The IT Governance Institute (ITGI) has announced the publication of COBIT 4.1, an update to the COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and related Technology) IT governance framework, which provides an authoritative, international set of generally accepted practices that helps boards of directors, executives and managers increase the value of IT and reduce related risks.
Used widely as a tool for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and many other global standards, COBIT predates the control legislation being enacted around the world.
It is a product of 15 years of research and cooperation among global IT and business experts. The new version of the framework is available as a free download from the non-profit, independent ITGI at www.itgi.org.
COBIT 4.1 is an update to the globally accepted framework that ensures that IT is aligned with business goals, its resources are used responsibly, and its risks are managed appropriately. It represents a fine-tuning of the COBIT 4.0 framework and can be used to enhance work already performed based on earlier versions of COBIT.
COBIT helps organisations reduce IT risks and increase the value attained from IT. The updates in COBIT 4.1 include enhanced performance measurement, improved control objectives and better alignment of business and IT goals.
"COBIT is the only management framework that addresses the complete life cycle of IT investment. The framework supports IT's achievement of business objectives, ensures business IT alignment, and improves IT efficiency and effectiveness," said Roger Debreceny, chair of ITGI's COBIT Steering Committee. "COBIT 4.1 is built upon practical guidance from managers around the world who use the framework to improve IT governance in their organisations, so it has been road tested and validated."
In addition to COBIT 4.1, ITGI released today three companion publications available through the ISACA Bookstore (www.isaca.org/bookstore):
* COBIT Control Practices, 2nd Edition - This book contains control practice that are improved and aligned with COBIT 4.1. The control practices are action-oriented and provide "why do it?" arguments in the form of value to be obtained and risks to be avoided.
* IT Governance Implementation Guide: Using COBIT and Val IT, 2nd Edition - This publication provides a detailed road map for establishing effective IT governance in an organisation, with guidance on how COBIT and Val IT can support these activities. It also features an enhanced explanation of governance project scoping.
* IT Assurance Guide: Using COBIT - Replacing the Audit Guidelines, this book offers guidance on how COBIT can support a variety of assurance activities and how an assurance review can be performed for each of the IT processes.
Share