Executive Summary
Board papers hold a company's most sensitive information before anyone else sees it. The software decides who can open them, where, and for how long.
Board management software, also called a board portal, is used by corporate secretaries and governance teams to build agendas and board books, share them securely with directors, run meetings, record minutes, collect votes and signatures, and track actions. Entity management software keeps the records of a group's legal entities: officers, directors, ownership, filings and deadlines. The GRC guide covers enterprise risk and compliance; this guide covers the board and the legal entities beneath it.
The buyer is the corporate secretary or general counsel, and the users include directors who may be outside the company. The approaches differ by the kind of board: listed companies with heavy security and disclosure needs, nonprofits and associations with volunteer boards, public bodies that must publish meetings, boards that want better papers and minutes, and groups with many legal entities.
Why Board Software Is a Separate Purchase
Board materials contain strategy, deals, results and personnel decisions before anyone else sees them. Directors read them on many devices and may serve on several boards. Email and file shares were not built for that. Regulators also expect boards to show oversight. The SEC says it is adopting rules requiring periodic disclosures about a registrant's processes to assess, identify and manage material cybersecurity risks, management's role in assessing and managing them, and the board of directors' oversight of cybersecurity risks.
Security is the first test. Diligent describes role-based permissions, encryption and audit trails for sharing confidential updates and documents. Diligent says Diligent Boards automates meeting prep, locks down sensitive data and helps the board see the full picture faster.
Minutes are a growing use of AI. Board Intelligence says customers can draft regulator-ready minutes in their house style, 60% faster. BoardEffect describes creating and distributing AI-powered agendas and meeting summaries. Decide who reviews AI-drafted minutes and agendas before they become the record.
Board Portal, Broader Suite, or General Tools
Organizations choose among a dedicated board portal, a suite that adds GRC, entity management or investor tools, or general collaboration tools. General tools are already paid for but lack the security model, audit trail and director experience boards expect. A portal handles the board cycle. A suite adds connected governance work for larger companies.
Entity management is a separate decision for groups with many legal entities. CSC says CSC Entity Management simplifies and centralizes the governance of a global entity portfolio. CSC describes transparency around officer and director changes via a human capital management integration with Workday. Athennian describes AI workflows that automate entity lifecycle changes and answer governance questions.
| Model | What you get | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| Board portal | Board books, meetings, minutes and votes | A separate tool for directors |
| Governance suite | Board, entity, risk and compliance together | A larger commitment |
| Nonprofit board platform | Meetings and engagement for volunteer boards | Fewer controls for listed companies |
| Public meeting platform | Agendas, publishing and streaming | Fit for private boards |
| Entity management | Legal entity records, officers and filings | Integration with legal and HR data |
How do you evaluate Board Management & Entity Governance?
Evaluate board software with your corporate secretary and a few directors. The capabilities that decide results are board book building, secure distribution, meeting tools, minutes, voting and signatures, action tracking, director experience, security, and entity records.
Committees and multiple boards add complexity. OnBoard says every plan covers the full meeting cycle, and committees cost nothing extra. BoardEffect describes secure virtual workspaces for committees and working groups. Admincontrol says it gives boards, chairs and governance teams the tools to run structured meetings, make documented decisions and stay secure.
| Capability | What it does | Buyer translation |
|---|---|---|
| Board book builder | Assembles agendas and papers | Ask how late changes are handled. |
| Secure distribution | Delivers papers to directors' devices | Ask about offline access and remote wipe. |
| Minutes | Drafts and approves minutes | Ask who reviews AI drafts. |
| Voting and signatures | Collects approvals and e-signatures | Check legal validity in your jurisdictions. |
| Action tracking | Follows decisions to completion | Shows the board what happened next. |
| Director experience | Annotations, search and history | Test with real directors. |
| Security and audit | Permissions, encryption, logs | Ask for independent security reports. |
| Entity records | Officers, ownership and filings | Needed for groups with many entities. |
Vendors in Board Management & Entity Governance
Representative vendors include Board Intelligence, Boardable, CSC, Diligent, iBabs and OnBoard. The list is alphabetical, is not a ranking, and is not for sale. How we choose vendors
The approaches below differ by the kind of board and the scope of governance work. Several vendors serve more than one kind of board, so each approach describes where a product is strongest.
Public bodies have different needs from private boards. iBabs says iBabs Publish publishes agendas, minutes and documents to a Public Portal. iBabs says iBabs Stream broadcasts public meetings live or on-demand. Azeus Convene says Convene brings governance workflows into a single secure, AI-driven platform for boards.
| Vendor | Approach | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| OnBoard | Board portals | Board meetings with AI Assist on every plan |
| Board Intelligence | Board reporting and minutes | Board papers and minutes software |
| Diligent | Enterprise governance suites | Board portal within a governance platform |
| CSC | Entity management | Entity management software with expert support |
| Boardable | Nonprofit board platforms | Board meetings and engagement with published pricing |
| iBabs | Public meeting platforms | Meetings, publishing and streaming for public bodies |
Approaches were drafted before any vendor was selected for them, and this table is not for sale. Close to twenty vendors sell board and entity management software. Vendors, named here or not, can make their own case in the Spotlight below.
How much should you budget for Board Management & Entity Governance?
Board software is priced by users, boards and committees, plans and modules. Boardable says volume pricing is available, and the more users are added, the lower the per-user rate. OnBoard says every plan includes AI Assist for board books from the last two years. Ask each vendor whether directors, administrators and observers are charged the same, and how committees and subsidiaries are priced.
The value shows up in hours saved preparing board books and minutes, fewer security incidents with board materials, and better oversight records. Model it on your board calendar and the governance team's time.
| Meter | You are charged for | Grows with | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Users | Directors, administrators and observers | Board size | Paying for occasional observers |
| Boards and committees | Each board or committee | Group structure | Subsidiary boards priced separately |
| Plans | Feature tiers | Needs | Minutes or voting in higher tiers |
| AI features | Drafting and search add-ons | Usage | Core AI sold as an add-on |
| Entities | Legal entities managed | Group size | Dormant entities counted |
How long does implementation take for Board Management & Entity Governance?
Board software projects depend on director adoption. Train directors early and run a real cycle before going live.
Configure boards, committees, permissions and templates. Import past board books if needed.
Run one committee cycle with directors. Collect feedback on devices, annotations and search.
Move the main board. Turn on minutes, voting and action tracking.
Add subsidiaries, entity records and AI features with review rules.
What should you ask vendors about Board Management & Entity Governance?
Ask each vendor to answer for your boards, directors and entities.
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Are you a public body that publishes meetings?Yes Shortlist public meeting platforms.No Continue.
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Is it a nonprofit or volunteer board?Yes Shortlist nonprofit board platforms.No Continue.
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Do you manage many legal entities?Yes Add entity management, or a governance suite that includes it.No A board portal fits.