Preparing an effective board deck can be a significant challenge, and many executives turn to board deck software to design and collaborate on meeting materials. When evaluating options, a common question is: do you need board deck software or more comprehensive board portal software?
Making the right choice can significantly impact your board’s efficiency, security, and overall governance effectiveness. In larger organizations, creating polished meeting materials is just one piece of a much larger governance puzzle – and board deck software may not do enough to keep the pieces in place.
Read on to discover the key differences between these solutions, or skip ahead to the following sections:
- Understanding the difference: board deck software vs. board portals
- Key features of board deck software vs. board portals
- When might board deck software be a good fit?
- When boards outgrow board deck software: the case for a board portal
- Security and compliance for sensitive board materials
- Why a board portal might be the better choice for governance
- Achieve better governance with Aprio
Below, we’ll explore the difference between how board deck software and board portals are broadly defined.
Understanding the difference: board deck software vs. board portals
Board deck software is designed to organize presentation content for effective display and collaboration. It helps compile documents, slides, and reports into organized packages that can be shared with board members. Some board deck software also contains features for comments and voting.
Board portal software is designed to improve governance, with a centralized hub for all board information and activity – from document distribution and meeting management to task tracking, voting, evaluations, and compliance reports. It’s designed to support good governance across all board activities.
Board portal software and board deck software have some overlapping features – and in some cases, they may both be placed under the same category of board management software. Although they may seem similar at first glance, their divergent focus also impacts the way their features work to create a meeting management solution.
Key features of board deck software vs. board portals
While board deck software may offer features that superficially resemble an agenda builder in board portals, there’s a fundamental difference in their design philosophy. Features like document storage, action items, and analytics tend to be much more robust in board portal software, since they’re applied broadly to board management rather than just meeting materials.
Common features in board deck software
In board deck software, most of the features are designed to make meeting materials more convenient to disseminate and review. They often include features like:
- Document compilation and organization
- Basic presentation capabilities for meetings
- Digital document distribution to board members
- Engagement analytics
- Board meeting app for virtual meetings on mobile devices
Board portal software includes all of these features, plus management tools for governance that extend beyond meetings.
Extra features in board portal software
Board portal software offers additional features to improve governance more broadly. This includes features like:
- A central dashboard with notifications, calendar integrations, and deadlines
- Agenda builder and meeting minutes with the ability to upload any file type
- A searchable library of past documents, attendance records, and motions
- Robust reporting tools for audit and compliance purposes
These tools are designed to support proper governance workflows, facilitate transparent decision-making, and maintain accountability. Below is an overview of how Aprio’s board portal software compares to a few popular board deck software solutions.
Aprio vs. Zeck
One popular solution, Zeck, is designed to turn a board deck into an interactive website. Board decks become a mobile-first series of posts with comment sections, internal links, and voting tools. Leadership teams can use the table of contents to skip ahead to other sections, and sign documents in the software.
Aprio’s agenda builder contains board meeting tools that are functionally similar to Zeck, with less focus on appearance. Like Zeck, Aprio allows administrators to create agendas from a template or from scratch, and compile meeting materials into a single, shareable document. Board members can also annotate materials, vote, and e-sign documents in Aprio, and both have a board meeting app for mobile access.
Unlike Zeck, which is focused on navigation of individual board decks, Aprio’s document management tools include search features for all past materials. Aprio also includes task management features, surveys, and reporting tools that embed meeting management within a larger framework for good governance.
Aprio vs. Pitch
Another example, Pitch, is pitch deck software focused on design and collaboration tools. It has templates for different types of decks, and video collaboration tools that let multiple contributors edit the deck live. Administrators can share the deck with board members before the meeting, and view analytics on which members accessed the deck.
Pitch has design tools such as visual templates that Aprio doesn’t – but it also lacks some of Aprio’s more robust features for voting, approvals, and surveys. Aprio also lets users upload any file type to board meeting agendas, meaning boards can access .pdfs, spreadsheets, and other files right from the agenda. With Pitch, it may be difficult to display or share more complex information.
Although board deck software tends to be more limited than board portal software, there are some situations where boards choose the former. Below, we’ll explore the situations when each type of software might be a good fit.
When might board deck software be a good fit?
Board deck software may be well-suited for smaller organizations just beginning their digital governance journey. When organizations are small, board activity is much easier to track and compliance reporting is simpler.
Presenting meeting materials in an engaging way may be a primary concern for executives in this scenario – and they may just want a simple tool to help them get started. In this case, the presentation templates in board decks can be valuable starting points to help executives ensure their presentation is polished and contains the right information.
However, when an organization grows larger, governance responsibilities tend to grow with it – and in many cases, the board may outgrow simpler board deck software and opt for more comprehensive board meeting software.
When boards outgrow board deck software: the case for board portal software
As organizations grow more complex, board work evolves beyond simply attending quarterly meetings. Board members increasingly serve on multiple committees, each with their own workflows and materials. Strategic focus deepens, making ongoing access to performance data and industry intelligence much more important.
Board portal software has the features to support this growth. Below is a closer look at how Aprio’s features extend beyond some of the common features found in board decks to support governance in larger organizations.
Agenda builders in board portals support more complex information
In larger organizations, board members may need to review more extensive materials, analyze complex data sets, and consider multifaceted issues across diverse business lines or geographies.
In board portals like Aprio, the agenda builder is more like an interactive governance tool that’s connected to minutes, action items, and board responsibilities – not just a table of contents for a presentation, as it often is in board deck software. However, it still makes board prep much faster and easier, with the ability to create agendas from templates or past meetings.
