I am approaching my 1-year anniversary as the IT Governance Evangelist at CA. Yes, that is my official title, as peculiar as that may seem. In this role, I have spoken at more than 40 events in five countries, and that is the title that appears on each presentation.  I've learned to wait for the chuckles as I am introduced. Even my business card elicits a response of "Oh! You were serious!"

Ironically, though my title is often met with puzzled looks, it is the most literal title I have ever had. To understand it, you need only understand the definitions of "IT Governance" and "Evangelist."

There are a number of industry definitions of "IT Governance." I think the easiest to understand comes from Peter Weill of the MIT Sloan School of Management who defined IT governance as "specifying the decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in using IT."

I augment that definition by adding that IT Governance is pursued in order to achieve principles articulated by the IT Governance Institute (ITGI), which describes itself as the "research think tank that exists to be the leading reference on IT-enabled business systems governance for the global business community." The principles include: 

• Ensuring IT is aligned with the business
• Ensuring IT provides value to the business
• Ensuring IT manages risk
• Ensuring IT manages resources
• Ensuring IT manages performance

Merriam-Webster's dictionary definition of evangelist includes the following: "An enthusiastic advocate." I prefer to tell people I am a "passionate" advocate for IT Governance. I fervently believe IT Governance is the key to ensuring IT reaches its potential as a true enabler of the business.

This blog is my pulpit from which I'll evangelize that message. I'll try not to be too "preachy."