IT Governance¶
IT governance ensures that an organization's IT investments support its business objectives, manage risks effectively, and deliver measurable value. For MBA students, understanding governance is essential — it is how organizations make decisions about technology, who makes those decisions, and how they are held accountable.
Topics in This Section¶
| Topic | What You'll Learn |
|---|---|
| Governance Frameworks | COBIT, ITIL, and ISO/IEC 38500 — the major frameworks that organizations use to structure IT decision-making |
| C-Suite IT Roles | The CIO, CISO, CTO, and CDO — what each role does, how they interact, and why they matter to business leaders |
| IT-Business Alignment | How the CIO negotiates with lines of business, strategic alignment models, and the politics of IT priority-setting |
| IT Budgeting & Finance | Total cost of ownership, CapEx vs. OpEx, chargeback models, and making the financial case for technology |
| IT Spending Economics | Global IT spending trends, benchmarking, and how organizations allocate technology budgets |
| Platform Economics | Network effects, multi-sided markets, and the economic principles that drive platform business models |
Suggested Reading Order
These pages are self-contained, but if you're reading the full section, this sequence builds concepts progressively:
- Governance Frameworks — Establishes the foundational vocabulary (COBIT, ITIL, ISO 38500)
- C-Suite IT Roles — Who makes governance decisions and how they interact
- IT-Business Alignment — How IT strategy connects to business strategy
- IT Budgeting & Finance — The financial mechanics of IT investment decisions
- IT Spending Economics — Macro-level trends and benchmarking for IT budgets
- Platform Economics — Advanced topic: how platform business models reshape IT economics
Why Governance Matters¶
Every technology decision in an organization — from which cloud provider to use, to whether to build or buy a system, to how much to spend on cybersecurity — is ultimately a governance decision. Poor governance leads to wasted budgets, security breaches, failed projects, and misalignment between IT and business goals.
As a future business leader, you will participate in these decisions whether you lead the IT function or not. Understanding governance gives you the language and frameworks to contribute effectively.