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Information technology governance (ITG) is the process of strategically aligning an organization’s IT practices with its business objectives.
There are five core components of IT governance:
- Strategic alignment
- Value delivery
- Risk management
- Performance management
- Resource management
In many cases, an organization will prioritize a few of these components within their IT governance program based on the business’ goals, though an effective ITG program will have all five components to varying degrees.
Why is IT governance important?
Without the proper governance strategy, it’s easy for teams to become siloed and misaligned with the organization's goals. An ITG program ensures that the IT team’s projects and processes are contributing to these goals.
A well-orchestrated ITG program helps businesses realize a variety of benefits, including:
- More reliable risk detection and minimization
- Improved resource management
- Better alignment between IT operations and business goals
- More accurate and secure compliance management
- Stronger collaboration between stakeholders
- Enhanced, data-backed decision making
- Better return on investment for IT resources
How ITG fits into corporate governance
Businesses need transparent communication across teams and levels. IT governance enables corporate leaders to make informed decisions on IT’s behalf since they’re aware of the IT department’s needs and how they operate. It also allows the IT team to better understand the goals that leaders are working toward and how they can contribute to those goals.
How ITG fits into GRC
IT governance and GRC (governance, risk management, and compliance) are closely related and have significant overlap. GRC has the same broad goal as IT governance: organizational transparency and alignment with business objectives. The difference between them is that IT governance focuses on IT while GRC focuses more on risk and compliance.
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IT governance framework examples
To help you get started on your organization's IT governance program, choose a pre-established ITG framework to save time and get industry-vetted guidance. You should customize whichever framework you choose to fit your organization’s needs.
Consider the following ITG frameworks:
ISO 38500
ISO 38500 is a standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that provides best practices and guidance for leaders to enable them to govern IT across the organization and aligns closely with other ISO approaches, making it easy to use alongside frameworks like ISO 27001, ISO 31000, ISO 42001, and other offerings. This framework was updated in 2024 and speaks to IT governance in the current technological and economic environment. It can be applied to organizations of all sizes.
COBIT
COBIT is an ITG framework that was developed by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). It’s an internationally-recognized framework that prioritizes risk management via IT governance and is known for its focus on tying IT outcomes to business objectives. Because ISACA’s foundation is in IT auditing, using the COBIT framework can help your organization mature its IT operations in preparation for a future IT audit while maintaining the focus on business outcomes.
ITIL
Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is an ITG framework that emphasizes IT service management. It details five categories of IT services governance: strategy, design, transition/change, operations, and continuous improvement. ITIL enables organizations on best practices for delivering IT services to reduce costs, improve end-user experiences, increase efficiency, and promote repeatability.
Calder-Moir
While most of the other ITG frameworks listed include specific strategies and practices for IT governance, the Calder-Moir IT governance framework is more of a meta-framework: a framework for implementing other ITG frameworks. Calder-Moir is a guide for putting your chosen ITG framework into action or merging elements of various frameworks together.
COSO
COSO stands for the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations, which is part of the Treadway Commission. The COSO governance framework incorporates ITG but is also a broader governance framework that emphasizes risk management and internal control structures with IT as just one aspect of its approach to governance. It is also a foundational and informative element of multiple security and regulatory standards such as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) and SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3.
CMMI
CMMI, the capability maturity model integration framework, is a governance framework built around improving your organization’s maturity. Developed by the Software Engineering Institute, this framework outlines IT practices that help your organization’s IT operations become more secure, scalable, and sustainable. CMMI is often used to build a roadmap for a maturing a company’s operations to get them to the future state they hope to achieve, which can be layered on top of existing commitments to identify where improvements are needed.
Implementing an IT governance framework
Once you’ve decided on an ITG framework, you’ll need to implement and integrate it into your IT operations. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind during your ITG implementation process:
- Customize to your needs: Because every organization has unique needs, no IT governance framework will align perfectly out of the box. Adjust your framework based on what’s most relevant to your organization, workflows, and goals.
