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IT 101 for boards
Most boards are not that interested in IT, regarding the area as ‘too technical’.
Yet if the Institute of Directors’ guidelines are anything to go by – and with increased personal liability for directors - boards need to be increasingly involved in the business and governance of IT. So how do you go about selling the virtues of IT to your board?
According to Victoria University Information Systems professor Dr Sid Huff, IT managers and CIOs want their board’s involvement. They want their boards to be discussing more strategic aspects of IT and be provided with regular reports on big IT projects.
The challenge is in capturing the board’s interest and translating ‘technical talk’ into language they know and understand. While board directors can hardly be expected to know IT in detail, the lines of communication must stay open.
Communication is about using language they understand. “Don’t talk about the details of the IT infrastructure or the network security strategy, other than outlining costs and benefits," says iTools Managing Director Chris Bulman.
“Present board proposals on a business basis, not a technical basis. Use the business language the board understands.”
If you want to find out more about IT Governance and how Progressive Enterprises went about putting in a robust IT governance process, download the white paper ‘The CIO’s problem with IT Governance’ at www.itoolscontrol.com
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