A new version of Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (Cobit), an IT governance framework, is better organized and provides clearer links between IT processes and business goals—improvements that make this tool something CIOs should seriously consider using, says Craig Symons, an analyst at Forrester Research.Cobit, issued by the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), is a set of guidelines IT organizations can use to employ management best practices, measure IT processes and align IT with business processes. It has become a recommended tool for IT departments to measure their value to the business, as well as comply with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley.Yet Cobit isn’t widely used: Less than half of the CIOs in the financial services industry, where Cobit is most popular, are even aware of the guidelines, according to ITGI’s own assessment.The reason? Since it was created in 1996, Cobit has expanded to cover so many control objectives and management guidelines that it’s difficult to make sense of them. A Cobit Primer issued by the Sandia National Laboratories in June 2005 lamented: “Of the possible objectives, on which do you spend the effort, and which do you ignore?” Answering that question has become much easier, Symons says, thanks to Cobit 4.0. The authors have done away with Cobit’s multiple volumes, integrating the information about all 34 high-level control processes, 239 detailed control objectives and related management guidelines into one volume. What’s more, the material is organized by how one approaches projects: First, plan and organize, next, acquire and implement, then deliver and support, and finally, monitor and evaluate. In addition, Symons says, Cobit 4.0 offers more details on how to measure whether IT processes are delivering what the business needs. For example, under the heading “defining a strategic plan” (one of the 34 high-level processes), Cobit outlines how to do that: Engage executives on alignment with business goals and develop a proactive process to quantify business requirements. “This is much more approachable and helpful than the previous version,” Symons says. Cobit 4.0 is available at www.itgi.org. Related content BrandPost Retail innovation playbook: Fast, economical transformation on Microsoft Cloud For retailers, tight integration of data and systems is the antidote to a challenging economy. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 24, 2023 3 mins Retail Industry Digital Transformation BrandPost How retailers are empowering business transformation with TCS and Microsoft Cloud AI-powered omnichannel integration and a strong, secure digital core lets retailers innovate across four primary areas while staying compliant, maintaining security and preventing fraud. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 24, 2023 4 mins Retail Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost How to Build ROI from Cloud Migration This whitepaper and webcast can help you calculate the ROI and create a business case for modernizing your legacy applications to the Microsoft Cloud. By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 24, 2023 1 min Retail Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost How to power a sustainable enterprise on Microsoft Cloud In this eBook, we’ll follow the journey of Amal Skye, a fictitious woman who is committed to living in a way that preserves the planet for the future —and how businesses like Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft are making that possi By Tata Consultancy Services Mar 24, 2023 1 min Retail Industry Green IT Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe