Board Management Software is a secure app or website that can help streamline meeting management and governance. It comes with a range of tools to assist with the entire board cycle from meeting preparation to record-keeping and even data analytics.
It might be appealing to use free board portals or software that is low-cost to cut costs, however they typically come with a hidden price: insufficient training and customer support. If new directors aren’t given adequate training during their initial period, they could be left to search and peck without fully understanding the capacities of the system. This could lead to security risks since the untrained user can accidentally insert data from outside the systems that they shouldn’t be.
Additionally, a majority of free software for managing board meetings lacks top-tier data security that’s essential to protect sensitive information. Board directors are under pressure to ensure that the systems they rely on to conduct business are highly secure, especially in light of recent media reports of data breaches and hacking. Board portals that are regarded as industry leaders have multiple layers and strict security features. They also allow for easy control of the permissions, so each user is only allowed to view what they are authorized to see. This helps ensure that meeting documents and related materials are shared only with the appropriate individuals, reducing the risk of confidential data exposures. Furthermore, it makes archiving meeting records and other materials from meetings a breeze. These documents can be immediately uploaded and shared with an enormous audience in a virtual location. This eases the burden placed on board members, who have to file these documents manually after every meeting.