What Is IT Governance?

One of the most vital elements of modern businesses is technology. It is nearly impossible to survive without a sound IT strategy aligned with your company's goals. This is where IT governance comes into play. What is IT governance and what can it do for your business?

What Is IT Governance?

Governance in IT is a framework that consists of the strategies, processes and policies that guide an organization's decisions about IT infrastructure. It is what connects IT initiatives with the company's goals and helps ensure that any funds invested in technology yield optimal returns. It is especially essential for global enterprises that have to navigate sometimes vast and intricate technological systems.

In short, it aligns the business strategy with the IT strategy. It may include measures to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, define IT audit standards, define project management standards, oversee IT manager performance, define financial management and budget aspects, and aid in accountability and transparency in IT operations.

How Can IT Governance Help Your Business?

Business strategy is diverse and unique to the company's goals and the market it serves, and so are a company's goals. IT governance helps ensure that technological investments contribute to those goals. Whether you want to optimize routine processes, move to the cloud, enhance customer experience, or keep customer data safe, you need a robust IT governance plan.

Generally, these plans are continuously evolving, and your IT governance framework should include continuous assessment of IT strategies as the market and organizational goals grow and change. This can help your company be more responsive, flexible, and better positioned for long-term success.

Another benefit of IT governance is that it may help attract partners, stakeholders, and customers. When you show that you've taken the extra effort to put this type of plan into place, it can give them more confidence and assurance that you are serious about what you do. It lets them know you are invested in making progress, keeping data systems secure, reaching financial goals, and optimizing processes more efficiently.

What Is Its Role in Security and Compliance?

Technology comes with a plethora of complexities, for example, cybersecurity risks and government compliance regulations. What is IT governance in relation to risk and compliance? A good governance plan includes policies and controls that help guard against cyber threats and lays out a strategy for compliance.

What Kinds of Businesses Must Have an IT Governance Plan?

Both public and private sector companies can benefit from governance programs. However, the implementation of governance may vary according to the organization's size. Small businesses may have straightforward plans, whereas larger or more regulated companies, likes yours, should use a more detailed and developed framework.

What Are the Different Types of IT Governance?

What is IT governance without a framework? There are several different types of plans that have already been developed and are commonly used in companies today.

COBIT

One of the most popular frameworks. COBIT stands for Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies. It is comprehensive and focuses on risk management, IT system reliability, and aligning business and IT goals. It references more than 30 essential IT processes defined inputs and outputs, objectives, and performance measurement methods. Its five fundamental principles include:

• meeting stakeholder needs,
• covering the enterprise end to end,
• applying a single integrated framework,
• enabling a holistic approach, and
• separating governance from management.

ISO/IEC 38500

What is an IT governance framework that is internationally accepted? The ISO is an international standard framework that focuses on ethical and legal obligations surrounding a company's use of IT. It is mainly aimed at directors and governing officers. It is divided into six principles:

• establish responsibilities,
• plan to support the organization,
• make acquisitions for valid reasons,
• ensure necessary levels of performance,
• ensure conformance with rules, and
• ensure respect for human factors.

CMMI

The Capability Maturity Model Integration framework helps companies analyze and understand their performance over time using a scale of one to five. This allows companies and employees to

• improve their efficiency,
• continuously improve, and
• better mitigate risks.

ITIL

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library is an excellent framework to help reduce costs, improve efficiency, manage problems, and ensure better customer satisfaction. It consists of seven principles:

• focus on value,
• collaborate and promote visibility,
• optimize and automate,
• start where you are,
• progress interactively with feedback,
• keep it simple and practical,
• and think and work holistically.

It is one of the most practical and commonly used frameworks in the world.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

What is an IT governance framework aimed at cybersecurity? The National Institute of Standards and Technology developed a plan that consists of best practices that help reduce cybersecurity risk by dividing IT processes into five categories:

• Identify,
• Protect,
• Detect,
• Respond, and
• Recover

It is a structured and very organized method of IT cybersecurity governance.

FAIR

The Factor Analysis of Information Risk model zooms in on risk analysis and cybersecurity so that company leaders can make better-informed decisions.

Which Plan Is Appropriate for Your Business?

It can be hard to know what type of governance framework is right for your business. And there isn't really a one-size-fits-all answer. Each company and organization is unique, with distinct goals, customers and regulatory requirements. However, one way to get started on a plan is to start using a framework that has already been developed by other organizations or industry experts. Or, you can hire a company specializing in compliance to help assess your company's needs and create a tailored IT governance framework.

There are a few things to take into consideration when choosing a framework. First, figure out what role IT governance should play in your business and whether it should be led by departments or by CIOs. Define your main goals for technology and then find a framework that can help you achieve those.

What Is an IT Governance Professional, and How Can They Help?

Cloudficient provides professional compliance, IT governance, and cybersecurity services as well as cloud migration and eDiscovery. Since there are so many options and possibilities out there when it comes to technology governance, it is hard to find the right solution for your company. However, we can help you analyze your goals and see what best fits your needs. Just reach out to us on our website.

With unmatched next generation migration technology, Cloudficient is revolutionizing the way businesses retire legacy systems and transform their organization into the cloud. Our business constantly remains focused on client needs and creating product offerings that match them. We provide affordable services that are scalable, fast and seamless.

If you would like to learn more about how to bring Cloudficiency to your migration project, visit our website, or contact us.