The use of board portal technology has grown significantly over the last few years. Board portal adoption is expanding from financial services to other industries including healthcare, education and the public sector.
What’s behind the growth in board portal adoption? The shift to paperless board meetings and efficiency in board meeting preparation started the trend. More recently, the need for better collaboration between directors and increased security concerns have strengthened the business case for board portal technology.
Today, security concerns continue to rise. According to Deloitte’s Cyber Intelligence Centre, there’s been a spike in cyber attacks during the pandemic, including phishing attacks, Malspams and ransomware attacks. More than ever before, board technology has become essential to support timely and secure board communication.
What is a board portal?
If you’re not familiar with board portal software, it’s like a web application that executives, directors and administrators use to perform their role for an organization’s board of directors.
A board portal offers directors confidential access to board materials, past and present, and provides tools that make it easier for administrators to prepare for board meetings and conduct committee activities between meetings. Board portals typically include discussion and annotation features, voting tools, meeting and agenda features and other tools to boost board productivity and communication – including on mobile devices or offline.
5 things to look for in your board portal before you buy.
When you’re evaluating board portal software, there’s a lot to consider. You may be comparing pricing, evaluating the quality of support, and making sure it’s a solution that is both secure and easy for directors to use.
This is where we can help. From talking directly with board members and board administrators, here are the top five features they value most from board portal software. Take a look!
Board portal feature #1: Data security.
With cybersecurity and risk among the top concerns of boards, boards seek enhanced data security and controlled access to board information. Board portal users look for protection from accidental or intentional cybersecurity risks with advanced security features – including controlling access, guaranteeing compliance, and remotely wiping lost or stolen devices.
Board portal feature #2: Faster preparation of board packages.
Board administrators look to efficiently produce and distribute board packages, without paper waste and cost. Board administrators also value the support provided to directors by board portal vendors as it directly reduces administrative time spent on supporting board members or requesting IT support.
Board portal feature #3: Centralized access to board materials.
Board portals provide a secure, one-stop access to all the board materials you need, including agendas, minutes from past meetings, and the next meeting board package. Users value an easy-to-use experience with simple search so they can access materials, communications, policies, bylaws, archives and more.
Board portal feature #4: Convenience for directors.
Board portals offer convenient tools to help directors be more productive. Users value instant access to board materials and the ability to search for board documents in a centralized library storage. Plus, work on-the-go with access on multiple devices, as well as increased collaboration and faster decision-making with tools like online note taking and surveys.
Board portal feature #5: Efficient board meetings.
Board portals help run more efficient meetings by increasing director engagement and accountability. With convenient access to information, directors arrive better prepared and agendas linking directly to key documents keep meetings efficient and productive.
Consider Aprio in your board portal software evaluation
With Aprio, you don’t have to trade off pricing with support quality, or ease of use with security. We offer unlimited training and 24/7 support from board experts who are deeply familiar with your board’s needs and can proactively advise you on how to best use the technology. With Aprio, every customer has access to the software’s complete functionality needed to save both costs and time.
First time buyer? If you’ve never used a board portal and need more help making the right decision, see the Board Portal Evaluation Checklist in the free Board Portal Buying Guide.
Ready to make the switch? If you’re currently using another board portal and need more help on doing a quick comparison, see the Board Portal Evaluation Checklist in the free Board Portal Re-Assessment Guide.
