15 Best Board Reporting Software Providers

PwS identifies long reports, unclear messages, late distribution, and no standard templates as key weaknesses in board reporting. Failure to address these issues correctly may result in delayed decision-making, reduced board effectiveness, and even legal implications.

The article explores how implementing board reporting software can help avoid those risks. It also offers a list of the best providers that prioritize clarity, efficiency, and effective governance for seamless board reporting.

What is board reporting software? 

Board reporting software, also known as board management or board portal software, is a solution designed to collect and analyze data with the aim of generating comprehensive reports. It also simplifies the distribution and management of reports and other board documents.

In fact, board management software capabilities extend far beyond mere document-sharing and report generation. It allows directors, board administrators, executives, employees, and other stakeholders to securely and effectively collaborate and communicate before, during, and after meetings. 

Any organization interested in more productive board meetings, secure governance, and automated board processes can benefit from board management tools, including nonprofit boards, higher education, and credit unions. 

Board reporting software features 

The features that the majority of board reporting portals offer include:

• Document management. Features like bulk upload, drag-n-drop, and advanced search enable easy uploading, sharing, and organization of business data and board materials. This reduces manual work, saves time, and, thus, allows creating and sharing reports more effortlessly.

• Collaboration. Collaboration tools allow board members to annotate documents, create board packs, meeting minutes, and action items, leave comments, assign questions, and discuss them right within the platform.

• Security features. Running board meetings and sharing important documents on a daily basis without proper security measures is very risky and may lead to data leakage, reputational damage, and even financial losses. To avoid it, board portals offer security access features, such as role-based permissions and two-step authentication.

• Board reporting. Board reporting tools provide a detailed overview of boardroom activity, including audit trails for member actions like document views, log-ins, and edits.

• Meeting center. With a board portal, all meeting-related activities are performed quickly and efficiently. For example, users can seamlessly schedule meetings and conduct them online. The creation and distribution of agendas, meeting minutes, and other meeting papers is also streamlined.

Board reporting software benefits 

Implementing board reporting software offers numerous advantages for organizations. 

1. Saved time and money 

Let’s explore what Verizon Conferencing’s study revealed about the dynamics of professional meetings:

• In-person meetings involving travel are three times more expensive than videoconferences. 

• The average preparation, travel, and attendance time for an in-person meeting is 53 hours — three times more than online meetings.

• 64% of respondents express concern about other work responsibilities that pile up while they are away.

• 89% of professionals admit that technology significantly improves the efficiency of meetings.

The figures speak for themselves — with board reporting software boards, committees, and leadership teams can significantly save time and money!

2. Increased board member engagement 

Board portals play a crucial role in enhancing board engagement by addressing common issues observed in meetings. According to already mentioned Verizon Conferencing’s study:

• Over 90% of respondents experience challenges like daydreaming, missing portions of meetings
• Over 70% tend to bring additional work to meetings
• Almost 40% have even reported dozing off

With the convenience of virtual participation, board members can stay more focused and engaged during meetings, as they are not burdened by the time and stress associated with in-person gatherings. This leads to more productive and efficient discussions, enhancing overall board member engagement. 

3. Controlled access to confidential information

Today, cybersecurity can’t be optional for board members, as the boardroom presents an appealing target for hackers. A data breach involving confidential information can have severe consequences, including ruined reputation, litigation, and huge fines. An IBM Security Report indicates that the average data breach in the U.S. costs more than $9 million. 

That’s why, according to an IDG report, 57% of companies’ leaders admit a need for security improvements and board portals serve as an excellent tool for that purpose, offering robust security measures.

15 board reporting software options to consider 

The board reporting software providers described below offer the right tools to meet and fulfill your business needs.

1. iDeals Board

Established in 2008 and headquartered in the UK, iDeals Board is on a mission to liberate board members from the burden of endless paperwork and the need for frequent in-person meetings. 

At iDeals Board, users benefit from an array of collaboration tools, including messaging, voting, e-signatures, notes, calendars, chats, and document notifications. Boards may also rest assured that their sensitive data is strongly protected — features like multi-factor authentication, detailed user access permissions, and encryption provide a strong defense against hackers. 

Another thing users really appreciate in iDeals is its excellent customer support available 24//7 via chat, email, and phone. The response time takes several minutes as client assistance is prioritized. 

