The IT Blind Spot

Why IT Rarely Gets the Attention It Deserves in the Boardroom — and What to Do About It

Despite growing exposure to operational and cyber risks, IT remains one of the least discussed topics at board level. Slides are presented, politely acknowledged, and quickly skipped. Yet behind every EBITDA margin issue, failed integration, or reporting inconsistency, there’s often a structural IT flaw. The problem isn’t a lack of awareness—it’s a lack of ownership.

Understanding how to elevate IT from a passive back-office topic to a board-level lever is now critical for both investors and CEOs.

"When IT is treated as a support function, it eventually becomes a risk function."

Boards often underestimate IT not because they dismiss it, but because they lack a clear framework to evaluate its real impact. The issues rarely come labelled as “technology problems”—they present as business friction, margin erosion, or reporting gaps. To reframe IT as a core board topic, you need to decode these symptoms, trace them to their root causes, and shift how the conversation is structured.

Here’s how to do that:

1. IT is everywhere — but accountability is nowhere
IT decisions impact almost every line of the P&L:
• Billing accuracy
• Margin tracking
• Cash forecasting
• Customer delivery
• Compliance
Yet few boards link underperformance to system design, data models, or tool governance. Often, there’s no owner accountable for tech decisions outside the CIO or CFO—who may themselves be under-resourced or siloed.

2. The signs are visible — if you know where to look
IT dysfunctions rarely show up as “IT issues”. They surface as:
• Gaps between sales forecasts and actuals
• Late closings due to reconciliation problems
• Inability to track margins by project or client
• Manual Excel workarounds that quietly erode efficiency

These are not just operational headaches—they directly affect valuation.

3. Boards struggle with abstraction
One reason IT is sidelined: it’s complex, technical, and often abstracted in buzzwords. Boards don’t want to discuss APIs or infrastructure—they want to understand the impact on risk, speed, control, and value creation. The narrative needs to be reframed in their language.

4. Bring IT into the boardroom — without the jargon
The solution isn’t more technical depth. It’s about reframing IT in strategic terms:
• What key decisions are currently made without reliable data?
• Which manual processes introduce risk, delays or cost?
• What part of the value chain is constrained by legacy tools?
• Where could technology improve conversion, margins, or integration?

Every board pack should include a short, focused view on these topics—not just an IT update.

5. Build joint accountability
To change the culture, IT cannot be “owned” solely by the CIO. It must be co-sponsored by business leaders and CFOs. Clear ownership of systems, data models and roadmaps is key—especially in mid-cap environments where budgets are tight and trade-offs are constant.