EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Information is a key resource for all enterprises, and from the time that information is created to the moment that it is destroyed, technology plays a significant role. Information technology is increasingly advanced and has become pervasive in enterprises and in social, public and business environments.
As a result, today, more than ever, enterprises and their executives strive to:
• Maintain high-quality information to support business decisions.
• Generate business value from IT-enabled investments, i.e., achieve strategic goals and realise business benefits
through effective and innovative use of IT.
• Achieve operational excellence through the reliable and efficient application of technology.
• Maintain IT-related risk at an acceptable level.
• Optimise the cost of IT services and technology.
• Comply with ever-increasing relevant laws, regulations, contractual agreements and policies.
Over the past decade, the term ‘governance’ has moved to the forefront of business thinking in response to examples demonstrating the importance of good governance and, on the other end of the scale, global business mishaps.
Successful enterprises have recognised that the board and executives need to embrace IT like any other significant part of doing business. Boards and management—both in the business and IT functions—must collaborate and work together, so that IT is included within the governance and management approach. In addition, legislation is increasingly being passed and regulations implemented to address this need.
COBIT 5 provides a comprehensive framework that assists enterprises in achieving their objectives for the governance and management of enterprise IT. Simply stated, it helps enterprises create optimal value from IT by maintaining a balance between realising benefits and optimising risk levels and resource use. COBIT 5 enables IT to be governed and managed in a holistic manner for the entire enterprise, taking in the full end-to-end business and IT functional areas of responsibility, considering the IT-related interests of internal and external stakeholders. COBIT 5 is generic and useful for enterprises of all sizes, whether commercial, not-for-profit or in the public sector.
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