# Migrating Off Diligent: Checklist for Switching Board Portals > Diligent Boards (and related Diligent governance products) is a common enterprise standard. Teams leave when cost, complexity, director adoption, admin… Source: https://preparedboard.com/guides/migrating-off-diligent-checklist · Updated 2026-09-14 **Target keyword:** migrating off Diligent **Intent:** Commercial investigation / How-to **Last updated:** 2026-09-14 --- ## Why boards leave (and why they stay) Diligent Boards (and related Diligent governance products) is a common enterprise standard. Teams leave when **cost**, **complexity**, **director adoption**, **admin burden**, or **product-fit** for a smaller/mid-market board outweigh the comfort of the incumbent. Teams stay when security questionnaires, subsidiary entity complexity, or change-risk feel higher than the pain. This checklist helps chairs, corporate secretaries, GCs, IT/security, and CFOs plan a **controlled migration** off Diligent (or a Diligent-family product) to another board system — including lighter modern portals. It is operational guidance, not a dig at any vendor; verify all security and contractual claims yourself. --- ## Step 0 — Confirm the problem statement Write a one-pager: - [ ] What hurts today? (price, UX, workflow gaps, support, integrations) - [ ] What must not break? (SSO, audit logs, mobile, minutes, voting, entity structure) - [ ] Who feels the pain — directors, admins, or both? - [ ] Success metrics for a switch (on-time packs, login rates, admin hours, cost) If only one vocal director hates fonts, do not run a six-month RFP. --- ## Step 1 — Contract and commercial exit map - [ ] Locate Diligent order form, MSA, and renewal date - [ ] Note auto-renewal windows and notice periods - [ ] List modules actually used vs. shelved - [ ] Estimate true annual cost (licenses, implementations, training, add-ons) - [ ] Ask about data export assistance and fees **before** you announce a switch - [ ] Identify any multi-year commitments or minimums Negotiate renewal leverage *before* you are inside the auto-renew clock. --- ## Step 2 — Data inventory (what you must take with you) Typical classes: 1. **Users and roles** (directors, observers, admins, auditors) 2. **Historical board books / packs** (PDF or native) 3. **Minutes and approvals** 4. **Annotations / director notes** (often non-exportable — plan expectations) 5. **Questionnaires / COI responses** if in-suite 6. **Entity records** if using entity management modules 7. **Audit logs** (export what is available; screenshot critical evidence if needed) 8. **Voting records / written consents** 9. **Committee sites and permissions maps** Checklist: - [ ] Inventory by year and entity - [ ] Flag confidential / privileged folders - [ ] Identify orphaned users - [ ] Estimate volume (GB / document count) --- ## Step 3 — Security and IT requirements (buy once, cry once) Build a short security rider for any replacement: - [ ] Independent security audit report and certifications, if you require them - [ ] SSO (SAML/OIDC) + MFA - [ ] SCIM provisioning if you need it - [ ] Encryption in transit/at rest - [ ] Data residency needs - [ ] Audit logging and export - [ ] Mobile device controls / remote wipe capabilities as offered - [ ] Penetration test summary under NDA - [ ] Subprocessor list - [ ] Incident notification terms IT should score vendors against **your** policy, not a marketing matrix alone. --- ## Step 4 — Workflow requirements (secretary and Chair lens) Must-have vs. nice-to-have workshop: **Often must-have:** agenda/pack assembly, role-based access, minutes storage, mobile read, permissions for observers, reliable notifications, export. **Often differentiators:** prep/readiness scoring, decision briefs, action tracking, annotation continuity, voting, integrations with e-sign, AI assist with governance caution. Do not buy an enterprise GRC suite if you only needed a usable board book. --- ## Step 5 — Shortlist and proof of concept - [ ] 2–3 vendors max in deep POC - [ ] Use **your** last real pack as the sample - [ ] Include the least technical director in usability testing - [ ] Time an admin publishing a pack end-to-end - [ ] Test SSO on day one of POC - [ ] Test observer exclusion / committee rooms - [ ] Price in writing with 3-year TCO Score with weighted rubric (security, workflow, adoption, admin, commercial). --- ## Step 6 — Migration project plan (30 / 60 / 90) ### Days 1–30: Foundations - [ ] Kickoff: executive sponsor (often GC/Chair), secretary owner, IT owner - [ ] Contract executed with new vendor; Diligent notice timeline tracked - [ ] Information architecture designed (entities, committees, libraries) - [ ] SSO configured in staging - [ ] Historical archive strategy chosen (bulk PDF library vs. selective import) - [ ] Communication drafted for directors (“what changes for you”) ### Days 31–60: Build and pilot - [ ] Production SSO + MFA - [ ] Roster loaded with roles - [ ] Templates (agenda, minutes) created - [ ] Last 12–24 months key packs uploaded as archive - [ ] Pilot meeting on new system while Diligent still live (parallel) - [ ] Train admins; record 10-minute director how-to - [ ] Accessibility / mobile checks ### Days 61–90: Cutover and decommission - [ ] First “system of record” meeting solely on new portal - [ ] Freeze Diligent for new packs (read-only period) - [ ] Final export of any remaining materials - [ ] Confirm audit log / archive completeness - [ ] Disable Diligent users; retain contractual read access as negotiated - [ ] Post-migration retrospective; close RFP project --- ## Parallel-run guidance Run **one or two meetings** in parallel if risk is high: publish on both systems or publish on new while keeping Diligent as fallback read archive. Parallel forever is failure — set an end date. --- ## Historical archives: practical patterns **Pattern A — Cold archive:** Export PDFs to a controlled SharePoint/Drive/Vault with board-only permissions; new portal holds living meetings. **Pattern B — Warm import:** Upload key years into the new portal’s resource library. **Pattern C — Hybrid:** Last 24 months warm; older cold. Director annotations rarely migrate cleanly — set expectation early to avoid anger on day one. --- ## Change management for directors - [ ] Chair email explaining *why* (one screen) - [ ] 15-minute live walkthrough at end of a board meeting - [ ] Office hours with secretary - [ ] One-page login job aid - [ ] Celebrate first successful paperless cycle Adoption fails when directors discover the switch via a login error at 10pm before the meeting. --- ## Risk register (migration-specific) | Risk | Mitigation | |---|---| | Auto-renew surprise | Calendar notice deadlines at project start | | Incomplete export | Early export test; written vendor commitments | | SSO slippage | IT milestone gated before training | | Director revolt | Usability POC with skeptics; Chair sponsorship | | Permissions leak | Dual-control review of roster before go-live | | Lost annotations | Expectation setting; PDF archive | | Dual-system confusion | Hard cutover date; single notification channel | --- ## Cutover day checklist - [ ] New portal status green (SSO, notifications) - [ ] Pack published and opened by test director accounts - [ ] Diligent set to read-only / announcement posted - [ ] Support bridge (secretary + vendor success) on call - [ ] Rollback criteria defined (rare; usually “extend parallel,” not “rebuild Diligent overnight”) --- ## After go-live (first two meetings) - [ ] Gather friction points in a parking lot - [ ] Fix naming conventions and folder clutter early - [ ] Re-check observer/committee permissions - [ ] Measure login and open rates - [ ] Update board guidelines with “official system of record” language - [ ] Close commercial loop (Diligent off, new vendor billing verified) --- ## What “good” looks like 6 months later - Admins spend less time wrestling permissions - Packs ship on SLA more often - Directors stop asking for email attachments - Audit/exam document requests are faster - You are paying for modules you use If none of that improved, you changed logos, not governance operations. --- ## Lightweight vs. enterprise replacements Be honest about segment: - Complex global public company with entity management needs may still want enterprise suites - Nonprofit, PE portfolio company, startup, and mid-market boards often need **meeting workflow + security** without GRC sprawl Map requirements to segment before brand prestige drives the buy. --- ## Product POV Prepared Board focuses on preparation, packs, decisions, and actions with modern UX — a fit when Diligent-class complexity exceeds what your board actually runs. Whatever you choose, migrate with checklists, not hope. --- ## Internal links - [Board Portal Comparison](https://preparedboard.com/guides/board-portal-comparison) - [Board Pack Best Practices](https://preparedboard.com/guides/board-pack-best-practices) - [Board Secretary Playbook](https://preparedboard.com/guides/board-secretary-playbook) - [Board Director Onboarding Checklist](https://preparedboard.com/guides/board-director-onboarding-checklist) - [Startup Board Meetings](https://preparedboard.com/guides/startup-board-meetings) - [Board Observer Rights and Roles](https://preparedboard.com/guides/board-observer-rights-and-roles) --- ## Conclusion Leaving Diligent is a governance operations project: contract timing, data export, security, usability POC, parallel run, and director change management. Treat cutover like a financing closing — dated checklists, named owners, and no surprise for the people who must show up prepared. --- ### Sources 1. Board portal buyer’s guide practice — security and workflow rubrics 2. Security audit / SSO enterprise procurement norms 3. Change-management patterns for director-facing tools 4. Corporate secretary associations’ records continuity themes (secondary) ## Scoring rubric template (100 points) - Security & compliance fit — 30 - Meeting workflow (pack → minutes → actions) — 20 - Director adoption / UX — 20 - Admin efficiency — 10 - Integrations (SSO, calendar, e-sign) — 10 - Commercial / TCO / support — 10 Have each evaluator score independently before group discussion to reduce anchoring on brand familiarity. --- ## Common Diligent-to-alternative migration myths **“We will lose everything.”** You will lose some native features and annotations; packs and minutes can be preserved with a deliberate archive plan. **“Directors will never switch.”** Directors switch when Chair sponsors and the first pack is easier, not harder. **“Security means we must stay.”** Security is a questionnaire and control outcome — many alternatives meet mid-market and even enterprise bars; validate, do not assume. **“We can migrate in a weekend.”** Without SSO and roster hygiene, weekend cutovers create emergency email packs — the failure mode you were escaping. --- ## Nonprofit and smaller-board special notes - Prioritize usability and price transparency - Avoid paying for entity-management modules you will never configure - Confirm volunteer director mobile experience - Keep training under 15 minutes --- ## PE portfolio rollouts If a sponsor standardizes a portal across portcos: - [ ] Template rooms and naming conventions - [ ] Central security review once, then clone - [ ] Local secretary still owns meeting ops - [ ] Clear rule for co-investor observers’ access --- ## Records retention alignment Migration is a moment to enforce retention: - Align portal archive with document retention policy - Legal hold procedures documented - Destroy/expire rights understood under both vendors’ contracts --- ## Final pre-termination checklist (Diligent) - [ ] Final full export completed and verified - [ ] Business owner sign-off on archive completeness - [ ] Invoices reconciled - [ ] Users disabled - [ ] Renewal notice evidence filed - [ ] Lessons learned written for the next tool change --- ## Closing addendum A portal migration is successful when the second meeting is boring — packs on time, directors logged in, secretary not firefighting access tickets. Aim for boring. --- _Practice guidance, not legal advice. Bylaws, statutes, and counsel control._ Cite this page: Prepared Board, "Migrating Off Diligent: Checklist for Switching Board Portals," https://preparedboard.com/guides/migrating-off-diligent-checklist (updated 2026-09-14). Anchor: https://preparedboard.com/guides/migrating-off-diligent-checklist#cite-this Product claims are verified at https://preparedboard.com/facts and https://preparedboard.com/agent-facts.json. Anything not listed there is not a Prepared Board claim.