ISACARuSec

The COBIT 2019 update improves COBIT in the following areas:

It better addresses the importance of I&T governance for the enterprise. To achieve benefits realization, risk optimization, resource optimization, and business and IT alignment for the enterprise, an I&T governance program needs to be in place, supported by the board of directors and executive management. That governance program must be maintained on a basis that enables and encourages continuous improvement. This is a major differentiator for successful organizations.

It addresses new trends in technology. For example, Development Operations (DevOps) and Agile development concepts are added; off-premises operations are considered; the impact of third-party providers is addressed; outsourcing activities are more thoroughly discussed; and, although not singled out, the Internet of Things (IoT) is addressed.

It is more up to date, with latest standards and working methods. The COBIT model allows referencing and alignment to concepts originating in other sources (e.g., other IT standards, compliance regulations).

It provides more flexibility. The addition of the COBIT Design Guide: Designing an Information and Technology Governance Solution1 provides additional guidance for defining and using design factors, which allow COBIT content to be tailored for better alignment with each organization’s and each user’s particular context.

It introduces focus area concepts. A focus area describes a certain governance topic, domain or issue that can be addressed by a collection of governance and management objectives and their components. Examples include: small and medium enterprises, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and cloud computing. Focus areas can contain a combination of generic governance components and variants. The number of focus areas is virtually unlimited; new ones can be added as required or as subject matter experts and practitioners contribute. This is what makes COBIT open-ended.

It is perceived as more prescriptive. Frameworks such as COBIT can be descriptive and prescriptive. The COBIT conceptual model is constructed and presented such that its instantiation—that is, the tailored COBIT governance components—is perceived as a prescription of how to set up a customized governance system for I&T.

It is a better instrument to manage performance of I&T.The structure of the COBIT performance management model is integrated into the conceptual model. The maturity and capability concepts are introduced for better alignment with Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI).

It adds a new online collaboration feature. Future updates will be recommended by COBIT users, vetted by a COBIT Steering Committee, to ensure consistent COBIT core framework quality and timelier updates.

It supports decision-making. The key asset for all organizations is information. This information must be accurate, reliable, timely and available when needed for critical decision-making. The information is made available to all organizations through the use of technology, which must be secure and cost-effective.

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