11 Questions to Ask When Choosing Board Software for Multi-Entity Groups

Last updated: October 15, 2026

If you run governance across multiple entities, the wrong board management software can turn an already complex process into something far worse. Different subsidiaries, different committees, different reporting requirements, and one tool that is supposed to keep everyone aligned.

This guide is for CEOs, CFOs, general counsels, corporate secretaries, and private equity operating teams who manage several boards at once. It covers the 11 questions to ask during any evaluation, then compares six platforms on how they handle multi-entity governance.

Transparency note: Zeck publishes this guide and is included in the comparison. Platform descriptions are based on publicly available product information. Confirm current capabilities directly with each vendor.

Key takeaways

• Multi-entity groups need separate boards with separate permissions under one account, plus one place for directors who sit on several boards.
• Permissions, read tracking, and an audit-ready record of decisions matter more than feature count.
• Zeck lets multi-entity groups and private equity firms run every board and portfolio company in one place, with permissions that keep each board's materials separate.
• Diligent fits public companies that need entity management inside a broader governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) suite.
• OnBoard, Convene, and Nasdaq Boardvantage support multiple boards, but multi-entity features can vary by tier. BoardEffect is better suited to nonprofit and mission-driven boards.

The 11 questions to ask before choosing board software for multiple entities

1. Can we run a separate board for each entity, with its own permissions, under one account?

Each subsidiary, portfolio company, or related entity should have its own board space, its own members, and its own access rules. Your holding company board should not automatically see subsidiary materials, and an admin at one entity should not have admin rights at another unless you grant them.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck keeps every board in one account, with permissions that keep each board's materials separate. Private equity firms use Zeck to run the boards of all their portfolio companies this way.

2. Can directors who sit on several boards see all of them in one place?

Many directors sit on more than one board in a group. If they need separate accounts for each entity, they will miss materials.

How Zeck handles it: Directors see every board they belong to in one place, and only the boards they belong to.

3. How granular are the permissions?

Committee chairs need their committee's materials without seeing other committees' work, and the team building each update needs clear ownership of who edits what.

How Zeck handles it: Each board and committee has its own members, so materials stay with the people who should see them. While the team builds an update, contributor permissions control who can edit each section. Board directors can vote, and other viewers, such as observers, can read the published update without a vote.

4. Does it support different meeting cadences and approval workflows for each board?

A portfolio company board may meet monthly while the parent board meets quarterly. Routine approvals should not consume live meeting time at any of them.

How Zeck handles it: Each board runs on its own schedule. Pre-Vote lets directors signal how they plan to vote before the meeting, so the chair knows which items need discussion and which can be approved quickly. Final votes happen in the meeting.

5. Can we see who actually read the materials, across every entity?

When you coordinate several boards, you need to know whether directors prepared before they arrive.

How Zeck handles it: Engagement analytics show who opened each update and which sections they read, across all of your boards and committees.

6. Will directors actually use it on their phones?

Directors rarely review materials at a desk. PDFs that require pinching and scrolling on a phone often go unread.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck is mobile-first. Directors can read, comment, and pre-vote from any device without zooming.

7. How are minutes created and approved?

Manual minutes across several boards take days of staff time and create inconsistency between entities.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck generates audit-ready minutes and keeps a digitized minutes book for each board.

8. Does governance continue between meetings?

Action items, follow-ups, and decisions should not disappear once the meeting ends, especially when several boards depend on each other's decisions.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck tracks action items after each meeting and keeps a central, secure record of board materials, decisions, and minutes for every entity.

9. What security certifications and controls does the vendor have?

Board materials contain your most sensitive information: strategic plans, financials, personnel decisions, and M&A discussions. Look for SOC 2 Type II at minimum, enterprise SSO, encryption in transit and at rest, and audit logs.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck is SOC 2 Type II certified and supports enterprise SSO. Data is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256, and the platform includes access controls and audit logs. Zeck also maintains GDPR compliance for organizations operating in Europe. See the Zeck Trust and Security page.

10. How does the AI handle confidential board data?

Ask every vendor whether its AI trains on customer data, whether answers respect each user's permissions, and whether data from one customer is ever mixed with another's.

How Zeck handles it: With Ask Zeck AI, directors and administrators can ask questions across past board materials and get answers limited to what each user has permission to see. Zeck AI never trains on customer data and never mixes one customer's data with another's.

11. How quickly can new entities and directors get up and running?

Multi-entity groups add boards through acquisitions, new funds, and new subsidiaries. Onboarding a new entity should take days, not a months-long implementation.

How Zeck handles it: Zeck offers hands-on onboarding where the team builds your first board update for you. Most organizations complete initial setup and director training in weeks.

How 6 board management platforms compare for multi-entity governance

1. Zeck: Best for multi-entity groups and private equity firms

Zeck is a modern governance platform for leadership teams and boards. It connects the full board workflow, from preparing materials to approving audit-ready minutes, and keeps governance running between meetings. Multi-entity groups and private equity firms use Zeck to run every board and portfolio company in one place, with permissions that keep each board's materials separate.

