ICT Governance
ICT governance is the responsibility of organisation management executives and the board of directors where possible; and consists of leadership, organizational structures, and processes that ensure that the enterprise’s ICT sustains and extends the organization’s strategies and objectives.
In practice, ICT Governance includes a combination of personnel, tools, and applicable frameworks.
These programs exist in both the public and private sector and are useful for any organization that seeks to optimize the way their ICT function supports strategic business objectives. ICT governance programs are especially prevalent in sectors like finance and technology where data collection is common and regulations are particularly rigid. Smaller entities may not have the budget or resources for a formal ICT governance program, hence the need for Master System Plan (MSP) to get essential ICT governance in place for their own environments.
The role of ICT governance
The ICT governance team is part of the overall leadership team, as the goal of ICT governance is to align an organization’s ICT function with the organisation’s business goals. One of the main roles of ICT governance is to help organizations stay compliant with the regulations that govern data protection, financial accountability, and disaster recovery. In addition to national and international regulations like the GDPR, an enterprise may also have internal requirements for handling confidential information and retaining data. A formal ICT governance program can establish a system of best practices and checks and balances to make sure these requirements are met.
ICT Governance Frameworks currently used by ICT Choice:
- ICT Governance Frameworks currently used by ICT Choice: Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT): This framework is created by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and is designed specifically for enterprise IT. COBIT is considered the industry standard best practice IT governance framework.
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL): This framework considers how IT service strategy, design, transition, operations, and service improvement can support core business practices.
