Information Systems Management

3 IS Governance in Practice

The Fundamentals

1. 1) The organizational model of IS governance is strategically critical.
2. 2) Knowledge of best practice benchmarks helps strengthen IS governance.
3. 3) Successful implementation of a benchmark is conditional on defining the objectives of the IS.

The phenomenon of globalization of the economy has brought with it a rise in the power of multinationals, with a sphere of activity covering every continent. The strategic and managerial steering of these global players has been made possible via the territorial coverage provided by extended information systems. Given the operational significance of these tools and the expansion of their fields of action, a strong need for standardization and norms emerged. This led IS management to multiply its own objectives: a better evaluation of operational performance and of the value added by the information system, more effective management of resources and skills, improved service value, greater visibility, optimization of sales activity, a better fit between the information system and the business strategy, compliance with the laws and regulations in each country, management of information systems risk and security, etc. To achieve all this, there was a need to document best practices and define standard requirements. Two working perspectives are necessary for this. The first stems from the internal reflection which leads organizations to look for the IS governance organizational model best suited ...