Today’s corporate secretaries have more on their plates than ever before – and many are turning to corporate secretary software to simplify board meeting management, reporting, and audits.
As facilitators of good governance, corporate secretaries rely on organized board materials and consistent processes to keep up with regulatory changes. But scattered spreadsheets, manual files, and siloed email chains can create administrative chaos that makes governance and compliance a challenge.
Corporate secretary software helps create a foundation for governance and compliance by centralizing meeting management, compliance workflows, and secure document storage in a single platform. With one central hub for all board materials, corporate secretaries can give boards instant access to everything they need, freeing up time for strategic goals.
Read on to explore how corporate secretary software simplifies governance and compliance, or skip ahead to these sections:
- Corporate secretary software vs. traditional board management
- Corporate secretary software: an overview of key features
- How corporate secretary software supports collaboration and accountability
- How Aprio’s corporate secretary software stands out
- Frequently asked questions
First, we’ll examine how corporate secretary software compares to common methods for organizing board meetings and materials, and how it can simplify governance and compliance.
Corporate secretary software vs. traditional board management
It’s not uncommon for boards of all sizes to rely on tools like Gmail, SharePoint, Excel, and Word for communication, document preparation, and file storage. But tools like these can become an administrative hassle and a security liability, especially at scale.
Corporate secretary software lightens the administrative load for common board management tasks, automates audit trails, and helps maintain security and confidentiality at scale.
Preparing and distributing board materials
Preparing and distributing board packs can be a significant challenge. Sending board meeting materials via email is inefficient, as it leads to version control issues, scattered information, and security risks. Complex tools like SharePoint can be difficult to navigate, leading to questions and email communications that hinder productivity.
Corporate secretary software lets you create digital board packs using past agendas, templates, and documents, cutting down on the time it takes to put them together. Board members access the documents using the same software, reducing the risk of data leaks and ensuring that every board member gets materials at the same time.
Compliance tracking and reporting
Today, many corporate secretaries are facing compliance overload. Using spreadsheets to manage reporting deadlines makes them easy to miss, especially when reports involve a lot of manual effort.
With corporate secretary software, you have an instant audit trail of board member activity, motions, and meetings to draw from. Simply choose the report you want and generate it in seconds to meet quick turnaround times for reporting.
Confidentiality at scale
As cybersecurity threats grow to unprecedented levels, boards need to ensure sensitive information is managed securely. The more software tools your board uses, the bigger the threat surface is for cyberattacks, so relying on a combination of emails, document storage, and project management tools creates risk.
Corporate secretary software contains all the core tools you need to manage meetings, reporting, and board communications. With all sensitive information on one secure platform, it’s much easier to control who has access to documents and how they share them, making data leaks much less likely.
Next, we’ll look at some specific features to look for in corporate secretary software for better governance and compliance.
Corporate secretary software: an overview of key features
Corporate secretary software is like a Swiss Army knife for governance – combining collaboration, reporting, and security in one platform. This helps corporate secretaries keep the board on track from meeting preparation to task management, and creates an instant audit trail of all actions for faster compliance.
Here are just a few of the features that make it possible:
Collaboration tools for better governance
Keep boards responsive and organized with all information and communication in one centralized location. Corporate secretary software lets you prepare and distribute paperless board packs so board members can access materials, review, and annotate from mobile or desktop devices before the meeting starts.
Aprio’s agenda builder lets you create agendas from templates or past meetings, and attach files in any format, and control who gets access.
Aprio’s corporate secretary software also includes:
- A meeting minutes builder that lets you record minutes, track motions, and assign action items during meetings for organized workflows.
- Virtual meeting support for remote video conferencing, including Zoom, Teams, and Webex.
- Voting software that lets board members cast votes and sign documents, with an audit trail of all board decisions.
Reporting made simple
Whenever a board member takes action using corporate secretary software, it’s recorded automatically for a secure audit trail of all activity. When you’re ready for an overview, you can choose from 9 customizable reports for attendance, poll results, expenses, and more for audit-ready board reports in seconds.
Aprio’s board reporting software lets you view and report on board member activity in just a few clicks.
The software also includes:
- Automatic archives of all past meetings to help new board members get up to speed faster.
- Task management that lets you assign tasks with priority levels, along with progress tracking and notifications to keep board members accountable.
- Detailed expense reporting features to streamline reimbursements and compliance.
Security controls and compliance
Keeping board materials safe has never been easier. Aprio’s corporate secretary software stores all board documents, reports, and activity logs in one secure location, backed by industry-leading security standards and encryption. Aprio is also equipped with granular access controls to manage document access across multiple committees.
