What is COBIT? A framework for alignment and governance
What
is
COBIT
and
why
is
it
important?
COBIT
is
an
IT
management
framework
developed
by
the
ISACA
to
help
businesses
develop,
organize,
and
implement
strategies
around
information
management
and IT
governance.
What
is
COBIT
and
why
is
it
important?
COBIT
is
an
IT
management
framework
developed
by
the
ISACA
to
help
businesses
develop,
organize,
and
implement
strategies
around
information
management
and IT
governance.
The
goal
of
the
COBIT
framework
is
to
support
“understanding,
designing,
and
implementing
the
management
and
governance
of
enterprise
IT
(EGIT),”
according
to
the
ISACA.
First
released
in
1996,
COBIT
(Control
Objectives
for
Information
and
Related
Technologies)
was
initially
designed
as
a
set
of
IT
control
objectives
to
help
the
financial
audit
community
better
navigate
the
growth
of
IT
environments.
In
1998,
the
ISACA
released
version
2,
which
expanded
the
framework
to
apply
outside
the
auditing
community.
Later,
in
the
2000s,
the
ISACA
developed
version
3,
which
brought
in
the
IT
management
and
information
governance
techniques
found
in
the
framework
today.
COBIT
4
was
released
in
2005,
followed
by
the
refreshed
COBIT
4.1
in
2007.
These
updates
included
more
information
regarding
governance
surrounding
information
and
communication
technology.
In
2012,
COBIT
5
was
released
and
in
2013,
the
ISACA
released
an
add-on
to
COBIT
5,
which
included
more
information
for
businesses
regarding
risk
management
and
information
governance.
The
ISACA
announced
an
updated
version
of
COBIT
in
2018,
ditching
the
version
number
and
naming
it
COBIT
2019.
This
updated,
and
most
recent,
version
of
COBIT
is
designed
to
constantly
evolve
with
“more
frequent
and
fluid
updates,”
according
to
the
ISACA.
COBIT
2019
was
introduced
to
build
governance
strategies
that
are
more
flexible
and
collaborative
and
that
address
new
and
changing
technology.
Difference
between
COBIT
5
and
COBIT
2019
COBIT
5
was
released
in
2012,
but
by
2019
a
lot
of
changes
were
introduced
around
compliance
and
regulation
standards
in
the
industry,
most
notably
the
adoption
of
the
European
GDPR
framework
for
data
protection
laws.
Regulations
went
into
effect
in
the
spring
of
2018
and
the
ISACA
updated
the
governance
principles
of
COBIT
to
accommodate
this
new
focus,
adding
a
6th
principle
to
the
framework.
While
COBIT
has
always
had
a
focus
on
regulations
and
compliance,
these
new
standards
helped
shape
the
revised
COBIT
2019
framework
with
an
updated
lens
on
governance
management.
For
organizations
embarking
on
digital
transformation,
COBIT
helps
navigate
the
complexities
of
IT
compliance,
regulation,
and
governance.
COBIT
2019
introduced
three
new
governance
principles
that
revolve
around
the
openness
and
flexibility
of
the
framework.
The
framework
states
that
not
only
should
governance
strategies
remain
open
and
flexible,
but
they
should
also
be
based
on
conceptual
models
and
aligned
to
major
standards
and
regulations.
Additionally,
the
updated
COBIT
framework
bases
performance
management
around
the
CMMI
performance
Management
Scheme,
which
focuses
on
measuring
capability
and
maturity
levels.
Previously,
COBIT
5
relied
on
International
Organization
for
Standardization
(ISO)
and
the
International
Electrotechnical
Commission
(IEC)
to
define
capability
and
maturity
levels.
About Author
