The majority of modern boards are moving towards online board portals and away from email or shared drives – despite their familiarity and economy. While tools like email are very comfortable for boards – they pose many potential drawbacks and security risks.
Lost or stolen devices, downloaded documents and unsecured email threads pose daily security risks for boards. And accessing shared drives can be a significant time sink for board members. It’s estimated that directors lose 40% of their time searching for records.
The good news is that online board portals can make life easier for boards, helping ensure efficient, organized and timely board management. Read on to learn more about online board portals including how they work and what to expect for pricing.
- About our online board portal
- Online board portal pricing
- Who can use our online board portal
- Book a board portal demo
About our online board portal software
Every day, Aprio’s online board portal software helps thousands of boards streamline meeting prep, run more productive board meetings and simplify board communication. Backed by the friendliest expert support in the business, our easy-to-use board portal software centralizes all your information and discussions in one place so you can focus on what matters.
What is an online board portal?
Online board portals are a centralized, highly secure, online hub designed for board directors and administrators to access meeting materials, communicate with each other, and streamline governance processes. The software is available both in cloud-based and on-premise options.
Online board of directors portals include tools to help boards save time on board meeting preparation, enhance communication and collaboration, facilitate decision-making and keep sensitive information secure. Common features include agendas, document storage, messaging, annotations, voting, signatures, and surveys.
Top ranked-benefits of an online board portal
- Instant, same-time delivery of updates and document revisions to board members at any time, regardless of location.
- Centralized access to meeting materials, communications, policies, bylaws, and archives within a highly reliable, secure portal.
- Secure online note taking and collaboration for Directors, with the option of a clean swipe of all communication once the Board makes a decision.
- Increased efficiency to produce & distribute board books and other documents.
- Increased efficiency to schedule and reschedule board of director meetings.
- Increased security, including protection for confidential documents, and built-in safeguards to prevent accidental email transmissions.
How does an online board portal work?
While many online board portal software capabilities are similar, each board portal is first set up and customized to each board. This requires uploading all existing board materials into the software’s central library. After the initial setup, training for all board admins and directors is then used to demonstrate how to use the software and its full features.
Keep in mind that not all board portal set up, training and support are as supportive as Aprio’s. We offer a seamless onboarding experience and unlimited on-demand training to make it simple to migrate from other portals or in-house systems or to get you started with board technology. Other board portals often only offer one-time training at the start. If new board members join later, training is an added expense.
“We’ve been impressed with how quickly the Aprio team got us up and running, and how simple it is to use the portal, which mirrors how we already manage our board.” – John Pembroke, President and CEO, CUES
How to use an online board portal
Board members and board admins simply log in to the online board portal with any device. You can view upcoming board meetings, send out digital board books, access a library of meeting materials and sign documents – all in one secure place. While each online board portal differs, users often complete specific tasks before, during, and after board meetings.
Before the meeting
Online board portal software helps board admins prep paperless board packages in minutes, instead of hours. For example, features such as agenda templates and one-click virtual meeting creation allow board admins to efficiently distribute board packages.
During the meeting
Get a more productive board during meetings with everything you need at your fingertips in your online board portal. If your board meeting is 100% virtual or hybrid, members can join the meeting directly from the online board portal. As the meeting unfolds, board admins can record meeting minutes, track motions and action items, and assign an approver or a co-author within the board portal.
For board of directors, they can annotate board materials on the spot. Online board portals like Aprio make it easy to mark up board documents and share notes with colleagues, even on mobile devices.
After the board meeting
Online board portal software are also used to track attendance, generate expense reports or other reports including a digital audit trail. It can also be used to stay on top of action items by assigning tasks to individual members so nothing falls through the cracks. Surveys and voting tools can support board engagement and collect feedback securely, such as for board evaluations and CEO reviews.
Online board portal pricing
Often online board portal software has basic, professional and enterprise editions with different features. Pricing can vary greatly from vendor to vendor – both in pricing model and the total cost – so it’s important to get customized quotes to compare. Pricing could be a flat rate or be priced per feature or by users. Make sure to ask about both up-front costs as well as ongoing expenses.
Better technology and better service can come at a bit higher price, be sure to consider your goals with the portal, not just grab the best deal.
In addition to asking about online board portal pricing, ask your vendor questions such as:
- What kind of training will I get?
- Who answers the phone when I call for support?
- How secure is the software?
- Will the fee structure change as we grow?
- Do I get what I see in the demo?
- Can someone vouch for the software?
Aprio pricing
We believe that good governance should be simple. We offer a premium product in a “you get what you pay for” market, that is as intuitive as it is robust. We offer the ability to hide features and scale your software at a pace that works for your board.
Our pricing model ensures you won’t pay for more users than you need. And we offer all of the premium tools and features you need to better manage your board: a library of current and past board materials, minutes builder, agenda builder, calendars, annotations, audit reports, decision tracking, desktop and remote access, attendance reports, and much more – with access to both desktop and mobile applications. If you wish to simplify your portal, you can hide the extra features you won’t use right now. Unhide them and set up training so that you can scale at no extra cost when it works for you.
Aprio’s subscription includes 20 user licenses – any number of which can be administrators — and unlimited committees at no extra cost. Our pricing includes initial one-on-one training for administrators and directors, and any ongoing training you may need to set your board up for success.
From day one with Aprio, we help you get started either getting your board materials online for the first time or from another board management tool. We help you use the software to make your board’s work efficient and convenient.
Who can use our online board portal software
Aprio’s meeting management software helps organizations large and small run better board meetings, keep directors up to date, and keep information secure in real time.
Credit unions, financial institutions, crown corporations, non-profits and public companies choose Aprio’s board management software because it helps them achieve transparent communication, make efficient decisions and run board meetings well – with the best service and easy-to-use software.
“Aprio really saves on time when preparing the reports and packages, allowing time for other tasks. Directors can approve material electronically without having to come in for short meetings. Paper costs have been reduced with having no manuals to prepare, and having everything in the library up to date.” – Your Neighbourhood Credit Union
Board portal for crown corporations
Government and crown corporations face unique challenges including enhanced scrutiny when using public funds and trying to balance public policy with achieving commercial objectives. Aprio’s board portal for crown corporations helps boards be more productive by streamlining meeting preparation, collaboration and decision-making beyond the boardroom. Aprio also helps government boards serve the public interest and maintain good governance with effective, secure and transparent board management.
With Aprio, board members can access board materials securely from any device, ensuring they are well-informed and prepared for meetings. Collaboration tools also enable board members to engage in meaningful discussions and make informed decisions, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability. Advanced security measures ensure your sensitive company and board information as well as confidential discussions are protected.
Aprio is committed to helping governments and crown corporations balance their public responsibilities with their commercial goals while maintaining the highest standards of integrity and transparency.
Book your online board portal demo
Aprio stands out in the industry for providing a user friendly, secure board portal and unmatched expert service. See firsthand how Aprio online board portal software works the way a board really works. Get a personalized tour of Aprio by booking a demo with us. Talk to us about your needs – we’re happy to help.
