration, multi agency support, large user base, flexible deployment options | Small to large agencies |
Smart CAD by GINA Software is built for dispatchers, field responders, and supervisors. It streamlines emergency call intake, uses machine-learning algorithms to suggest optimal unit assignments, and gives dispatchers real-time location tracking and unit status monitoring. Field responders get turn-by-turn navigation, live CCTV access, and the ability to share images and video with cooperating units.
Conclusion
The Hexagon-to-Octave transition is still unfolding. For agencies already on Hexagon systems, the practical advice is simple: stay informed, review your contracts, and ask direct questions about what the roadmap looks like for your specific deployment.
For agencies that are starting a new evaluation or planning an upgrade, this is actually a good time to look broadly at the market. The public safety software space has matured significantly, and there are platforms today that were not viable options five years ago.
The right choice depends on your agency’s size, operational model, existing infrastructure, and how much implementation complexity you can absorb. What matters most is that the platform you choose can perform reliably when it counts.
If you are exploring modern alternatives, Smart CAD is worth including in your evaluation. You can request a demo to see how it fits your specific operational setup.
