IT and data: information management for organisations

Practical guides on IT costs, data and reporting, software, infrastructure, security, compliance and AI, for owners, advisers and finance teams.

18 topics Updated 2026

In this topic: Knowledge base 7

In short

Information management makes sure the right information reaches the right people at the right time, so they decide better, work more efficiently and reach the organisation's goals. It covers how information flows and the systems behind them are organised and steered: who owns data and applications, what it may cost, which risks are acceptable, and how IT, finance, operations and management work together.

Owners and directors
Accountants and advisers
Controllers and finance teams

Every organisation steers on information that comes from somewhere: the accounting system, the ERPERPEnterprise resource planning: one system for finance, purchasing, stock, production and sales, working from one shared database., the planning tool, or a spreadsheet someone built years ago. Whether that information reaches the right people on time, correct and secure is not a technical detail. It is a management question.

These guides are written for business owners and managing directors, for accountants and advisers who support clients, and for controllers, finance business partners and managers in larger organisations. Technical terms are explained the first time they appear, and each guide then goes into depth, with a practical part of examples, scans, checklists and playbooks.

Seven areas, one question: does information help the organisation decide and work better, at an acceptable cost and risk? Each area links to its guides.

Start with your question

Where does it pinch?

Pick the situation that sounds most familiar and start there.

CostsNobody knows what IT really costsStart with an overview of every system, its owner and its cost over the whole life.IT costs and TCO ReportingThe monthly report is copy and pasteSix signs that it is time to move recurring reporting out of spreadsheets.Excel or Power BI InfrastructureThe server is due for replacementCompare cloud and your own hardware on cost, security, data location and exit.Cloud or your own server CustomersA customer sends a security questionnaireWhy customers ask, which frameworks sit behind the questions and how to answer.Security questionnaires IncidentFiles will not open and there is a ransom noteWhat to do in the first hours, whom to call and when to report.Ransomware response AIStaff use AI chatbots without any rulesClear rules for staff and what AI regulation asks of employers.AI policy and AI literacy

Quick scan

Where do you stand?

One statement per area. Answer for your own organisation; the result shows which guides to read first.

01We know what each system costs per year, and who owns it.
02Our key figures have one agreed definition that every report uses.
03Our accounting and ERP software fit the way we work, without workarounds in spreadsheets.
04We have tested restoring data from a backup in the last twelve months.
05Every account signs in with a second step, such as a code on a phone.
06We can explain to a customer in writing how we protect their data.
07Staff know which AI tools they may use, and with which data.

All guides

Seven areas, every guide in one place

Each area starts with the basics and then goes into depth.

01 Strategy and organisation

IT strategy, costs and the IT partner

What IT really costs, who runs it, and how you stay in control when you outsource.

02 Data and reporting

Reliable figures, from Excel to Power BI

Good reporting starts with agreed definitions, not with software. Then comes the question of how you report: in Excel, in Power BI, built in-house or by a specialist.

What belongs in a good report is covered in management reporting and KPI dashboards.

03 Software

Choosing, implementing and invoicing

The right package, a sound implementation, and readiness for electronic invoicing.

04 Infrastructure

Where your systems run, and how they keep running

The choice between cloud and your own hardware, and the backups that let you recover when something fails.

05 Security

The measures that remove most of the risk

The basics first, and a plan for the day something goes wrong anyway.

06 Compliance

Privacy rules and customer requirements

Rules differ by country, but the questions customers and regulators ask are surprisingly similar.

07 AI

From experiments to results, with clear rules

Where AI pays off in a business, what staff may and may not do with it, and how to move from pilots to measurable results.

The practical part of each guide

An IT cost scan and a five-year TCO example
Selection questions for an IT partner, with an SLA checklist and an exit plan
A Power BI set-up checklist, an RLS worksheet and governance roles
A cybersecurity quick scan with a ninety-day plan
An incident playbook with example messages for staff and customers
An example record of processing and an AI policy to adapt

Examples, scans and playbooks in every guide

Members get the practical part of each article, ready to adapt.

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Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is information management?

Information management is organising and steering an organisation's information supply from the needs of the business: which information is needed for decisions and processes, which systems provide it, who owns data and applications, what it may cost and which risks are acceptable. It is the demand side of IT. Building and running systems, the supply side, can sit in-house or with an IT partner. In larger organisations this is the role of an information manager or CIO, who links IT, finance, operations and management. In smaller businesses the managing director or controller often does it.

Do I need technical knowledge to follow these articles?

No. Every technical term is explained in plain words the first time it appears. The articles then go into depth, so an IT coordinator, controller or adviser also gets value from them.

Where is the best place to start?

That depends on where it pinches. If the security basics and backups are not yet in place, start there: they remove the largest risk for relatively little effort. Once those are covered, an overview of IT costs with an owner per system and fixed definitions for the key figures give the most control, in a growing business as much as in a business unit of a large group.

Do the articles apply to my country?

The approach in the articles works everywhere. Where laws matter, such as privacy, e-invoicing or AI, we explain the common principles and name examples from several jurisdictions. Always check the specific rules of the countries where you operate with your adviser or the competent authority.