ISACA the US-based IT and information security sector body launched the online version of COBIT 5. It’s described as a consolidated resource centre to improve governance and management of enterprise IT. The new online platform helps increase the utility of the COBIT 5 framework, a business framework that helps manage information and technology risk, and the COBIT family of products.
As cybersecurity incidents and large-scale data breaches continue to escalate in number and impact, they reveal critical gaps in IT governance among organizations of all sizes, according to the association. A recent ISACA survey of 1,245 professionals from 50 countries who downloaded the COBIT 5 framework shows that, in the face of the business and technology landscape their enterprises have faced over the past 12 months, close to eight in ten people (78 percent) say having effective IT governance in place has become more valuable.
Robert E Stroud, CGEIT, CRISC, international president of ISACA, said: “High-profile cyber threats have highlighted the risks and vulnerabilities in enterprises worldwide. “Making COBIT 5 available in an online, customizable format extends the ability of enterprises to protect their information assets and improve business performance.”
User survey
More than 70 percent of the survey respondents said that COBIT 5 has helped them address practical business issues. When asked to rank the top four ways COBIT 5 has benefited their organisations, they listed:
Better integration of business and IT (73 percent)
Improved risk management (60 percent)
Improved ability to identify gaps (49 percent)
Greater visibility with the board of directors (45 percent).
Much of COBIT online is available free of charge at cobitonline.isaca.org. Full results of the 2014 Global COBIT Governance Study are available at www.isaca.org/news.
