
Wrike
Nasdaq Boardvantage® is a board portal that helps companies of all sizes work better. Purpose-built to optimize the entire workflow of meetings, it is user-friendly and offers the resources of a global brand that is at the forefr...Read more
Convene is the multi-awarded board management software and cloud-based collaboration platform suitable for large and midsize organizations across all types of industries. Some of its notable key features include live online presen...Read more
Secure governance software with advanced contract management, board meeting management, entity management, e-signature, and VDR that is loved by hundreds of customers from over 30 countries. Start your 30-day free trial today – no...Read more
MeetingSquared is a cloud-based meeting management solution for SharePoint. It enables users to manage information such as agendas, meeting times and dates, attendees, locations, required documents and more. The solution allo...Read more
Diligent Boards is a content management solution for creating, distributing and collaborating on board meeting materials. Designed for small and large businesses, Diligent Boards aids in creating digital materials to support any o...Read more
Directorpoint is a cloud-based portal solution designed for boards of directors and executive teams. It is suitable for small, midsize and large organizations, nonprofits and charities. Directorpoint helps users manage commit...Read more
Board Intelligence is a cloud-based platform built to help users develop and share ideas in the context of board management. It caters to listed, public-owned and private clients. Board Intelligence features a report writing ...Read more
IntelligenceBank offers three intuitive, web-based Content Management solutions. Marketing teams, Board Members, and other users will find a solution to securely manage data, assets, and other information digitally....Read more
Admincontrol Board Portals offer a cloud-based board management solution designed for businesses of all sizes. The solution serves the board members, the management, administration and the stakeholders of the company. Key features...Read more
Corporate board management is a complicated, time-sensitive process with very high stakes. It requires scheduling many (often geographically separated) parties, and demands meticulous communication and record keeping. In addition, companies and their boards can face serious consequences for any omissions or oversights.
Thankfully, there's board management software. It makes life easier for the managers of boards of directors, helping ensure efficient, organized and timely board management. But for it to do any of that, it needs to be selected with care and matched well to your company and your board's specific requirements.
This guide will help you more carefully select board management software. In it, we discuss:
What Is Board Management Software?
Common Features of Board Management Software
Key Considerations
Benefits and Potential Issues
Market Trends to Understand
Board management software is a software platform used to help with all aspects of corporate board management and governance. From scheduling meetings to sharing documents and minutes, board management software is designed to streamline processes, prevent oversights and ensure best practices are followed.
Board management software is also commonly referred to and marketed as board portal software. Functionally speaking, there is no clear distinction. Board management platforms usually contain all the applications to also function as board portals and vice versa. Buyers should focus on each individual product's specific applications and not get sidetracked by terminology.
The following table shows common applications and tools included with board management and board portal software. Keep in mind these are just descriptions and that vendors may use different terms to describe similar or identical functions.
Scheduling tools | Enable board managers to coordinate and schedule board meetings with board members, often with visual aids like calendars and simple automation tools that, for example, send and receive emails about proposed meeting times. |
Committee management | Facilitates organization and communication with various board committees, like audit committees, executive committees or committees associated with mergers and acquisitions. |
Board member directory | Provides a listing of all board and committee members with accompanying contact, position and biographical information. It is sometimes integrated with scheduling tools to easily determine availability and travel preferences. |
Virtual rooms | Virtual rooms are used to hold online meetings and discussions. They can be used to hold board or committee meetings and they offer controls for access and permissions. |
Document management | Allows for the uploading and selective sharing of documents used during, before or after board meetings. Provides greater security than many commonly used alternatives, such as sharing documents by email. |
Collaboration tools | These tools let stakeholders work together on documents and proposals, featuring tools like commenting, task assignment, change tracking and document version histories. |
Mobile compatibility | Board management software offering mobile compatibility is designed to be used, either with full or partial functionality, from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. |
Feedback collection | Provides tools to help automate the process of feedback solicitation and compilation. This helps improve the user experience for board and committee members. |
Security features | Security features such as document and communications encryption, secure document storage and virtual data rooms help ensure privacy, IT security and compliance with various governmental regulations. |
Guest management | Allows for creation and management of guest accounts to extend various rights and access privileges to non-members, auditors and others on a temporary or permanent basis. |
Start with a list of needed features. Board management and board portal software is typically purchased as a stand-alone product as opposed to being part of a larger integrated suite. However, the applications and tools included in any particular solution can vary quite a bit. Buyers are encouraged to make a list of "must-have," "nice-to-have," and "not needed" features before beginning their search.
User experience should be a central consideration. The user experience of board and committee participants should be considered and weighed prior to making a purchase decision. Companies that have historically used more traditional methods (mail, email, phone calls) to arrange board meetings need to ensure that any new system won't “rock the boat" too much. The move to digital tools is often welcomed with open arms, but it's wise to consider any potential culture clashes prior to committing to a new system.
Consider how software fits into your overall corporate strategies and goals. Implementing a new board portal or board management system can be part of a company's strategic digital transformation. When stakeholders are asked for input during the research and product selection stages and understand that the new software is part of a larger corporate strategy, then buy-in is easier to obtain and the process of transitioning to the new system will go more smoothly.
Speaking generally, efficiency is the primary benefit of board management software. But that efficiency takes many different forms. Your search for board management software should include an assessment of which efficiencies are most needed and which would be most impactful. For example,
Board members can leave comments and suggestions on PDFs with BoardPaq's collaboration tools
Simple calendar tool provided by Board Management (Source)
Examples of tools that help with cyclical board meetings in Board Effect.