The Cobit Framework
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The CobiT Framework | | | | | 12/31/2010 | | |
With the increased use of IT within organizations there is a need to develop mechanisms that help management to satisfy the reliability, availability and security requirements for the information they produce, transmit and store. Moreover, with the amount of investments in IT becoming more complex and riskier, management should learn to administer their organizations’ IT resources in terms of infrastructure, applications, information and HR. For this to occur, there needs to be an adequate understanding of the organization’s IT architecture and have a defined IT governance function. To support management in addressing these needs, a number of different frameworks are being used to evaluate the IS function. A popular framework is the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT®). CobiT is a framework that was originally designed to be used as a benchmark for best control practices by the Information Technology Governance Institute. The framework offers best practices through a ‘domain and process’ structure that is easily manageable. In the following paper, the CobiT framework will be reviewed including a description of its main features and how it supports management with IT governance. Furthermore, the article will assess some of the main benefits offered by CobiT. Finally, it will compare CobiT with another popular framework used for IT projects, the PMBOK, in terms of purpose, structure and advantages.
The Need for a Framework
As the IT function has continued to expand and has gained a prominent role within organizations, there are pressures from different stakeholders including regulatory bodies, customers, and suppliers, among other, to have standardized control mechanisms which make IT comprehensible and manageable. According to Tuttle and Vandervelde (2007), due to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the release of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
The CobiT Framework | | | | | 12/31/2010 | | |
With the increased use of IT within organizations there is a need to develop mechanisms that help management to satisfy the reliability, availability and security requirements for the information they produce, transmit and store. Moreover, with the amount of investments in IT becoming more complex and riskier, management should learn to administer their organizations’ IT resources in terms of infrastructure, applications, information and HR. For this to occur, there needs to be an adequate understanding of the organization’s IT architecture and have a defined IT governance function. To support management in addressing these needs, a number of different frameworks are being used to evaluate the IS function. A popular framework is the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT®). CobiT is a framework that was originally designed to be used as a benchmark for best control practices by the Information Technology Governance Institute. The framework offers best practices through a ‘domain and process’ structure that is easily manageable. In the following paper, the CobiT framework will be reviewed including a description of its main features and how it supports management with IT governance. Furthermore, the article will assess some of the main benefits offered by CobiT. Finally, it will compare CobiT with another popular framework used for IT projects, the PMBOK, in terms of purpose, structure and advantages.
The Need for a Framework
As the IT function has continued to expand and has gained a prominent role within organizations, there are pressures from different stakeholders including regulatory bodies, customers, and suppliers, among other, to have standardized control mechanisms which make IT comprehensible and manageable. According to Tuttle and Vandervelde (2007), due to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the release of the Public Company Accounting Oversight
Bibliography: IT Governance Institute (2007). “CobiT 4.1”. Retrieved on November 19, 2010 from: www.isaca.org Saynisch, M. (2010). “Mastering Complexity and Changes in Projects, Economy, and Society via Project Management Second Order (PM-2)”. Retrieved on December 20, 2010 from: the Foundation for PM and SPM-CONSULT Zwikael, O. (2009). “The Relative Importance of the PMBOK® Guide’s Nine Knowledge Areas During Project Planning”. Retrieved on December 20, 2010 from: The Project Management Journal