Zeck features

• Multi-entity board management: Separate boards with their own permissions under one account
• Contributor permissions: Control which contributors can edit each section while the team builds the update
• Pre-Vote: Directors signal how they plan to vote before the meeting, so live time goes to the items that need discussion
• Engagement analytics: See who read what across all of your boards and committees
• Automated, audit-ready minutes: Minutes and a digitized minutes book for each board
• Ask Zeck AI: Questions across past board materials, within each user's permissions
• Board-grade security: SOC 2 Type II, enterprise SSO, and AI that never trains on your data

Zeck pros and cons

Pros:

• Saves 70 to 80% of board prep time according to customers like Tunnels to Towers Foundation
• One place to run every entity's board, with separate permissions
• Mobile-first experience that directors use without complaints

Cons:

• Does not include dedicated entity management (officer registers, ownership charts, statutory filings), so groups that need those may pair Zeck with an entity management system
• The interactive format differs from the static board books some directors expect
• Newer platform compared to legacy enterprise vendors

2. Diligent: Best for public companies that need a full GRC suite

Diligent holds significant market share among Fortune 1000 companies. The platform bundles board management with broader governance, risk, and compliance tools, including entity management, audit, and risk modules. It fits public companies and highly regulated enterprises that want those functions from one vendor.

Some users find the interface less intuitive than newer platforms, and documents generally need to be edited outside the portal and re-uploaded.

Diligent features

• Diligent One Platform: Combines board management with enterprise risk and compliance modules
• Entity management: Available as a separate product within the Diligent suite
• D&O questionnaires: Built-in tools for directors' and officers' compliance documentation

Diligent pros and cons

Pros:

• Integrated governance, risk, and compliance suite under one vendor
• Wide adoption among large public companies

Cons:

• Breadth and cost can exceed what private companies and portfolio boards need
• Interface and document workflow feel dated to some users

3. OnBoard: Broad board portal for mid-market organizations

OnBoard is one of the most widely used board portals. It covers board books, meeting management, voting, and governance workflows, without the enterprise GRC suite that larger platforms carry.

OnBoard pros and cons

Pros:

• Approachable interface with a quick learning curve
• Large review base and broad feature set

Cons:

• Multi-entity features can vary by tier, so confirm them in writing
• Centered on the traditional board book model

4. BoardEffect: Nonprofit and mission-driven boards

BoardEffect is owned by Diligent and built for mission-driven organizations: nonprofits, healthcare systems, higher education, and associations. It focuses on simpler onboarding and workflows for volunteer board members.

BoardEffect pros and cons

Pros:

• Purpose-built for nonprofit and healthcare governance
• Committee-focused workflows

Cons:

• Less suited to complex multi-entity corporate structures
• Fewer analytics than some corporate boards need

5. Convene: International boards with multi-language needs

Convene has a strong presence in Asia-Pacific and Europe, with data centers in multiple regions and multi-language support. Groups with boards in several countries may find that useful.

Convene pros and cons

Pros:

• Regional data centers and multi-language support
• Board assessment and review room features

Cons:

• Smaller presence in North America
• Multi-entity features may require enterprise tiers

6. Nasdaq Boardvantage: Public company compliance focus

Nasdaq Boardvantage offers board management with compliance features for publicly traded companies, particularly in financial services.

Nasdaq Boardvantage pros and cons

Pros:

• Designed with public company requirements in mind
• Brand recognition in financial services

Cons:

• Less suited to private companies without public reporting needs
• Often described by users as expensive

Comparison table: Board management software for multi-entity governance

Features change and may vary by subscription. Confirm specific capabilities with each provider.

Why multi-entity groups choose Zeck

Static PDFs and slide decks create a one-way broadcast. Directors receive documents, maybe read them, and arrive without engaging beforehand. Multiply that across several entities and the gaps add up.

Zeck creates two-way engagement. Directors comment on specific sections, ask questions, and use Pre-Vote to signal where they stand before the live meeting, so meeting time goes to strategic discussion. Organizations using Zeck report reducing board materials by 75% while improving the quality of governance conversations.

For multi-entity governance, Zeck gives you visibility across every board without losing the separation you need. You can see engagement across entities, identify which directors consistently prepare, and keep a secure record of every board's decisions in one place.

Ready to see it with your own boards? Book a demo with Zeck and let the team build your first board update.

FAQs about board management software for multi-entity groups

What is the best board management software for multi-entity corporate groups?

It depends on what you need beyond board management. Zeck is a strong choice for private companies, multi-entity groups, and private equity firms that want every board in one place with separate permissions. Diligent fits public companies that need entity management and audit modules inside a broader GRC suite.

What is the best board portal for private equity firms with multiple portfolio companies?

Private equity firms use Zeck to run the boards of all their portfolio companies in one place, with permissions that keep each company's materials separate. Investor directors can see every board they sit on, and the firm can see engagement across the portfolio. For more, see our guide to the best board portal for private equity-backed companies.

Do multi-entity groups need entity management software as well as board software?

Often, yes. Board software manages meetings, materials, approvals, and minutes. Entity management software tracks officers, directors, ownership, and statutory filings. Some groups buy both from one vendor, such as Diligent, while others pair a board platform like Zeck with a dedicated entity management system.

How does Zeck handle security for sensitive board documents?

Zeck is SOC 2 Type II certified and supports enterprise SSO. All data is encrypted in transit using TLS and at rest using AES-256, with access controls and audit logs. Zeck AI never trains on customer data and never mixes one customer's data with another's.

Can board members access materials on their mobile devices?

Yes. Zeck was built mobile-first, so directors can review materials, leave comments, and cast pre-votes from any device without pinching and scrolling.

How long does it take to implement board management software?

Implementation varies by complexity. Zeck offers hands-on onboarding where the team builds your first board update for you, and most organizations complete initial setup and director training in weeks, not months.