Aprio’s agenda builder allows you to create and share customizable agendas in a few clicks, with the option to upload supporting data in any format.
Powerful search features to find information faster
Board members can use Aprio’s advanced search functionality to find past board meeting agendas, policy documents, regulatory filings, or any other documentation they have access to. Administrators can also limit document access by individual or group, with Document Digital Rights Management (DRM) capabilities built into the software.
Robust features for committees support complex governance structures
Complex organizations typically establish more robust committee structures – and board deck software often has limited features to distinguish between committee meeting documents and board documents. Aprio’s granular access controls and document management tools support board meeting management processes for committees as well.
Board task management ties meeting topics to action items
Board portals like Aprio include task management features that board deck software often lacks altogether. When board members are assigned a task, these action items appear on their dashboard to keep important due dates top of mind. This also creates an audit trail of who is responsible for certain tasks, to avoid the bottlenecks that miscommunication can cause.
Aprio’s task management features let administrators assign tasks to specific board members with priority levels, instructions, and due dates.
Board assessments, surveys, & voting
Aprio includes board assessment and survey tools that allow CEO and board evaluations to be conducted securely in the software, as well as voting tools to track board motions. Admins can make surveys anonymous or public and track their progress in real time. While board deck software sometimes offers voting tools, it often lacks more comprehensive assessment tools – as well as the ability to generate visual reports from the results.
Voting, surveys, and assessments can be attached directly to agenda items to streamline decision-making and feedback.
Board reporting software
One of the most important tools for good governance is the ability to maintain a secure audit trail for compliance reporting. Aprio automatically records all activity in the software such as attendance, actions, logins, and expense reports – and administrators can use Aprio’s board reporting tools to surface the data, simplifying audits and compliance.
Aprio automatically tracks essential data such as attendance, board decisions, and more to streamline reporting.
As organizations grow and establish more serious governance practices, they often adopt more comprehensive board portal software to manage complex board processes at scale.
Security and compliance for sensitive board materials
When the focus is on compiling the right information in a board deck, it can be easy to forget about information security. But the way information is shared and stored can be just as important for good corporate governance.
Board materials often contain highly confidential financial and strategic documents that require robust protection, and some board deck software doesn’t have the same robust protection that Aprio does.
Unlike general file-sharing platforms which may put sensitive information at risk, secure board portal software provides enterprise-grade security aligned with good governance. This includes security features like:
- Advanced encryption to protect your board materials both in transit and at rest.
- Multi-factor authentication to ensure only authorized users can access sensitive documents.
- Granular permission controls to manage who can view, edit, or download specific documents.
- Complete visibility into document access history with comprehensive audit trails.
- Remote wiping capabilities protect board information from unauthorized access if a director’s device is lost or stolen.
These security features don’t just protect your organization from data breaches – they also support compliance with industry regulations. You’ll be able to create and store decks with confidence, knowing information stays protected at all times.
Why a board portal might be the better choice for governance
Unlike simple deck software, board software like Aprio is designed to support the full spectrum of board activities both inside and outside the boardroom. With enhanced security and advanced administrative features, Aprio can help leadership teams adapt to industry-specific best practices for governance.
Below is how boards across financial, government, nonprofit, and other sectors trust Aprio to keep board materials and processes compliant with industry standards.
Finance organizations
Finance organizations trust Aprio’s bank-grade encryption protocols and robust security standards to protect financial data across all board communications.
“I couldn’t find any other platform that offers that caliber of ease of use plus tailored training and ongoing support from their team. We’ve quickly adopted the core features of Aprio and gained efficiency and we see room to grow.” – Finance executive
Healthcare organizations
Healthcare organizations benefit from Aprio’s strict access controls, and the ability to manage complex committee structures while maintaining PIPEDA compliance.
“We knew there had to be technology to work smarter as a health agency. We chose Aprio because it makes a director’s job easier than any other technology. Aprio’s desktop and tablet editions build on what’s familiar to directors – easy to find agendas, latest versions of critical documents, contacts and archives – everything they expect, all well organized and absolutely secure.” – Health agency executive
Nonprofit organizations
Nonprofits value the efficiency and cost savings of digital board materials, including the ability to add an unlimited number of committees and board administrators in every plan.
“Aprio’s board portal is extremely easy and straightforward to use and its robust security measures ensure the confidentiality of our company information. I love the new enhancements including agenda templates, approvals and signatures!” – Nonprofit executive
Government organizations
Government agencies and crown corporations use Aprio to support transparency and accountability in highly regulated governance processes.
“Aprio’s cloud based software facilitates and expedites the sharing and amendment of information. It eliminates the need to print binders for directors, saving time and money for the corporate secretariat. Changes to documents can be posted and communicated quickly and efficiently. Aprio is a great system that is very user friendly and easy to explain and learn.” – Government executive
By choosing an all-in-one solution like Aprio, organizations across industries create a foundation for governance excellence so they can focus on what matters: strategic decision-making backed by the clear, structured information at their fingertips.
Achieve better governance with Aprio
Ready to achieve better governance? Aprio can help you create organized, secure, and shareable board decks within a larger framework of good governance. Learn why board administrators love Aprio’s user-friendly features for tracking board activity, compliance reporting, document management, and more.
Start a conversation with one of our experts today to assess the fit with Aprio – and ensure your next board meeting follows best practices for governance.
