Board portals provide advantages that go beyond the digitization of paper documents. They make it easy for directors to prepare for meetings, manage their tasks and collaborate with fellow members, empowering them to uphold and improve governance in specific ways.

For example, when a director receives a text from the company secretary that her board documents have been uploaded onto the portal, she is aware that she will have time to work on them over the weekend or in the afternoon on Tuesday to be ahead of the agenda for the meeting and to note key questions or issues. You can also make use of the portal’s live analytics to know how directors use Board Portals information prior to the meeting, and to assess how much time they are spending on each piece of paper or section.

This is particularly beneficial directors with a hectic schedule who have limited time available to dedicate to the board. A well-designed portal is accessible from any device at any time. In addition, since the majority of board members are already using their devices for accessing other online services and services, it doesn’t require any substantial amount of learning curve to navigate.

While user-friendliness is a critical factor for directors when selecting board collaboration software but there are other elements that are equally important to think about when evaluating different vendors. Certain portals, for instance allow directors to vote and keep a record of their decisions. This saves the company secretary time and makes it easier for the board to make changes in between meetings.