- Meet compliance needs: Your IT governance should contribute to your audit readiness for audit and will likely overlap with the controls needed to attain certain frameworks. Be sure you’re considering your compliance needs when implementing your ITG program.
- Continually assess and improve: Implement your framework to allow for continuous improvement. Build in systems that allow you to measure the performance of your ITG program, how it’s contributing to your organizational objectives, and to identify areas for improvement.
It’s important to choose the right tools to help you manage and implement your IT governance program. Vanta’s trust management platform allows you to coordinate your controls, manage regulations, track your implementation, and offers continuous monitoring. Vanta’s tooling includes automated evidence collection and alerts, AI-powered risk questionnaires, and simplified audit preparation.
Schedule a demo with our team to see if adding trust management to your IT program is right for you.
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Governance
What is IT governance (ITG)?
Governance
Information technology governance (ITG) is the process of strategically aligning an organization’s IT practices with its business objectives.
There are five core components of IT governance:
- Strategic alignment
- Value delivery
- Risk management
- Performance management
- Resource management
In many cases, an organization will prioritize a few of these components within their IT governance program based on the business’ goals, though an effective ITG program will have all five components to varying degrees.
Why is IT governance important?
Without the proper governance strategy, it’s easy for teams to become siloed and misaligned with the organization's goals. An ITG program ensures that the IT team’s projects and processes are contributing to these goals.
A well-orchestrated ITG program helps businesses realize a variety of benefits, including:
- More reliable risk detection and minimization
- Improved resource management
- Better alignment between IT operations and business goals
- More accurate and secure compliance management
- Stronger collaboration between stakeholders
- Enhanced, data-backed decision making
- Better return on investment for IT resources
How ITG fits into corporate governance
Businesses need transparent communication across teams and levels. IT governance enables corporate leaders to make informed decisions on IT’s behalf since they’re aware of the IT department’s needs and how they operate. It also allows the IT team to better understand the goals that leaders are working toward and how they can contribute to those goals.
How ITG fits into GRC
IT governance and GRC (governance, risk management, and compliance) are closely related and have significant overlap. GRC has the same broad goal as IT governance: organizational transparency and alignment with business objectives. The difference between them is that IT governance focuses on IT while GRC focuses more on risk and compliance.
{{cta_withimage3="/cta-modules"}}
IT governance framework examples
To help you get started on your organization's IT governance program, choose a pre-established ITG framework to save time and get industry-vetted guidance. You should customize whichever framework you choose to fit your organization’s needs.
Consider the following ITG frameworks:
ISO 38500
ISO 38500 is a standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that provides best practices and guidance for leaders to enable them to govern IT across the organization and aligns closely with other ISO approaches, making it easy to use alongside frameworks like ISO 27001, ISO 31000, ISO 42001, and other offerings. This framework was updated in 2024 and speaks to IT governance in the current technological and economic environment. It can be applied to organizations of all sizes.
COBIT
COBIT is an ITG framework that was developed by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). It’s an internationally-recognized framework that prioritizes risk management via IT governance and is known for its focus on tying IT outcomes to business objectives. Because ISACA’s foundation is in IT auditing, using the COBIT framework can help your organization mature its IT operations in preparation for a future IT audit while maintaining the focus on business outcomes.
ITIL
Information Technology Infrastructure Library, or ITIL, is an ITG framework that emphasizes IT service management. It details five categories of IT services governance: strategy, design, transition/change, operations, and continuous improvement. ITIL enables organizations on best practices for delivering IT services to reduce costs, improve end-user experiences, increase efficiency, and promote repeatability.
Calder-Moir
While most of the other ITG frameworks listed include specific strategies and practices for IT governance, the Calder-Moir IT governance framework is more of a meta-framework: a framework for implementing other ITG frameworks. Calder-Moir is a guide for putting your chosen ITG framework into action or merging elements of various frameworks together.
COSO
COSO stands for the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations, which is part of the Treadway Commission. The COSO governance framework incorporates ITG but is also a broader governance framework that emphasizes risk management and internal control structures with IT as just one aspect of its approach to governance. It is also a foundational and informative element of multiple security and regulatory standards such as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) and SOC 1, SOC 2, and SOC 3.
