Diligent Aims to Improve Board Management With Additional Governance, Risk, and Compliance Capabilities

Included Research:

Diligent Boards not only manages the board but reduces its risk

Boards face increasing regulatory complexity, a growing demand for real-time risk visibility, and pressure to streamline their governance. Implementing a comprehensive GRC-centric board management solution requires an understanding of both the driving forces that make such a platform critical and the obstacles organizations must overcome.

Diligent proports to address these needs by:

• Breaking down data silos with a single source of truth for meetings, documents, and risk registers.
• Driving user adoption through intuitive interfaces, role-based dashboards, and built-in training.
• Seamless IT integration via robust APIs connecting ERP, HR, and third-party risk tools.
• Scaling governance across multi-entity structures, mergers, and acquisitions without losing control.

Diligent’s board management platform is deeply integrated into its full GRC framework

The platform’s GRC framework, particularly as demonstrated by Diligent’s board management platform, represents a comprehensive, integrated approach that unites all aspects of board oversight – governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance – within a single digital ecosystem.

Diligent’s GRC-centric board management platform consolidates the following critical elements:

• Unified GRC Backbone: All board functions, including meeting management, document handling, voting, and performance monitoring, are interconnected with GRC elements like risk registers, policy libraries, and entity governance models. This ensures every board activity is traceable and compliant.
• Embedded Risk Management: Boards can view live risk scores, link agenda items to risk profiles, and trigger alerts based on thresholds. This contextualizes decisions with real-time risk visibility.
• End-to-End Policy Lifecycle Management: A centralized policy repository includes version control, audit trails, and automatic updates based on regulatory changes, eliminating manual tracking and ensuring compliance.
• Automated Regulatory Intelligence: The platform continuously monitors global regulations (e.g. GDPR), auto-flagging impacted policies and generating AI-driven compliance insights.
• AI-Powered Insights: Using generative AI and predictive analytics, the platform recommends agenda items and policy revisions based on emerging trends and benchmarking.

Diligent’s unified GRC board management platform offers robust capabilities for integrating risk management, policy oversight, and entity modeling; however, it also comes with limitations. Its complexity and steep learning curve can be a barrier for smaller or less tech-savvy organizations. At the same time, the high cost and resource-intensive implementation may not justify its value for boards with simpler needs. Customization options, though powerful, can be time-consuming to configure and maintain. For organizations that require only basic board functions, Diligent may be overly sophisticated, making lighter, more focused alternatives a better fit.

In summary, while Diligent markets its platform as a streamlined, user-friendly hub for governance, the real-world challenges of integration, usability, and upkeep can complicate those benefits – particularly for resource-constrained organizations or those with simpler board needs.

For the C-suite and IT leaders, Diligent delivers governance agility, risk foresight, and operational resilience:

• Strategic Risk Management: For the C-suite, particularly CEOs, CFOs, and CROs, the GRC platform provides a single source of truth to evaluate enterprise risk and compliance posture – critical for informed, agile decision-making.
• IT Integration and Cybersecurity: For CIOs and CISOs, the GRC framework aligns with enterprise IT and cybersecurity goals:
  • APIs integrate with ERP, HR, and risk systems.
  • Military-grade encryption and granular permissions protect data across devices.
  • IT can enforce policies consistently across the board environment.
• Data-Driven Governance: Board leaders gain real-time dashboards and analytics to monitor organizational health, risk, and performance while meeting governance standards.
• Operational Efficiency: Eliminating data silos and manual processes reduces overhead and improves productivity across IT, compliance, and legal teams.
• Scalability and M&A Readiness: IT and C-suite leaders managing multiple entities or going through mergers/acquisitions benefit from the platform’s dynamic modeling and scalable governance controls.

As regulatory demands increase and risk environments become more complex, GRC-centric board platforms like Diligent Boards are not just administrative tools – they’re strategic enablers. For the C-suite and IT leaders, they deliver governance agility, risk foresight, and operational resilience.

This solution becomes especially critical as organizations adopt AI governance, remote collaboration, and the need for audit-ready transparency in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Source: Slide 9 From Diligent Presentation

Here’s how Diligent Boards and BoardEffect differ by target customers:

• Diligent Boards serves large enterprises, especially heavily regulated sectors (financial services, healthcare, Fortune 1000), that need enterprise-grade security, deep customization, and broad integrations. Use Diligent Boards with Diligent One Platform (GRC), when you need a comprehensive GRC-centric portal with enterprise-grade security, extensive customization options, and deep integrations.
• Diligent BoardEffect focuses on nonprofits, educational boards, and smaller organizations seeking an affordable, easy-to-use portal (board-room.org). Choose BoardEffect if you’re a nonprofit or small to medium-sized board seeking an intuitive, cost-effective solution for core meeting management.

Our Take

AI innovates governance processes, streamlines operations, and delivers actionable insights. Generative AI capabilities, including predictive analytics, automated compliance tracking, and AI-powered meeting tools, are transforming the way boards operate, enabling them to make more informed and proactive decisions. As organizations navigate complex regulatory environments and dynamic market conditions, adopting modern board management solutions is no longer optional – it’s essential for staying competitive and aligned with best governance practices.

Based on end-user feedback from SoftwareReviews, customers have favorable feedback for Diligent Boards and BoardEffect.

Real user data is aggregated to summarize the product performance and customer experience. Download the entire Product Scorecard to access more information on Diligent Boards.

Real user data is aggregated to summarize the product performance and customer experience. Download the entire Product Scorecard to access more information on BoardEffect.

Source: SoftwareReviews, July 2025, Data Quadrant Award Cycle

While Diligent and a few other board management software vendors offer some board management and compliance features, Diligent’s complete GRC suite differentiates itself through its unified, end-to-end architecture, which incorporates risk management, policy lifecycle management, entity modeling, and automated regulatory monitoring. In contrast, other board management vendors, including Diligent, deliver core board and compliance functionality without the same depth of integrated GRC tools.

By embedding GRC at every step, Diligent has the potential to empower board members with improved and more efficient decision-making while managing risk and staying ahead of regulatory changes. For those organizations looking to mature their board management program, Diligent Board Management is a worthy option to consider.

For small boards that primarily require secure document sharing, meeting scheduling, and basic collaboration, a full-featured GRC platform like Diligent Boards may be overly complex and costly. These boards typically don’t require advanced capabilities, such as predictive risk analytics or automated compliance tracking. In such cases, more lightweight, user-friendly platforms like Diligent’s BoardEffect, Onboard, Azeus Convene, or Aprio are better suited. They offer essential board portal features, such as agenda building, voting, and secure messaging, without the complexity or price tag of enterprise-grade GRC systems. Review Next-Generation Board Management for more information.

Other Related Publications and Deliverables

• Next-Generation Board Management: Modern board management platforms centralize secure document sharing, meeting orchestration, and compliance tracking, enhanced by emerging AI insights and pilot blockchain voting. Tailored for diverse industries, these platforms streamline governance, bolster risk oversight, and drive adoption through intuitive, cloud-native interfaces. (June 2025)
• SoftwareReviews’ Board Management Software customer reviews: Understand real users’ praise and pain points (e.g. support responsiveness, upgrade experiences, contract renewals, and hidden fees). These insights help you avoid surprises and select a vendor committed to customer success.

The information provided is based on aggregated customer reviews and industry analyses available at the time.

Vendor Website

• Diligent

Industry Publications and Reports

• Board Management at SoftwareReviews

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