Good governance simply pays off. Not only does it help organizations sustain their financial value over time it also ensures there’s strong board leadership and process in place to help make strategic decisions in times of change and crisis.
From providing fast, equal access to board material to streamlining meeting preparation and tracking board activity and decisions, more boards of directors are using electronic board portals to make board governance simple and transparent.
Read on to learn more about how electronic board portals streamline the work of good governance or skip ahead to these sections:
- What is an electronic board portal?
- Why use an electronic board portal?
- Efficient and secure: the advantages of Aprio’s electronic board portal
- How Aprio’s electronic portal support good governance
- The future of governance: innovations in electronic board portals
- Enhance your board governance with Aprio’s electronic board portal
What is an electronic board portal?
An electronic board portal can help enhance your board’s effectiveness and security.
It is a secure online platform designed to streamline board meetings and governance processes. It allows board members to review board materials, make notes and sign documents – from any device. Boards become more productive with features like secure document management, surveys and board reporting.
For board administrators, board portals save time and effort in preparing board materials, keeping directors informed and coordinating calendars and approvals.
Why use an electronic board portal?
What’s the number one reason we hear when we ask our customers why they use an electronic board portal? It significantly enhances the security of board communications and materials.
Before using a board portal solution like Aprio, boards often relied on sending board materials via email, which posed significant risks of data breaches and unauthorized access. Plus, using email (or even a shared drive) often meant directors and board administrators were wasting significant time searching for the right file.
With board portal software like Aprio, board materials and communications are encrypted and securely stored, while files are easy to find.
Must-have features in an electronic board portal
While electronic board portals may seem similar at first glance, you’ll need to pay close attention as you evaluate the board portal market.
Here’s a shortlist of the essential board portal features to look for:
- Meeting scheduling: easily schedule and manage upcoming board meetings including adding virtual meeting links to join from the platform.
- Central library of documents: store all board materials in a secure, centralized location for easy access and enhanced data security.
- Security: look for robust security measures to protect the storage, transit and access of your board materials, as well as advanced security features to control user access.
- Board package creation: save time building and sending out board books.
- Mobile apps: access board materials and participate in meetings from any device.
- Personalized customer support: ensure you have access to responsive, dedicated support that you can rely on 24/7 if you need assistance.
For boards seeking additional capabilities, you may want to consider looking for an electronic board portal that also includes a meeting minutes builder, chat, online voting, surveys and task management.
Efficient and secure: the advantages of Aprio’s electronic board portal
Electronic board portals offer numerous benefits for your board. Here are 6 ways Aprio can help.
1. Simplify meeting management and administration
From agendas and meeting minutes to meeting scheduling, Aprio’s board meeting software helps board secretaries reduce effort related to board administration and meeting management. You can create agendas by using templates, uploading files, or starting from scratch. You can customize agendas by adding topics, presenters, timings and linking supporting documents.
Aprio also automates email distribution of board packages and allows easy updates. Our meeting minute builder saves time by creating a skeleton of your meeting agenda. Easily add new sections, track motions and then export your minutes as a PDF.
2. Boost board members’ productivity and efficiency
Electronic board portals enhance productivity and efficiency for organizations of all sizes. Features such as chat, annotations, and polls allow board members to get more done between meetings.
Directors can share questions or comments in advance, ensuring strategic discussions and quicker decisions during meetings. Onboarding new board members is also more efficient, thanks to a self-serve library of archived board materials.
3. Enhance collaboration and communication
As an electronic board portal acts as a digital hub, it enables board members to collaborate and communicate securely online. They can review agendas, vote and make notes on board documents. Whether it’s last-minute agenda changes or urgent company news, Aprio’s board portal also keeps everyone updated at the same time with features like chat and news bulletins.
4. Secure and efficient document management
Aprio’s board management software offers a centralized library for all board materials, improving document security and reducing the need for re-sharing information or confusion over document versions.
With advanced security features such as multi-factor authentication, granular user permissions, version control, remote wiping, and activity reports, sensitive documents can only be accessed by authorized users.
5. Streamline board operations
Electronic board portals simplify board operations, from scheduling meetings to board reporting. Aprio helps facilitate meeting scheduling including sending calendar invites and tracking responses to avoid scheduling conflicts.
For board reporting, Aprio archives board meeting minutes, motions, and board evaluations, providing an audit trail of compliance actions and dates. This makes compliance and regulatory data gathering simple and straightforward for governance teams.
“There are many things that are great about Aprio – ease of use, ease of implementation, fabulous customer support. Aprio has made the Board more efficient and the workload less time-consuming. I do not know what I would do without it. I love how the staff at Aprio really listen to their users and try to implement or change features based on their feedback.” – G2.com reviewer
6. Stay organized and informed
Board members can easily stay organized with an electronic board portal like Aprio. The dashboard and calendar view share key information such as upcoming meetings, due action items and important updates at a glance.
Board members can also stay focused on top-priority items with tools like Aprio’s Board Task Manager. Assigns tasks with due dates and automated reminders to ensure items are completed on time.
How Aprio’s electronic board portal supports good governance
Improving corporate governance is made easier with the help of purpose-built board meeting software. Electronic board portals make governance documents easy to search and access securely, help prepare for board meetings and engage everyone in board decisions.
Aprio’s board portal helps ensure good corporate governance by:
- Making board information equally accessible to all board members including secure and continuous access to board packages, corporate and board policies
- Providing a convenient way for board members to review board materials, ask questions, and annotate documents – and on any device
- Supporting efficient onboarding of new directors, where they can easily review historical discussions and important background documents and can contribute faster
- Supporting annual board performance and CEO evaluations with survey tools
- Providing an automatic archive and audit trail, with meeting minutes, motions, and reports stored in the library
- Get a clear view of board activities and decisions with essential board reports
“Aprio has been helpful in the storage of board governance documents that are easily accessible by all directors and C-suite management. It’s easy to access and follow and keeps our board meetings running smoothly.” – G2.com review
See related: 5 benefits of corporate governance software
The future of governance: innovations in electronic board portals
As technology advances and the needs of modern governance change, electronic board portals will also evolve. Security is likely to remain a top priority for board technology to safeguard sensitive information from emerging threats. For example, board portals of the future may one day incorporate advanced security measures such as biometric authentication for secure voting and document access.
Electronic board portals may also increasingly integrate with other enterprise systems such as CRM, ERP or other project management tools, to help provide a holistic view of organizational data. Voice commands and natural language processing may also be used to improve the user experience including simplifying navigation and accessing information.
Future portals may also include features such as carbon footprint tracking for the board, to support the board to align with the organization’s broader sustainability goals as well as contribute to cost savings and operational efficiency.
Enhance your board governance with Aprio’s electronic board portal
Want to run more productive board meetings and spend less time on board meeting administration? See how Aprio’s electronic board portal can make good governance simple.
We stand out in the industry for providing unmatched expert service and an easy-to-use, secure board portal that works the way a board works. We’d be happy to assess your board’s needs and the fit with Aprio. Get in touch with us.
