Table of Contents

Foreword
PART A – Introduction to IT Governance
History of corporate governance
Setting IT in the context of corporate governance
Introduction to the IT governance standard – ISO/IEC 38500
The standard in detail
Ongoing development work
Benefits of good IT governance
Review of PART A – Introduction to IT Governance
History
The standard - 38500
Benefits
Where to go from here?
PART B – Implementing IT Governance
Introduction
Before you start on implementation
Getting there – Developing a plan
Arriving at the destination - Executing the plan
Staying there - Managing the IT governance framework
Moving forward - Optimising the IT governance framework
Review of PART B – Implementing IT Governance
Useful sources
References
Appendices

About the Author

An expert in corporate governance of IT and sustainability management, A. L. Holt is Director and Founder of Longitude 174 Limited and a board member of two charitable trusts. She studied mathematics at Imperial College, London and went on to spent the next 20+ years working internationally in a variety of roles from systems analyst through to CIO. She joined the world of standards development in 2005, and has enjoyed leading a group that identifies market needs, assesses academic research and delivers timely and relevant international standards.

Reviews

A fascinating take on what too many businesspeople - wrongly - think is a dry subject. Profoundly valuable for any business venture and also engaging and entertaining. I thoroughly recommend it. -- Simon Walker Institute of Directors This well written and engaging book...provides thoughtful, practical solutions for managing IT in order to maximize its positive impact and minimize risks. -- Craig Nevill-Manning Google This book is an excellent companion to the ISO/IEC 38500 standard. It provides guidance on how to implement and maintain effective governance of IT within your organisation. This is an essential reference for anyone in governance or executive management in any organisation. -- Rob England This book fills a void that has existed for at least 20 years. Boards now have the information and the tools this book provides to tackle the contemporary issues of IT governance. Alison Holt draws on practical experiences in IT, including as chair of the International Standards Organisation committee that wrote the standard on the governance of IT, at the coal face of corporate IT development contracts and as a company director herself, to explain, educate and inform directors on governance issues most companies face with IT. This includes managing the CEO and the CIO, whose technical knowledge usually exceeds that of most directors; yet the board is tasked with the responsibility to direct, evaluate and monitor IT management. With a deft touch, and more humour than expected, the author guides directors through complex issues by clear explanation and useful analogy. This is an easy but necessary read for anyone engaged in IT governance. -- Peter Dengate Thrush InternetNZ and ICANN