COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies)

COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies) is a framework used in IT (information technology) management. It provides lists and descriptions of best practices with which managers and other experts can assess their IT programs and create objectives for improvement. COBIT is also meant to help organizations create, organize, and use strategies involving their IT functions and management and to reduce the risks associated with unmoderated IT use.

Organizations that use COBIT can meet new objectives, better use their resources, and link the goals of their overall companies with the abilities of their IT departments. COBIT has evolved over a series of revised standards since its introduction in 1996. The version known as COBIT 2019 was released in 2018; it has remained a common feature of IT-related businesses in many parts of the world.

Brief History

In the late twentieth century, the use of computer technology and digital networks grew at a rapid pace. Companies that once operated solely with ink and paper were challenged to adopt high-tech information systems that would become the backbone of their day-to-day operations. Larger organizations created IT departments to help create, manage, and educate others about the use of these information systems.

However, with the growth of IT departments as well as the scale and complexity of IT systems, organizations lacked a consistent means of assessing their IT capabilities and developing accurate IT goals. In 1996, ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association), an international assessment organization, created COBIT. COBIT was a set of objectives meant to normalize IT standards and uses throughout many fields and industries. In this way, organizations could now assess their IT systems just as other auditing plans assessed business quality, financial health, customer service, and other aspects of business.

Rapidly changing technology required that the COBIT system undergo a constant process of reevaluation and modification. The original 1996 version of COBIT saw some extensive additions in 1998, making COBIT 2, which increased ease of use for managers in a variety of fields. COBIT 3 appeared two years later and featured expanded guidelines for IT and business management. In 2005, developers introduced COBIT 4 and modified it to COBIT 4.1 in 2007. These updates strengthened the system’s usability by a range of experts and leaders.

Although COBIT evolved through a series of modifications after its introduction in 1996, developers sought to continue updating the system to reflect changing technology and organizational needs. For this reason, ISACA created COBIT 5 in 2012 and modified it in 2013. COBIT 5 represented the peak of IT auditing systems, as it developed prior provisions on the management of IT risks and the governance of IT management. In 2018, ISACA released COBIT 2019, which incorporated yet more IT technology and business trends over the years in between.

Overview

The COBIT series of IT assessment tools was developed by ISACA starting in 1996 to help organizations manage their IT systems. Managers and other experts in an organization can use the descriptions of IT best practices as standardized by COBIT to assess their own IT abilities, create new IT strategies, reduce risk involved with poorly planned and managed IT initiatives, and make plans to improve their IT use. Thousands of IT experts have embraced the COBIT system and used it to streamline their operations, ensure most effective use of their resources, and meet both IT and overall organizational objectives with greatest efficiency.

Although COBIT has seen many modifications since its debut, it is, in general, a framework of processes explaining the activities, objectives, and measures of IT management. Managers can use the descriptions in this framework as examples of the most efficient and widely accepted means of accomplishing IT goals.

Most COBIT systems include four main domains in their description of IT processes. The first domain is PO (plan and organize), which outlines the steps by which managers can identify the structure of their IT systems as well as define their processes, relationships, and plans. The PO section additionally includes information on managing investments, expressing the goals and plans of management over IT functions, managing IT quality, and reducing related risks.

The second domain in COBIT is AI (acquire and implement). This domain involves gathering and maintaining the technological infrastructure and needed software and other applications to make it function to its greatest advantage. This section aids managers in finding, investing in, installing, and enabling the operation and organization-wide use of different IT solutions.

The third COBIT domain is DS (deliver and support), a section that deals with the effects and products of an IT system. The DS domain helps managers deal with levels of service, including third-party service, and ensuring that the service is consistent. It also provides guidelines for the education of users, security by which the IT system is subject, and handling incidents and other problems relating to the IT system and its products. Management criteria ranging from managing operations to facilities to data can also be found in this section.

The fourth and final domain of COBIT is the ME (monitor and evaluate) domain. This domain extends some of the concepts from the DS domain by giving more in-depth guidelines as to the monitoring and evaluation of the IT system’s performance and management, as well as its compliance with requirements.

The domains of COBIT are meant to benefit not only management but also IT auditors and the users of the IT systems. COBIT can help managers control their investments, maximize their output, and potentially create more rewards than risks. COBIT allows auditors to study IT systems through standardized criteria and therefore offer the most qualified opinions and advice to management. Finally, COBIT helps IT users by providing the most effective, well managed, and secure IT systems possible in an ever-changing technological and business environment.

Bibliography

Aldorisio, Jeff. “What Is COBIT?” Digital Guardian, 15 May 2018, digitalguardian.com/blog/what-cobit. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018.

“COBIT 5—The Framework for the Governance of Enterprise IT.” IT Governance Ltd., www.itgovernance.eu/en-ie/cobit-ie. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Harisaiprasad, Kumaragunta. "COBIT 2019 and COBIT 5 Comparison." ISACA, 27 Apr. 2020, www.isaca.org/resources/news-and-trends/industry-news/2020/cobit-2019-and-cobit-5-comparison. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

Kidd, Chrissy. “What Is COBIT? COBIT Explained.” BMC, 6 Dec. 2024, www.bmc.com/guides/itil-cobit-introduction.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.

“What Is COBIT? A Framework for Alignment and Governance." CIO, 12 June 2023, www.cio.com/article/228151/what-is-cobit-a-framework-for-alignment-and-governance.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.