Retiring the Board Pack

Physical board papers—once the backbone of corporate governance—are now a relic of the past. At one time, board members would arrive at meetings to find a printed “board pack” awaiting them, often as thick as an old phone book. These massive collections of documents were essential reading and a hallmark of traditional boardroom culture.

A Legacy of Paper and Photocopiers

The rise of the board pack can be traced back to 1959, with the introduction of the Haloid Xerox Model 914. This revolutionary photocopier was such a success that the company eventually changed its name to Xerox Corporation. Over the following four decades, faster and smarter copiers made it easier for company secretaries to produce ever-larger board packs—compilations of reports, resolutions, policies, and supporting materials.

Enter the PDF Era

In the early 1990s, Adobe co-founder John Warnock, introduced the Portable Document Format PDF (Portable Document Format)which revolutionized how documents were shared and archived. The format gained traction after the IRS adopted it for distributing tax forms. For boards, the PDF promised a greener, more convenient way to distribute materials.

Unfortunately, going paperless didn’t solve all the problems—it just changed their nature. While some trees may have been spared, directors were now stuck sifting through digital stacks of documents that were just as dense, if not more so, than the paper originals.

Why PDF Board Packs Are a Security Risk

From a security standpoint, PDF board packs are problematic. Once a board pack is finalized and exported to PDF, the information it contains is no longer protected by the organization’s internal systems. These files—often containing highly sensitive information such as strategic decisions, financials, merger discussions, and executive resignations—are simply emailed to directors or shared via unsecured channels.

From there, the risks multiply:

  • A director downloads the file to a shared home computer.

  • Someone forwards the pack to an unauthorised third party.

  • A printed copy is left unattended in a public space.

  • A copy is stored on a laptop that later gets lost or stolen.

Even so-called “password protection” offers little real security. A quick Google search for “remove PDF password” reveals thousands of tools and tutorials for bypassing these safeguards. And, more often than not, passwords are eventually removed altogether—usually because directors forget them.

The Board Portal: A Better Alternative

Modern board portals solve these problems by eliminating the need for PDFs altogether. These secure platforms allow companies to build, manage, and distribute agendas and supporting documents directly within a controlled digital environment.

Beyond the Board Pack: Active Meeting Surfaces

Today’s most advanced board portals are equipped with fully digital meeting platforms that replace the PDF with dynamic, real-time meeting surfaces. These platforms support a wide range of board interactions and eliminate the need for static document distribution.

Some legacy board portals are limited by outdated technology stacks that don’t support real-time collaboration without constant page refreshes. In contrast, platforms built on modern frameworks—like BoardCloud’s Active Meeting and Azeus Convene's eAGM—offer real-time updates and seamless interactivity.

What Today’s Leading Virtual Board Platforms Can Do

Here’s what a full-featured virtual board meeting platform typically offers:

Pre-Meeting Capabilities

  • Collaborative agenda creation and approval

  • Dynamic agenda building with the ability to add or revise items and documents

In-Meeting Features

  • Real-time attendance tracking

  • Live voting on motions with immediate result reporting

  • Real-time agenda updates and movement

  • Agenda-specific comments and personal notes

  • In-meeting chat functionality

  • Electronic document signing

These platforms support virtual, hybrid, and even traditional in-room board meetings with equal ease, ensuring that all directors are engaged, informed, and secure—wherever they are.

The Final Verdict: Ditch the Board Pack

The time has come to leave behind the outdated and insecure PDF board pack. With modern digital platforms offering superior functionality, security, and collaboration, there's simply no reason to cling to the past.

Board governance is evolving. Isn’t it time your tools did too?

[Updated: May 2025]

About the author

BoardCloud USA Editor

United States BoardCloud Editor.