‘Governance’ is derived from the Greek verb kubernáo meaning ‘to steer’. A governance system enables multiple stakeholders in an enterprise to have an organized say in evaluating conditions and options, setting direction and monitoring performance against enterprise objectives. Setting and maintaining the appropriate governance approach is the responsibility of the board of directors or equivalent body.
o Globally, enterprises—whether public or private, large or small—increasingly understand that information is a key resource and that IT is a strategic asset and important contributor to success.
o IT can be a powerful resource to help enterprises achieve their most important objectives. IT can enable automation of key processes, such as the supply chain, and can be the cornerstone of new business strategies or business models, thereby increasing competitiveness and enabling innovation.
o IT can enable greater customer intimacy, e.g., by collating and mining data in diverse systems and providing a 360-degree view of customers. IT is the foundation of the networked economy that cuts through geographic locations and organizational silos to provide new and innovative ways of creating value. Most enterprises recognize information and the use of IT as critical assets that need to be governed properly.
o While IT has the potential for business transformation, it often represents a very significant investment at the same time. In many cases, the true IT cost is not transparent and budgets are spread across business units, functions and geographic locations with no overall oversight. The greatest portion of spending is often for ‘keeping the lights on’ initiatives (post-implementation maintenance and operational costs) as opposed to transformational or innovation initiatives. When funds are spent on strategic initiatives, they often fail to deliver expected outcomes. Many enterprises still fail to demonstrate concrete, measurable business value for their IT-enabled investments and are focusing on GEIT as a mechanism to address this situation.
o Furthermore, the networked economy presents a spectrum of IT-related risk, such as the non-availability of customer-facing business systems, disclosure of customer or proprietary data, or missed business opportunities due to an inflexible IT architecture. The need to manage these and other types of IT-related risk is another driver for
better IT Governance.
o The importance of IT Governance can also be attributed to the complex regulatory environment faced by enterprises in many industries and territories today, often extending directly to IT. The focus on financial reporting has driven a significant corresponding focus on the importance of IT-related controls. The use of good practices has been mandated in some countries and industries.
Why choose Consultia IT Governance Services:
At Consultia we understand that information, information security and information technology is always a business issue, not just an IT one. Our consultancy services assist organizations in properly managing their information technology strategies and achieving strategic goals.
o We speak business, not technology; we are technology literate business consultants.
o We are vendor neutral, technology independent and framework agnostic; tailoring our consultancy to your organization.
o Our transparent pricing enables you to control your costs.
o Our consultants have over 35 years of consultancy experience.
o We have a proven track record, working with organizations worldwide.
o We help you increase internal buy in to your project by leveraging your resources.
o We focus on transferring knowledge and skill to the people within your organization.