Corporate secretaries can use role-based and individual permissions to grant and restrict access to meeting materials.
Other security features include:
- Remote data wiping to lock access to Aprio by device or user ID, for instant security if a device is lost or stolen.
- Single sign-on and biometric authentication via touch ID, face ID, or fingerprint on mobile.
- Comprehensive logs of user activity to quickly identify any suspicious activity.
Together, these features help create a strong governance infrastructure that helps corporate secretaries communicate faster, provide better advisory support, and keep everyone aligned.
How corporate secretary software supports collaboration and accountability
Corporate secretary software is more than just the sum of its parts. As former corporate secretary Pierre Sharubroeck notes in PwC, “Good governance is a question of corporate culture, mentality and behaviour,” which goes beyond ticking all the right boxes. Corporate secretaries are uniquely responsible for fostering this culture, and modern software bridges the gap between compliance and meaningful governance by embedding collaboration and accountability into daily workflows.
When board participation is uneven, collaboration suffers – but corporate secretary software helps give every board member a voice. Quieter directors can share input digitally through annotations, ensuring the board captures all perspectives for accurate minutes and actionable resolutions. It can also create governance reports that satisfy regulators who need evidence of equitable decision-making.
After meetings are over, task management tools with deadlines, automated reminders, and audit trails ensure clear lines of responsibility. This reduces the risk of missed deadlines and helps hold directors accountable without undue friction. Finally, corporate secretary software creates a standard for annual board evaluations that offer actionable insights for growth, fostering communication about new directions.
While features matter, user-friendliness and support will determine how well your team will use the software to collaborate in the first place – which is why Aprio’s corporate secretary software stands out.
How Aprio’s corporate secretary software stands out
There are a lot of options for company secretarial software on the market – but Aprio is uniquely positioned in the market due to its user-friendly features and expert, personalized support.
Ease of use
Aprio was designed with user-friendliness in mind. We offer all the robust features you need to manage day-to-day governance and compliance, without the steep learning curve that comes with many other corporate secretary software solutions.
Our inclusive pricing ensures every organization has access to all of Aprio’s features, with no surprises or add-ons. If you want to simplify Aprio for easier onboarding, you can hide the features you don’t need at first, then unhide them later when you’re ready to use them.
“The ease of use of Aprio is unparalleled. I have used a couple of other management software applications in the past, and Aprio stands out as the most user friendly. We have been a customer for about 5 years now, and the elimination of paper materials has been life changing. We feel confident knowing that our materials are secure, yet easily accessible to our directors.” – G2 Review
Personalized, expert support
All Aprio plans include 24/7 support from former board administrators who understand how time-sensitive fixes can be. Users can call, email, or chat with one of our experts any day of the week for fast, responsive service.
Our support includes setup, onboarding, and ongoing training for new board members at any point. It also includes migration from other portals or in-house systems for customers looking to switch.
“I cannot praise the customer service of Aprio enough. Their team is simply outstanding – friendly, informative, and incredibly responsive. Aprio’s customer service is the best I’ve experienced in my entire career.” – Charline McKissick, Board Secretary, not-for-profit organization
Frequently asked questions about corporate secretary software
How does company secretarial software help with compliance?
Corporate secretary software automates compliance workflows by recording all board activities for audit-ready reports. Replacing spreadsheets with centralized data minimizes the risk of penalties from missed deadlines or regulatory missteps.
What features does secretarial software offer for corporate governance?
Key features include secure document sharing and saved meeting agendas, task management to assign and track action items, and secure e-signatures for enforceable resolutions and policies. Aprio’s suite of reports also helps ensure transparency, accountability, and alignment with various governance frameworks.
What are the benefits of secure electronic signatures?
Secure e-signatures speed up approvals by allowing board members to sign digital documents on any device. They help create tamper-proof audit trails with IP stamps and timestamps, and reduce the risk of forged signatures or lost documents.
Why should I request a free demo of the software?
When you book a demo, you’ll be able to gauge how Aprio’s features solve your specific pain points. Our team will be ready to answer your questions and tailor our walkthrough to show you what features may be most relevant to your team.
See Aprio’s corporate secretary software in action
If you’re still using emails, spreadsheets and word processors to organize your board, corporate secretary software can make a world of difference. Aprio’s advanced security, world-class support, and user-friendly features have helped thousands of admins and board members simplify governance and compliance in just a few weeks.
Ready to see Aprio in action? Whether you’re a small nonprofit or a large financial institution, Aprio offers solutions for smarter, more compliant workflows. Start a conversation today, and we’ll be happy to learn more about your governance and compliance needs.