What users say: The system helps focus on each agenda item and decision, and provides a way for us to add and track follow-up activities. — Capterra

2. Diligent

Diligent Boards, a product of Diligent Corporation, a GRC SaaS provider founded in 2001, offers modern governance software. With a track record of assisting over 700,000 board members from 23,000+ companies, Diligent specializes in managing risk, staying compliant, and increasing efficiency. 

Diligent isn’t just a board portal. It also delivers research, innovation, and corporate governance guidance. Generally, the company receives positive feedback from directors, management, and administrative staff. They especially highlight Diligent’s top-notch customer service. However, others express concerns about clunky navigation and drawbacks in document access.

What users say: When we switched over to Diligent, we were expecting a bit of a transition period. But we were pleasantly surprised that everyone found it so easy to jump into this program because the design is so intuitive and very little training was required to operate it. – Capterra

3. Aprio

As Aprio states, it’s committed to making governance tools simple and affordable for all boards, whether for-profit or non-profit. The software’s reporting tools for tracking attendance, monitoring activity, and generating expense reports are particularly valued.

Customers also appreciate features like agenda templates and software compatibility with various videoconferencing solutions that make meetings and preparation way easier and more efficient. 

However, some users have reported challenges such as login issues, syncing problems, and occasional discrepancies between the app and the dashboard. There are also concerns about the timing-out feature causing disruptions during document uploads. 

What users say: Aprio staff are wonderful to work with; they are accommodating, understanding, and very quick to respond to any inquiries, whether it be to assist the administrator or its Directors. – Capterra

4. Azeus Convene

Azeus, an IT services provider with over 30 years of experience, has successfully delivered solutions to over 60 public authorities globally. Their track record includes over 250 IT projects spanning over 100 countries. 

According to user reviews, Convene is easy and intuitive and provides valuable features like a meeting scheduler, agenda builder, digital signature, video conferencing, and voting. Still, some users mention that it may not have as many features as some competing products.

They also mention some minor drawbacks like occasional challenges with software updates and express a desire for more advanced features in video and audio conferencing. 

What users say: The software has clearly set out sections, is easy and intuitive to use, and has very informative user guides and excellent customer support. – Capterra

5. Boardable

Boardable’s journey began with a collaboration with the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) — a nonprofit organization, which later became their first customer. When UWCI faced a challenge in finding a more effective way to engage with its 400+ board members, Boardable created a solution that now offers all the necessary features to address that problem — centralized communication, meeting scheduling, task management, polling, voting, etc.

While users appreciate Boardable’s functionality, there are occasional reports of downtime and challenges with the minute-taker feature, particularly in accurately capturing non-participating attendees.

What users say: It’s a great tool for board management and engagement. It takes time to get all board members comfortable with using it but it has tremendous potential for efficiency. – Capterra

6. BoardEffect

BoardEffect is a board management solution with over 3,500 customers and 200,000+ users who praise its intuitive interface and the time saved in assembling board materials. They also highlight data security as the solution’s strong point, which is crucial for companies concerned with protecting board materials.

However, some users have identified several areas for improvement, including the need for more flexibility in agenda features, the ability to download agenda PDFs without formatting, and streamlined meeting book creation.

What users say: Super responsive support team at BoardEffect, is fairly intuitive to use, makes the workflow for assembling Board materials so much easier, and saves a lot of time. – Capterra

7. BoardPro

BoardPro serves over 2,000 boards from 26 countries who report a significant reduction in board meeting duration from 5 hours to 2.5 hours. They also highlight the platform’s role in transforming communication processes, streamlining report preparation, and simplifying the preparation of board packs. 

What users really anticipate is a mobile app, as without it the solution’s accessibility is limited. They also mention the inflexibility of drop-down dialogue boxes, suggesting that adding a drag-and-drop feature would enhance user experience.

What users say: BoardPro makes the preparation of meeting agendas, packs, and minutes so fast and easy. – Capterra

8. Boardvantage

Nasdaq Boardvantage is a comprehensive board portal solution with over 253,000 users across 4,400 global organizations. Users especially appreciate its seamless deployment and collaboration capabilities. They also like how easy it is to access meeting materials.

Some users note a potential learning curve for new members, although the company actively addresses this with learning tools. Some customers also suggest improving the integration of the meeting module with Outlook calendaring.

