Understanding COBIT 2019

COBIT, which stands for Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies, represents the leading framework for enterprise IT governance and management. Developed by ISACA over decades of refinement, COBIT 2019 provides a comprehensive approach to ensuring that information technology delivers value while managing risk appropriately.

The Evolution to COBIT 2019

COBIT 2019 represents a significant evolution from its predecessor COBIT 5. While maintaining the core governance principles, COBIT 2019 introduces greater flexibility through design factors that allow tailoring to specific organizational contexts. The framework recognizes that one size does not fit all and provides mechanisms for appropriate customization.

The 2019 version also introduces the concept of focus areas, which provide guidance for specific topics like cybersecurity, DevOps, and cloud computing. These focus areas build upon the core model to address contemporary IT challenges that organizations face.

Framework Architecture

At the heart of COBIT 2019 lies the core model, which defines forty governance and management objectives organized across five domains. These objectives represent the full scope of capabilities needed for effective IT governance and management. Each objective includes detailed processes, practices, and activities.

Design factors shape how organizations implement the core model. Eleven design factors cover dimensions including enterprise strategy, goals, risk profile, IT role, and regulatory requirements. These factors enable organizations to determine which objectives apply, how intensively they should be implemented, and how they should be prioritized.

Focus areas provide topic-specific guidance that builds upon the core model. Rather than creating separate frameworks for emerging concerns, COBIT 2019 addresses topics like security, privacy, and digital transformation within the unified framework structure.

The Five Domains

The Evaluate, Direct and Monitor domain addresses governance responsibilities. Its five objectives ensure appropriate governance framework establishment, benefits delivery, risk optimization, resource optimization, and stakeholder transparency.

The Align, Plan and Organize domain encompasses management objectives related to strategic alignment and planning. Its fourteen objectives cover areas including IT strategy, enterprise architecture, service agreements, and security management.

The Build, Acquire and Implement domain addresses solution development and implementation. Its eleven objectives guide program management, requirements definition, solution development, change management, and asset management.

The Deliver, Service and Support domain focuses on operational excellence. Its six objectives address service level management, service continuity, security services, and service request management.

The Monitor, Evaluate and Assess domain ensures ongoing performance management. Its four objectives cover performance monitoring, internal control assessment, compliance evaluation, and assurance provision.

Integration with Security Standards

COBIT complements rather than replaces security-specific standards like ISO 27001. The APO13 objective addresses managed security at the strategic level, while DSS05 covers security services operationally. Organizations often use COBIT as an umbrella framework that encompasses ISO 27001 certification within a broader governance context.