The meeting has begun, and all you may have on hand is a stack of printed papers, a white board with markers, or a pre-prepared presentation that flickers on the projector. But why limit yourself when there is now a wonderful technical potential that removes the shackles? Old methods work, but for a true breakthrough, you need modern board portal solutions. Check the board of directors software comparison to make a good choice, but before you start, learn what to analyze.
Enhanced capabilities of virtual board portals
Conventional presentations are no longer interesting to listeners, and it doesn’t matter how much valuable information they display. Especially when it comes to online meetings. Just looking at pictures and listening to the speaker is tiring. In such conversations, a person remains attentive for 10–15 minutes. The new-generation board portal allows members to look at more than just a meeting. It allows them to become full-fledged participants in it.
This means:
- Studying the materials presented at one’s own pace;
- Taking notes and leaving memos;
- Utilize boards for comparisons;
- Connect personnel files to the shared array;
- Engage in active discussion with highlighted participants without disturbing all present;
- Supplement materials from outside sources;
- Vote and approve decisions.
This list of advanced board portal features could be even broader. The most exciting thing is that it doesn’t require a lot of time to learn the tools. Everything is so user-friendly that even without instructions, it is possible to get started with it. Online board meeting tools do not require customization for use, and only for deeper learning or adaptation to specific conditions may it be necessary.
Improved dynamics of the Board of Directors meetings
In the days when online meetings were just starting to be used, it was similar to watching television. The only difference was that the viewer could talk to the presenter or write in a general chat room. A little later, users started to connect various resources with additional features to the meeting. Participants needed to close the meeting window, go to a resource, and there were only a few tools. Now that things have changed, the advanced board portal features have improved significantly. It has become much more dynamic:
- Participants actively discuss issues;
- All users can interact with the boards;
- Attendees have the opportunity to perform additional activities as desired;
- Participants can demonstrate reactions to what they have heard/seen.
Interactive board meeting software has also received new advancements. Now, users do not need to prepare their devices for the meeting thoroughly. It can be enough to follow a link to become a listener, or install just one app to be a full-fledged participant. If a person forgets his MacBook, he can take his smartphone out of his pocket to prepare for the meeting in just a couple of minutes.
Boardroom portal software does not take up a lot of space on the hard disk of the device, does not overload the connection channel, and has low system requirements. It’s a great dynamic board meeting solution to remove time and location constraints. Just a device and a network connection, and you’re back in business.
Improving the security of virtual board portals
Earlier, it was said that the virtual board removes restrictions on the location of participants. Does this mean that anyone can enter the meeting room? Well, no! The meeting portal security system takes care of that, and any spy will see nothing.
- Access control: the meeting room cannot be accessed without a special invitation and user authorization.
- Server protection: the platform that provides the services is hosted on a secure server, which means all users get into a tamper-proof environment.
- Encryption: encryption for meeting portals modifies the transmitted signals so that they cannot be intercepted. In the case of successful interception, it will be impossible to understand.
- Software: this also has built-in anti-cheat systems.
The service providers have taken care to protect their clients and have implemented certified secure meeting software that meets all the requirements of modern technology.
Integrating Virtual Data Rooms into Board Portals
Virtual data rooms have become popular over the last 5 years. The companies that started to use it earlier, have a great success in development now and have long moved to an improved level of cooperation with customers, partners, and investors.
VDR integration with board portals may be needed by users in several cases:
- A company has already used virtual whiteboards before and now wants to incorporate this into VDR;
- A company is already using VDR but wants to implement another vendor’s boards;
- There is a merger and acquisition between the companies, and one of the parties is using VDR and the other is using a virtual whiteboard.
- Any other reasons, such as achieving greater functionality, personal preferences, partner requirements, customer requests, etc.
The first thing to note is that there are board portals with VDR capabilities. This will not be a complete list of services that VDRs provide, but much of it. If there is a need to integrate a virtual data room for board meetings, the process of connecting platforms can be done independently if such features are provided. Otherwise, users need to contact customer support, and this work will be done by a team of specialists. Ultimately, the mission is feasible, and the goal will be achieved.
Selecting the Best Virtual Board Portal for Your Needs
Many inexperienced users ask how to select virtual boardroom software. A few tips will help you to do so.
- While choosing board portal software, use the ratings of vendors in any search engine. Pay attention to customer reviews and make your own list of 5 possible platforms. Include at least one unknown vendor here.
- Make a personal comparison of service listings.
- Compare the prices of the services. Be budget-oriented and think ahead. Long-term packages are often more cost-effective.
- Drop at least 2 providers from your list that you are not interested in.
- Contact the remaining candidates and talk face-to-face.
- Request a trial period to become familiar with the services.
After these steps, you will have a lot of reasons to choose the best board portal solutions. Remember, the working environment should be comfortable and functional. It will be your future office in the virtual space.