Board portals are hubs for meeting management that are secure. They allow board members to focus more on governance and less working on the details. A robust portal for board members removes the expense of printing and distribution of the physical board materials.
Ideally, board papers should be sent out at least two to three working days prior to the meeting, to allow directors to review the documents prior to the meeting. This gives the board enough time to review and clarify the contents of each paper before the meeting. This is also the best time to ensure that all directors are aware of any modifications to the original report or any new information that may have been added to an update.
Boards have access to a complete set of tools that help them to effectively prepare for and conduct meetings, share files, collaborate with colleagues as well as committees and produce minutes after every meeting. They must also be able to offer their stakeholders an easy source of up-to-date, accurate and current board materials.
To get the best performance from your portal, partner with a provider that is willing to communicate directly with your IT department and take into consideration the specific security requirements of your organization. Be sure that the software you select is ISO27001-compliant is secure in transit and at rest and has granular controls of access and authentication. It should also provide 24/7 support by a dedicated expert team within the company. Verify that the supplier of your board portal regularly undergoes the tests for penetration and board members also external audits.