THE Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators is this month launching new Apple iPad software for directors that it says is “aimed at bringing the boardroom into the 21st century by moving board papers into the digital realm.”
“This will really change things”, says Mike Evans, ICSA Software’s CEO. “Directors no longer need be burdened with carrying heavy board packs and waiting for their delivery, or to worry about the security of confidential documents and whether they have the latest version. They can now have a single board pack –- the iPad with Blueprint BoardPad – which is secure and automatically updated with details of every meeting they need to attend and the latest meeting documents. Directors can read and mark-up documents anytime, anywhere, even when they’re not connected to the internet.”
Evans says that feedback from company secretaries on board portals is that they have to be simple for directors to use, and that’s what the new software delivers. Corporate secretaries can use software to manage information for board and committee meetings and upload the latest versions of papers, which directors can then access when they have an internet connection, either through 3G or Wi-Fi.
Says the promotional material targeted to directors:
“With Blueprint BoardPad for the iPad, directors now have a single electronic board pack, containing the details and documents for all of their board meetings and a library of reference material. It’s always up-to-date, is smaller than a sheet of paper and weighs less than a bottle of water. It’s the only board pack a director will ever need.”
Ease of use for directors is really driven home in this snippet:
“Blueprint BoardPad for the iPad isn’t a traditional “board portal”, accessed whilst seated at a laptop or desktop computer – it’s far more flexible and far more intuitive than that. We believe it’s the best way for you to access meeting details, and read and annotate meeting documents. It’s as easy to use sitting down as it is standing up, on a train, plane, or at a meeting. With its super-simple interface, you simply tap the screen to reveal your meeting schedule, documents and reference materials, and you can effortlessly swipe though document pages. It’s an experience that’s so natural and simple, we believe Blueprint BoardPad for the iPad is sure to become an indispensable tool for directors.”
Corporate secretaries worried about the security of sensitive insider information on planes, trains and … (oh, automobiles wasn’t mentioned) needn’t fret because ICSA software has that covered too:
There’s no such thing as a second chance when it comes to protecting your information and we understand that confidentiality is your paramount concern – it’s ours too. So we’ve invested heavily in organisational, physical and technological security measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your information. We adopt strong end-to-end encryption (at rest on iPads and servers and in transit across the internet), role-based user security, two-factor authentication and our systems are housed at an SAS 70 Type II data centre and undergo regular penetration and vulnerability tests.
Sound great? More information here: http://www.icsasoftware.com/boardpad/
Dominic (bio & disclosures) is IR Web Report‘s founder and an online investor relations consultant. He advises leading public companies and investor relations service providers worldwide on using the web for disclosure, engagement and profile building. You can contact him via the contacts page.
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