What is board portal software?

A board portal is a cloud workspace where board directors store board materials, manage agendas, and run meetings. The key functions of board portal software include:

  • Cloud storage
  • Document management
  • Meeting management
  • Remote and live meetings
  • Board packs management
  • Motions and votes
  • Board succession
  • Compliance management

Board portal software for credit unions, banks, and other financial services simplifies governance and improves compliance:

  • Data security. Board portals encrypt data at rest and in transit and employ access permissions and authentication security, all crucial elements of GDPR and ISO 27001 compliance.
  • Corporate reporting. Board portals facilitate annual, quarterly, board, financial, and other reports with audit trails, easy document retrieval, and unlimited storage.
  • Audit and due diligence readiness. Like board management software for corporations, a financial board portal makes it easier for banks, financial services, and due diligence teams to collect data, conduct audits, and prepare for sell-side due diligence.
Explore a comprehensive whitepaper answering the question: “What is board portal?” Learn about board portal features, pricing structures, security options, and more.
Meetings
Meeting Calendar
Agenda builder
Minutes builder
Meeting quorum calculation
Follow-up agenda actions
Meeting minute approvals
Collaboration
Task workflows
Digital voting
E-signature
Annotations
Notes

Why do banks and financial services need specialized board portals?

Financial compliance standards, like ISO 27001, FISMA, and PCI DSS, impose strict requirements on board portal software for financial services.

Requirements for banking board management softwareBoard management features that support compliance
Security
  • AES 256-bit data encryption at rest and in transit
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Granular access permissions
  • IS0 27001, ISO 9001, PCI DSS Level 1, FISMA, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3
Customer Support
  • Unified agenda builder
  • Meeting minute builder
  • Meeting calendar
  • Electronic voting
  • Electronic signature
Traceability
  • Automated meeting minutes
  • Detailed activity logs
  • Real-time activity updates
  • SOX-compliant audit trails
Accessibility
  • Automated meeting minutes
  • Detailed activity logs

Top 3 board portal software options for financial services

Compare the three best board portals for financial services and banks.

CompareiDeals BoardOnboardAzeus Convene
Top features
  • Engagement trackers
  • Quorum calculation
  • One-click meeting minutes approvals
  • Board meeting minute builder with action items
  • Surveys
  • Targeted announcements
  • D&O questionnaires
  • Embedded video conferencing
  • Laser pointer
  • Presenter mode
Pros & Cons
  • Clean and intuitive interface
  • 99.95% uptime
  • Robust financial compliance
  • Educational blog
  • Motion approvals
  • Multi-board management
  • No mobile app
  • Pre-built board assessment templates
  • Educational blog
  • Office 365 integration
  • Cumbersome permission system
  • Expensive
  • Page synchronization when presenting
  • Educational blog
  • Audio transcripts
  • Limited permission system
  • No Help Center
  • No engagement tracking
Customer support
  • 24/7 live chat
  • 24/7 email support
  • 24/7 technical support
  • Help Center
  • Email support
  • Ticket support
  • Help Center
  • Live chat during business hours
  • 24/7 technical support

Exploring board management software for financial services: Top 8 picks

Let’s explore popular board portals for banks and financial services:

iDeals Board logo

iDeals Board

iDeals Board empowers over 1 million professionals across 175,000 boards & organizations. Powered by iDeals Virtual Data Room, iDeals Board offers cutting-edge collaboration and security technology for banks, financial services, credit unions, and community banking services.

Top features
  • Digital agenda builder with automatic quorum counting
  • Digital minute builder with follow-up action items and approval tools
  • Electronic motions and votes
  • Board engagement trackers
  • Board administration dashboards
  • Automatically-generated PDF board packs
  • Task workflows
  • Zoom and Microsoft Teams integration
  • Electronic signatures
User experience
  • Intuitive interface
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Personal dashboards
  • Drag and drop upload
  • Full-text search
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access roles and permissions
  • ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 9001, SOC 1/ISAE 3402, SOC 2, SOC 3, PCI DSS Level 1, FedRAMP, FISMA, DIACAP, GDPR
Customer support
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • 24/7 email support
  • 24/7 technical support
  • Help Center
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free trial
  • Free demo
OnBoard

OnBoard

OnBoard supports over 172,000 users across 30,000 boards and organizations. OnBoard offers robust document management and security tools for banks and credit unions.

