This document discusses IT governance and its importance for ensuring transparency, accountability, and risk mitigation. IT governance is defined as the leadership, structures, and processes that ensure IT supports an organization's strategies and objectives. Effective IT governance provides transparent accountability of resource optimization and alignment between strategic objectives and continuous risk mitigation. It establishes control benchmarks and metrics and prepares organizations for increased transparency requirements while addressing structures, technologies, and education to continuously mitigate risks.

1. IT Governance: Ensuring Transparency,
Accountability & Risk Mitigation
Patricia Watson | President | ISACA Boise Chapter

2. What We Will Discuss
 What is IT Governance?
 Why is IT Governance
Important?
 Transparent accountability
 Resource optimization
 Continuous mitigation of risks
 Q&A
http://www.isacaboise.org/

3. IT Governance
 ISACA defines IT Governance
as:
…the responsibility of executives
and the board of directors, and
consists of the leadership,
organizational structures and
processes that ensure that the
enterprise’s IT sustains and
extends the organization’s
strategies and objectives.
www.isaca.org

4. Why is IT Governance Important?
 Effectively harnessing IT
Governance validates
transparent accountability of
resource optimization,
alignment between strategic
business objectives and
continuous mitigation of risks.
http://www.isacaboise.org/

5. IT Governance
www.isaca.org

6. IT Governance
www.isaca.org

7. Transparent Accountability
 Performance & strategic alignment
 Eliminate reactive decision making
 Demonstrate that an integrated,
economical IT infrastructure exists
 Value delivery
 Harness standardization &
automation
 Ensure competence of key IT
personnel
http://www.isacaboise.org/

8. Transparent Accountability
www.isaca.org

9. Resource Optimization
 Clearly define control objectives
 Ensure cross-functional
collaboration
 Eliminate silos and redundancy
 Driven services & solutions
 Sustained innovation
 Foster a culture of trust, empower
employees and partners to contribute
new ideas
http://www.isacaboise.org/

10. Continuous Mitigation of Risks
 Align security regulations,
compliance and best practices mapping
 Constant changes in regulatory
landscape
 Increased demand for compliance with
relevant laws, regulations and
policies
 Risk emerging from the ever-changing
complex technologies
 Proactively address cyber security
threats
http://www.isacaboise.org/

11. In Summary – IT Governance:
 Enables organizations to cultivate a
culture of business and IT synergies
 Promotes establishment of control
benchmarks & metrics
 Prepares companies for the new age of
involuntary transparency
 Addresses structure, technology and
education
 Ensures continuous mitigation of
risks
http://www.isacaboise.org/

12. Questions?
president@isacaboise.org

13. About ISACA
 Professional association incorporated in 1969
with over 110,000 constituents worldwide.
 Through its comprehensive guidance and services,
ISACA defines the roles of information systems
governance, security, audit and assurance
professionals worldwide.
 The COBIT, Val IT and Risk IT governance
frameworks and the CISA, CISM, CGEIT and
CRISC certifications are ISACA brands respected
and used by these professionals for the benefit
of their enterprises.
 To learn about membership benefits, please visit
www.isaca.org
 ISACA Boise Chapter 42 www.isacaboise.org
president@isacaboise.org

14. A Few Sources:
 COBIT
 IT Governance Institute:
http://www.itgi.org/
 Implementing & Continually Improving IT
Governance:
http://www.isaca.org/Knowledge-
Center/cobit/Documents/Implement-cont-
improve-it-gov-17aNov09.pdf

15. A Few More…
 Forrester Whitepaper: CIOs Are Not Ready
To Support Business Innovation:
http://info.apptio.com/rs/apptio/images/AR
%20-
%20CIOs%20Are%20Not%20Ready%20to%20Support
%20Business%20Innovation.pdf?mkt_tok=3RkMM
JWWfF9wsRokua3PZKXonjHpfsX57%2B4sXq%2B3lMI
%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4FSMRqI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFT
7DMMaFwybgPWBE%3D
 ISACA Now Blog – The Internet of
everything and the built environment: How
smart buildings impact security!
http://www.isaca.org/Knowledge-
Center/Blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=329