The Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators (ICSA) is predicting that board meetings at the UK’s largest companies will be completely paper-free by 2014, after the launch of a second generation Apple-approved application from ICSA Software, a specialist business software company owned by the Institute.
Blueprint BoardPad 2 was unveiled in June and is available now. With three quarters of FTSE 100 companies already ICSA Software customers, the new iPad application will be quickly adopted in UK boardrooms.
A number of FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and blue-chip companies already manage board meetings using a previous version of Blueprint BoardPad software, which was launched last year. Customers include Wolseley plc, Carillion plc and Co-operative Group PLC.
With a more refined, intuitive interface, many more new features for directors and administrators alike, plus the additional security measures offered by version two, many other large organisations are sure to follow suit.
“There has been a move towards paperless board meetings in recent years, but Blueprint BoardPad 2 will rapidly speed up that change,” said ICSA Software Group CEO, Mike Evans, in the press release. “No other application can guarantee the same security of data and offer so many features that save time, reduce waste and cut the huge cost of board meetings for large companies. In the future, every large company will move to a system like this one but, currently, Blueprint BoardPad 2 is far and away the most advanced.”
The original Blueprint BoardPad, enabled organisations to do away with time-consuming, inefficient and expensive paper-based systems and change the way board meetings run. Board packs could be digitally compiled and sent to directors in a fraction of the time taken previously, drastically reducing the amount of paper used in the process.
Complete packs and even late changes to documents could be circulated without the need for expensive couriers or unnecessary print costs. Directors could have access to a whole library of board documents and historic information via a single touchscreen device.
Blueprint BoardPad 2 has been approved by Apple for use on the iPad and offers significant advances on the original technology.
In particular, Blueprint BoardPad 2 allows directors to access every aspect of every board meeting using just their fingertips, offers the most powerful annotation functionality available on the market and addresses any concerns some companies may have over the security of an IT-enabled system when dealing with commercially sensitive information.
Crucially, all annotations of board packs can be deleted instantly to ensure that companies remain compliant with Discovery and Disclosure laws.
Security features include automatic and remote wiping of information after a set time, enforced online sign in after a designated period and automatic data segregation between company profiles. This is particularly useful when non-executive directors serve as board members for many different organisations.
Significantly, all of the functionality is contained in one application that can be run from an organisation’s own network, which can be a fundamental requirement for some major corporates. There is also an option to have the system hosted on ICSA Software’s network.
The software ensures directors are always working with the latest versions of company documents. When a user signs in, the software automatically detects new versions of documents that need to be downloaded and deletes old documents that are no longer required.
Source: ICSA
The new “business as usual”.
This is not news, this is a press release written by a PR firm hired by the developer of this software. I read the same thing almost verbatim when Version 1 was released.
And MDN, c’mon! “The Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators”? Seriously?
Not the first time that MDN has done that, not by a long shot.
It is relevant news because of the penetration of the iPad into the highest levels of corporate governance.
Is there anyone out there who still thinks the iPad is a toy and not for serious work?
A typical board meeting in Britain.
“Oh I say Jeeves, have you heard that Apple has brought out this new fangled device called an iPad?”
“What? No more paper pads to doodle on? But how will I look like I’m listening intently when I’m nodding off? What do you think, Alred?”
“Well, Jeeves, think of it this way. Afternoon tea will be served at 4 so you’ll only have to hold up till then. Just move your fingers around in random patterns. They won’t know you’re playing Cut the Rope on your iPad.”
“Jolly good, Alfred. Dashed if I didn’t think of it first.”
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……….falls asleep on the easy chair….
*Yawn*…how original
You do xenophobia better than satire.
Ignorant much? Typical comment from an overweight Yank sprawled in his Lay-Z-Boy recliner with his six-pack of Coors and his bags of Krispy-Kreme’s and chips. I suppose you imagine Jonny Ive goes to work in a Bentley wearing a tweed suit and a bowler hat, carrying a rolled up umbrella and a copy of the Times.
Well, part of that’s correct, he drives a Bentley Continental GT.
Ummm…Krispy-Kremes come in boxes, not bags. Just so you know.
Now you just stereotyped all of us! I am insulted and strongly resent your comments. We don’t all go for Coors and Krispy-Kremes I’ll have you know!
Being more sophisticated, I indulge in Dos Equis and Fritos whilst lounging in my Lay-Z-Boy. But I could stand to lose a few pounds.
Standard board meeting:
How do we pay less and sell higher… how do we avoid our civic duty…???
Do as we always do—spend on anyone who bleats “free-enterprise” and beat anyone who says otherwise.
The iPad makes a paperless office a reality. The PC couldn’t do what it promised; instead, it led to more dead trees.
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