What users say: The interface is great and allows me to provide our board with the information they need in a timely and organized fashion. — Capterra

9. Govenda

Govenda is the first board management solution provider to use AI, called Gabii. With it, a board secretary can draft meeting minutes by inviting the tool to board meetings and letting it generate transcripts, which saves a lot of time.

Among the other advantages users mention are ease of use, top-notch US-based support, and solution accessibility via various devices. Some cons include a lack of more robust functionality in reporting and surveys, confusing meeting reminders, and no annotations to minutes.

What users say: Given the remote nature of my board members, this tool has proved indispensable! They receive alerts, notices, and access to all documents and meeting schedules from any device. — Capterra 

10. Ideagen Huddle

Ideagen Huddle is a collaboration software provider trusted by leading brands such as Siemens, BakerTilly International, and EDF Energy. Users praise Huddle for secure file sharing, fast file uploads, and effective collaboration, especially for business analysts and audit managers. They also acknowledge the software’s ease of use integration with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

Customer reviews indicate some drawbacks too. Users complain about the slow and confusing customer service, with representatives being slow to find solutions. Complaints about slow performance in certain geographical locations, the inability to customize notifications, and poor training are also common.

What users say: Huddle encourages collaboration among users, as it allows team members to work on projects together in real time. This increases the efficiency of the team and allows them to move faster. — Capterra

11. OnBoard

Over 172k users conduct over 400 meetings daily with OnBoard, making it a significant player in the board management business world. 

Users acknowledge that features like real-time notifications and integrated conferencing really improve the efficiency of board and committee meetings. They also appreciate the user-friendly interface, which caters to both tech-savvy and less tech-savvy individuals.

There are also things customers suggest to improve, including event categorization, document viewing, e-mail capability, and expense management systems. They also stress that the price has definitely gone up in the past few years.

What users say: Makes it easy to manage all Board communications, creation of agenda and minutes, calendaring, document archiving, retrieval, and distribution. — Capterra

12. BoardPaq

BoardPaq is recognized for its affordability, with many clients finding it to be a cost-effective solution. However, users have highlighted certain drawbacks, including a notable learning curve when it comes to uploading documents and organizing meeting materials. Also, the process of adding members to the platform and providing them with access is described as time-consuming.

It’s also worth noting that even though affordability was a key BoardPaq advantage for many users, some of them found transitioning to more expensive but more advanced systems the right decision.

What users say: Streamlines meeting preparation and provides ease of use for members of our meetings, regardless of their computer abilities. — Capterra 

13. Board Intelligence

Over 40,000 leaders from 3,000 organizations choose Board Intelligence for its AI-powered management reporting software named Lucia. Lucia is a thinking and writing tool able to craft management reports and deliver insights a company can act on.

Despite several strengths, users have expressed a desire for improved drag-and-drop functions to enhance file migration. Additionally, there is a limitation in agenda flexibility, as users cannot customize it to add specific fields.

What users say: Excellent experience and would recommend the software. We use it daily and never have any complaints from users/the Board. — Capterra

14. iBabs

iBabs is a board software solution that has significantly eased the meeting processes for over 3,000 organizations across Europe. Its user base has more than 300,000 individuals. The provider has received positive feedback, with users emphasizing its reliability and efficient handling of large PDF files. Its seamless synchronization between devices, particularly on iPad and MacBook, is also highlighted.

However, users desire enhanced integration capabilities, particularly with software packages like Outlook and other Office applications.

What users say: We managed to save thousands of paper prints every month thanks to iBabs. — Capterra

15. Pervasent

Board Papers by Pervasent offers a secure document management solution, leveraging Microsoft SharePoint for storage, ensuring that your sensitive data remains in your Microsoft 365 tenancy or on-premises SharePoint farm.

Some users mention that the solution lacks minute management, agenda templates, and a member directory — features that would make board management much easier and more efficient.

What users say: Has most major features, and is both cost effective and the simple book metaphor makes it easy to use. — Capterra

One of the solutions from above may become your centralized hub for secure document sharing, real-time collaboration, and efficient decision-making. Choose according to your needs, book a demo, or test a solution using a trial, and watch board management become more simple and effective.

FAQ

What is a reporting software?

Reporting software is a tool that collects and analyzes data, generating comprehensive reports to aid decision-making. It simplifies transforming raw data into actionable insights, facilitating informed business choices.

What is effective board reporting?

Effective board reporting involves presenting concise, relevant information that aids decision-making, aligns with organizational goals, and facilitates transparent communication among board members.