CMMI
CMMI, the capability maturity model integration framework, is a governance framework built around improving your organization’s maturity. Developed by the Software Engineering Institute, this framework outlines IT practices that help your organization’s IT operations become more secure, scalable, and sustainable. CMMI is often used to build a roadmap for a maturing a company’s operations to get them to the future state they hope to achieve, which can be layered on top of existing commitments to identify where improvements are needed.
Implementing an IT governance framework
Once you’ve decided on an ITG framework, you’ll need to implement and integrate it into your IT operations. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind during your ITG implementation process:
- Customize to your needs: Because every organization has unique needs, no IT governance framework will align perfectly out of the box. Adjust your framework based on what’s most relevant to your organization, workflows, and goals.
- Meet compliance needs: Your IT governance should contribute to your audit readiness for audit and will likely overlap with the controls needed to attain certain frameworks. Be sure you’re considering your compliance needs when implementing your ITG program.
- Continually assess and improve: Implement your framework to allow for continuous improvement. Build in systems that allow you to measure the performance of your ITG program, how it’s contributing to your organizational objectives, and to identify areas for improvement.
It’s important to choose the right tools to help you manage and implement your IT governance program. Vanta’s trust management platform allows you to coordinate your controls, manage regulations, track your implementation, and offers continuous monitoring. Vanta’s tooling includes automated evidence collection and alerts, AI-powered risk questionnaires, and simplified audit preparation.
Schedule a demo with our team to see if adding trust management to your IT program is right for you.
{{cta_testimonial7="/cta-modules"}}
Scaling your compliance doesn't have to SOC 2 much.
Learn how to add new frameworks to your compliance program without adding to your workload.
Scaling your compliance doesn't have to SOC 2 much.
Learn how to add new frameworks to your compliance program without adding to your workload.
Scaling your compliance doesn't have to SOC 2 much.
Learn how to add new frameworks to your compliance program without adding to your workload.
Without Vanta, we’d be looking at hiring another person to handle all the work that an audit and its preparation creates.”
Willem Riehl, Director of Information Security and Acting CISO | CoachHub
| Role: | GRC responsibilities: |
|---|---|
| Board of directors | Central to the overarching GRC strategy, this group sets the direction for the compliance strategy. They determine which standards and regulations are necessary for compliance and align the GRC strategy with business objectives. |
| Chief financial officer | Primary responsibility for the success of the GRC program and for reporting results to the board. |
| Operations managers from relevant departments | This group owns processes. They are responsible for the success and direction of risk management and compliance within their departments. |
| Representatives from relevant departments | These are the activity owners. These team members are responsible for carrying out specific compliance and risk management tasks within their departments and for integrating these tasks into their workflows. |
| Contract managers from relevant department | These team members are responsible for managing interactions with vendors and other third parties in their department to ensure all risk management and compliance measures are being taken. |
| Chief information security officer (CISO) | Defines the organization’s information security policy, designs risk and vulnerability assessments, and develops information security policies. |
| Data protection officer (DPO) or legal counsel | Develops goals for data privacy based on legal regulations and other compliance needs, designs and implements privacy policies and practices, and assesses these practices for effectiveness. |
| GRC lead | Responsible for overseeing the execution of the GRC program in collaboration with the executive team as well as maintaining the organization’s library of security controls. |
| Cybersecurity analyst(s) | Implements and monitors cybersecurity measures that are in line with the GRC program and business objectives. |
| Compliance analyst(s) | Monitors the organization’s compliance with all regulations and standards necessary, identifies any compliance gaps, and works to mitigate them. |
| Risk analyst(s) | Carries out the risk management program for the organization and serves as a resource for risk management across various departments, including identifying, mitigating, and monitoring risks. |
| IT security specialist(s) | Implements security controls within the IT system in coordination with the cybersecurity analyst(s). |
Explore more GRC articles
Introduction to GRC
Implementing a GRC program
Optimizing a GRC program
Governance
Risk
Compliance
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