Board portals have become widely recognized as an essential technology for any organization as the most secure, convenient, and efficient way to distribute board books and enable directors to work remotely, but as an administrator, you need a strategy for selecting the right software and adopting it. This kind of software was made to make board work easier; you should be looking for a straightforward platform that makes it simple to update, access, and archive information from vendors who differentiate themselves on support, training, security, and price.
#1 Training – Training is the most important step in successfully adopting a new technology, especially if the directors at your organization belong to the baby boomer generation. While this demographic is typically quite comfortable with technology, they are not early adopters and may greet a new technology solution with reluctance. In order to make the adoption process seamless, find a vendor like Aprio that provides one-on-one training with all of your directors, as well as ad hoc training for new directors, in addition to ongoing training such as webinars that explain new features as they’re developed.
#2 Support – When directors receive their board books, there often isn’t much time to prepare before the meeting, especially given all of their other responsibilities. Experiencing technical difficulties, or even just having a question about how to use the portal, can be a disaster when a director is trying to prepare in a hurry. A better vendor provides 24/7 live support so that users always have a real person to talk to whenever they encounter an issue or have a question about using the portal.
#3 Security – Board work comes with its own unique set of challenges for file sharing portal technology, especially when it comes to issues like conflicts of interest and materials for In Camera sessions. When you’re searching for a portal, find a vendor that has anticipated these problems with multiple layers of permissions and the ability to create sub-administrators. With the right platform, the administrator can designate the chair or another director on the appropriate committee as a sub-admin for a group dealing with In Camera or committee materials. Then, the administrator can block themselves from the group and will not be privy to confidential information. If you want to learn more about how superior portals deal with these issues by using multiple layers of permission, check out Aprio.net.
#4 Price – The cost of board software can vary widely from one vendor to another and a more expensive platform is not necessarily any better than an affordable one. At least one vendor, Aprio, has committed itself to providing affordable software to all organizations, whether they are a leading financial institution or a not-for-profit organization, and their prices reflect this mandate. All organizations aspire to good governance and the technology, support, and security required to make good governance a reality does not have to break your budget. When you’re shopping for portal software, keep in mind your organization’s goals, your directors’ preferences, and your organization’s budget. Invest in top of the line board portal software and start seeing the results immediately.
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