Getting started > Respond to the Need

Respond to the Need

Before one can start implementing CobiT, it is appropriate to ensure that there is full understanding and agreement on the need. In other words, what is the compelling reason for better IT governance and control.

In recent years, the success and survival of an entity is heavily dependent on effective management of Information Technology. This is due to a number of factors, including:

	increasing dependence on information and the systems that deliver the information.
	increasing vulnerabilies and a wide spectrum of threats, such as those associated with the Internet.
	scale and cost of the current and future investments in information and information systems.
	potential for technologies to dramatically change organisations and business practices, create new opportunities and reduce costs.

Once there is a good understanding of the need for better control, or reduced risk or process improvement, specific areas of focus can be determined. CobiT does not have a single entry point. It is flexible, and should be adapted to the specific needs of the entity:

	to balance risk and to control investments in IT.
	to obtain assurance about the IT services received.
	to discharge their responsibility for controlling the information aspects of the processes.
	to plan, audit and report on the systems of internal control established over IT processes.