Top features
  • Agenda builder
  • Meeting minutes builder
  • Notes & annotations
  • Zoom integration
  • Surveys
  • Electronic signatures
User experience
  • Board engagement analytics
  • iOS and Android apps
  • System notifications
  • Full-text search
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access roles and permissions
  • ISO 27001, ISO 27701, EU-US Privacy Shield, CSA STAR – Level 1, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II
Customer support
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • Email support
  • Technical support
  • Help Center
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free trial
aprio board portal

Aprio

Aprio is board management software for government agencies that also offers competitive features for board members on financial boards. A bank, credit union, or financial service can benefit from Aprio’s flat-rate, all-inclusive pricing without tiered feature-based plans.

Top features
  • Agenda builder
  • Meeting minutes builder
  • Video conferencing: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Goto Meeting, and custom platform
  • Task workflows
  • Electronic signatures
  • Electronic voting
  • Notes & comments
User experience
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Keyword search
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access roles and permissions
  • ISO 27001, SOC 1, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, HIPAA, GLBA
Customer support
  • 24/7 phone support
  • Email support
  • Live chat support
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • All features included
G2
5.0
Capterra
5.0
GetApp
5.0
Software Advice
5.0
G2
4.7
Capterra
4.7
GetApp
4.7
Software Advice
4.7
G2
4.4
Capterra
4.5
GetApp
4.6
Software Advice
4.5

Govenda

Govenda offers private, public, and pre-IPO companies collaborative features and AI capabilities. It empowers over 44,000 users and emphasizes quick deployment and a friendly user experience. Govenda has officially been acquired by OnBoard.

Top features
  • Agenda builder with templates
  • AI meeting minutes
  • Microsoft 365 integration
  • Meeting RSVP
  • Digital board books
User experience
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Committee workrooms
  • AI assistant
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access roles and permissions
  • ISO 27001, SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3, HIPAA, HITECH
Customer support
  • 24/7 live chat support
  • Phone support
  • Help Center
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free demo

Our Cat Herder

While being board management software for nonprofits, Our Cat Herder also supports small businesses across many industries, including banking and financials. Our Cat Herder offers a balanced combination of collaborative and security features.

Top features
  • Agenda builder with templates
  • Digital board packs
  • Discussions & digital voting
  • Built-in minute taker
  • Notes & comments
User experience
  • Web version
  • Action tracking
  • Private notes
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Automated backups
  • 20 access roles
  • ISO 27001, SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, FedRAMP, FISMA
Customer support
  • 24/67 email support
  • Phone support
  • Help Center
Pricing
  • Profit-based pricing
  • Profit-based pricing
  • All features included
Azeus Convene

Azeus Convene

Azeus Convene is board management software for crown corporations and the public market that empowers over 100,000 boards, including banks and credit unions. Azeus Convene facilitates virtual meetings, including scheduling, video conferencing, and live presentations.

Top features
  • Agenda builder
  • Minute taker
  • Proprietary video and audio conferencing
  • Annotations
  • Task workflows
  • Voting & resolutions
User experience
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Activity dashboards
  • Laser pointer
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access permissions
  • ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, CMMI Level 5
Customer support
  • Technical support
  • Email support
  • Live chat
  • Phone support
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free trial
  • Free demo
BoardEffect

BoardEffect

BoardEffect supports over 200,000 users and 14,000 organizations, mainly nonprofits, healthcare, and educational institutions. Still, BoardEffect has several capabilities that make it suitable for banks and financial services.

Top features
  • Online board books
  • Meeting schedules
  • Task workflows
  • Surveys & evaluations
  • Microsoft 265 integration
User experience
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Zoom and Go-To-Meeting integrations
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access permissions
  • ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, HITECH
Customer support
  • Technical support during business hours
  • Email support
  • Product guides and FAQs
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free demo
MyBoardPacket

My Board Packet

My Board Packet is a dedicated board portal for banks, credit unions, and hospitals. It offers simple yet effective solutions for board communications and meetings.

Top features
  • RSVP & attendance tracking
  • Digital voting
  • Auto-generated board books
User experience
  • iPad app
  • Keyword search
  • Threaded discussions
Security and compliance
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Daily backups
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • Access permissions
  • SOC 2, GLBA, OCC, HIPAA
Customer support
  • Email support
  • Ticket-based technical support
Pricing
  • Custom pricing
  • Free demo

How to choose the best board portal for financial services and banking

Check out a few helpful tips for choosing software for your board of directors.

1. Prioritize financial compliance

Unlike board management software for health services or government, portals for banks require specialized financial compliance certificates:

  • SOC 1 — to maintain financial reporting controls
  • PCI DSS Level 1 — to safeguard card information
  • GDPR — to deal with EU clients
  • FISMA — to deal with federal contracts

2. Check security posture alongside features

Check media for security breaches related to your target board portal. It’s advisable to avoid board portals that were compromised in the past.

3. Check support channels

Aim at a combination of 24/7 human support via live chat, email, phone, and help centers with admin and user guides.

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