The Organizational Intelligence Platform
Why Board Portals Fall Short
The New Business Brain for the whole organization, from the boardroom to the back office.
Board portal vs. EntityEngine
A board portal is great for meetings, and EntityEngine runs them too. Here’s how the features compare.
| Feature | Board portals | EntityEngine |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting scheduling and agendas | Yes | Yes |
| Board packets (board books) | Yes | Yes |
| Minutes, with AI help drafting (a person approves) | Yes | Yes |
| Votes and resolutions, including unanimous written consent | Yes | Yes† |
| E-signatures | Sometimes | Yes† |
| Secure document vault with role-based access | Yes | Yes |
| Tasks with owners and due dates | Sometimes | Yes |
| Tasks stay linked to the decision behind them | Sometimes | Yes |
| Staff and teams beyond the board, each with role-based access | No or rarely | Yes |
| Discussions and announcements | Sometimes | Yes† |
| One calendar for meetings and deadlines | Sometimes | Yes |
| Compliance deadline tracking | No or rarely | Yes |
| Mission Control: what needs attention, what’s due and what’s overdue | Sometimes | Yes |
| AI assistant that answers only from records each person may open | Sometimes | Yes |
| Decision record: finalized decisions are lifecycle-locked and retain a chronological audit history | Sometimes | Yes |
| Two-factor sign-in | Yes | Yes |
| Sign in with Google, Microsoft or LinkedIn | Sometimes | Yes |
| Form an LLC (Delaware and Florida) | No or rarely | Yes |
YesSometimesNo or rarely
† Depends on your plan; see pricing. The board portals column reflects what the major portals list on their own websites. Each one differs, so check the one you’re considering.
What is a board portal?
A board portal is secure software where a board keeps its meeting materials, builds agendas and board packets, votes, and records minutes. It replaces emailed PDFs and printed board books, and you’ll also hear it called board management software, which means the same thing.
A good board portal makes the board meeting easier, and that’s what it was built for. Most board portals are built around the meeting, though, so the work that follows a decision usually happens in other tools: email, shared drives, task apps and people’s heads.
Board portals are good for board management. Board decisions get stuck there.
Board portals are good at running board meetings, and a good one does that well. The trouble starts after the meeting, when the decision has to reach the people who do the daily work.
Some of it ends up in email, some in documents, some in other meetings, and a lot of it stays in people’s heads. So six months later, when someone asks why the board decided something or what happened with that plan, everybody goes digging through emails, folders and old minutes, and it’s an uncomfortable spot when you’re the one who’s supposed to know.
It isn’t rare, either. In Nasdaq’s 2025 Global Governance Pulse, only 42% of the 701 directors, executives and governance professionals surveyed said they have a formal process for documenting and monitoring action items.
Nobody is failing at their job. The organization just doesn’t have one shared memory.
Key takeaway
- A board portal is built around the board meeting: agendas, board packets, votes and minutes.
- After the vote, the follow-up usually scatters into email, documents and people’s heads.
- EntityEngine runs the board meeting too, and it keeps each decision linked to the tasks, owners and due dates that carry it out.
Board portals don’t connect to the people doing the work. Here’s how EntityEngine does.
Mission Control: what needs attention today
It shows each person what needs their attention, what’s due this week and what’s overdue, and an Action Brief explains what happened and what to do next.
Board meetings: agendas, packets and minutes
Schedule the board meeting, build the agenda and the board packet, and record and approve the minutes, all in one place.
Board votes and resolutions
Votes and resolutions go into the Decision Vault. Finalized decisions are lifecycle-locked and retain a chronological audit history.
Board decisions that become tasks
Turn a decision into tasks with an owner and a due date, and keep them linked to the decision.
Board documents in one secure vault
Bylaws, resolutions, board packets and minutes in one vault, with role-based permissions.
Ask Max: plain-word answers about your organization
Ask a question about your organization. Max answers using only records the person asking is allowed to open.
