Issues : Technology

Using SaaS to Run a Highly Efficient Board

SaaS-10-28-15.pngHistorically, the preparation of board meeting materials took hours. The organization of board documents was a labor intensive crunch involving several people sifting through, hand collating, binding and manually distributing stacked materials. This process took a tremendous amount of time, and resulted in a significant lag in getting materials to boards, thereby limiting the ability to review materials efficiently. Fortunately, technology has evolved to a point where such marathon sessions are no longer a necessity. By leveraging digital solutions, materials can now be distributed electronically with relative ease and fewer man hours. 

The Convenience
A variety of companies are offering digital board materials, usually as SaaS [Software as a Service], which means the software is delivered remotely via the Internet rather than being purchased and housed on a computer or set of computers. An efficient solution provides a level of convenience to sharing materials that is largely absent from many business processes. You will want to avoid services that pigeonhole technology with proprietary platforms and unnecessary red tape—this does not help the board, and can actually create more problems than it claims to solve.

There are instances where organizations will be sidelined to specific operating systems or specs, but effective offerings will provide wiggle room for platforms and accessibility. Some services are even offering a nearly platform agnostic setup, retrofitting the application to fit with any device worth supporting so directors can access materials from their phone or tablet, regardless of time or location. There are some applications that have circumvented the need for direct Internet access, enabling an access in almost every circumstance.

The implementation must actually save board members the time previously lost to binding and delivery. Any decent SaaS solution will add hours to the boards’ reading time, but some offer to save as much as 95 percent of the time materials once took to create. Simplifying the workflow while delivering a superior product will provide board members with more time to fully understand the materials—thereby translating to a better board meeting.

Of course, all of this is useless if the implementation of the technology opens up debilitating security gaps.

The Security
Banks are responsible for millions of dollars, so it’s understandable that many fear “the cloud,” especially since most news regarding the cloud is rife with breaches. It’s an additional concern that some SaaS products cause more security issues than they solve. As a result, partnering with a product that provides cybersecurity measures is a must.

It‘s immediately essential that data be stored on a dedicated server with thorough encryption. Many solutions will haphazardly toss all data into large servers, but the best products will ensure that data is separated from other clients and accounts. While dedicated servers ensure that information cannot be seen by another organization, encryption converts the data to gibberish, so in the event of a breach hackers would be left with nothing but a mess of letters and numbers.

Having the ability to control individual user access can also add an extra layer of security. In the past materials could be lost, forgotten and delivered to incorrect addresses, revealing materials to damaging elements. The option to digitally deliver materials to recipients eliminates that risk entirely.

Support and The Future
Customer support is key to running an efficient system. Selecting partners that respect your time and understand your business needs is an absolute imperative. A successful implementation must come with 24/7 support. Banks are complicated entities, and the value of having a human being answer the phone is immeasurable. It’s an added incentive if that person is assigned to your account, meaning you know that person and have worked with them in the past. As boards and providers work together, there needs to be mutual respect and consistent communication. Solutions can work with the boards that use their technologies to implement new features, satisfying needs as they arise, and creating bonds that serve to help both businesses thrive.

Technology can be a double-edged sword in modern business. Sometimes we find it opening up worlds of information with no cost to the user. But in some cases technology can expose sensitive data to thieves, or crash and eliminate months of work with no warning. As banks continue to become more dependent on technology to save time and money, it’s exponentially more important that boards have access to SaaS solutions that save time and money, while keeping information, and the business, safe.