Best Board Portals
There’s no single best board portal, because board size, budget and security needs decide the fit. Here’s who each of the best-known portals is built for.
| Board portal | Best for |
|---|---|
| Diligent Boards | Large and public-company boards |
| Nasdaq Boardvantage | Public companies and regulated organizations |
| OnBoard | Mid-size and large boards that want strong director adoption |
| Azeus Convene | Enterprise and government boards that want cloud or on-premise hosting |
| BoardEffect (owned by Diligent) | Nonprofit, healthcare and higher-education boards |
| Board Intelligence | Large boards that want better board papers |
| BoardPro | Small boards, nonprofits and schools |
| Boardable | Nonprofits |
| Board Director | Boards that want a simple board portal for meetings, board books, minutes and votes, with staff and guests included |
| EntityEngine | The whole organization: the board and the people doing the work, from the boardroom to the back office |
Board Director and EntityEngine are companies Michael Barrick founded, so we aren’t neutral here. The other descriptions come from each vendor’s own website, checked in October 2026, and they change, so confirm with each vendor.
How the EntityEngine demo works
Pick the length that suits you, and you decide at the end.
- Pick a time.On the next page, choose a 15-minute intro or a 30-minute full walkthrough. You’ll get a confirmation by email.
- See it on an example organization.I walk you through Mission Control, the Meeting Engine, the Decision Vault, a decision turning into tasks, and Ask Max, and you ask whatever you like along the way.
- Decide whether it fits.If EntityEngine is right for your organization, we talk about next steps. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you so.
Meet Michael Barrick, founder of EntityEngine
I’m Michael Barrick, and I’ve worked with boards for more than a decade.
Before EntityEngine, I founded Board Director, a board portal company, so I’ve seen what board portals do well and where they stop. I built EntityEngine, a company I founded, because the same thing kept coming up: the board makes a decision, and then it doesn’t reach the people who have to act on it.
I’d like to show you what we built, and I’ll tell you honestly if it isn’t right for you.
Board portal FAQ
Is a board portal the same as board management software?
Yes. Board portal and board management software are two names for the same thing: secure software for board materials, meetings, votes and minutes.
Is EntityEngine a board portal?
Yes, and so much more. EntityEngine runs meetings, agendas, board packets, votes and minutes, and it keeps each decision connected to the tasks, documents, people and deadlines behind it, from the boardroom to the back office.
What’s the best board portal for a small nonprofit?
It depends on your budget and on whether anyone will ask you for a security certificate. BoardPro and Boardable are common starting points for small nonprofit boards. If you also want the board’s decisions connected to your staff’s work and your deadlines, that’s what EntityEngine is built for.
How much does a board portal cost?
Most board portals quote a price on request, and a few post their prices. EntityEngine’s plans and prices are on our pricing page, and the demo is free.
Do I have to give up the board portal I already use?
You don’t have to decide that to book. EntityEngine runs meetings, agendas, board packets, votes and minutes itself, so it can stand on its own. Whether it makes sense next to a portal you already pay for depends on your contract and how your board works, and I’ll give you a straight answer on the call.
Who can see what Ask Max tells me?
Max answers using only records the person asking is allowed to open, and access is set by role.
Is my data secure?
Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and access is set by role. We aren’t SOC 2 certified today, and I’d rather tell you that up front than imply it. If your board needs specific security answers, bring them to the call, and you can read more on our security page.
What happens on the demo?
You choose a 15-minute intro or a 30-minute full walkthrough. I show you Mission Control, the Meeting Engine, the Decision Vault, how a decision becomes tasks with an owner and a due date, and Ask Max, and then you ask whatever you like.
See EntityEngine, a board portal and so much more
A 15-minute intro or a 30-minute full walkthrough. You pick the time on the next page.
Have a board portal RFP? Send it to us, or ask for more information.
Tell us what you need, and I’ll reply by email.
EntityEngine is a company Michael Barrick founded. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice.
Privacy · Terms The presenter in this video is an AI version of Michael Barrick.