AS 8015

{{Short description|Australian technology standard}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''AS 8015-2005''': ''Australian Standard for Corporate Governance of Information and Communication Technology'' is a technical standard developed by Standards Australia Committee IT-030 and published in January 2005. The standard provides principles, a model and vocabulary as a basic framework for implementing effective corporate governance of information and communication technology (ICT) within any organization.<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qtREBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 |chapter=10: AS 8015-2005 - Australian Standard for Corporate Governance of ICT |title=Frameworks for IT Management |author=da Cruz, M. |editor1=van Bon, J. |editor2=Verheijen, T. |publisher=Van Haren Publishing |year=2006 |pages=95–102 |isbn=9789077212905 |accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="McKayAust07">{{cite journal |title=Australia leads the world on ICT governance |journal=Up |author=McKay, A. |volume=8 |issue=Summer 2007 |page=3 |year=2007 |url=http://www.icsid.org/smallbox4/file.php?sb47dec3c68a502 |format=PDF |accessdate=23 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911085709/http://www.icsid.org/smallbox4/file.php?sb47dec3c68a502 |archive-date=2009-09-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The standard was the first "to describe governance of IT without resorting to descriptions of management systems and processes."<ref name="JuizToGov15">{{cite journal |title=To Govern IT, or Not to Govern IT? |journal=Communications of the ACM |author=Juiz, C. |author2=Toomey, M. |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=58–64 |year=2015 |doi=10.1145/2656385|s2cid=34086325 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1001978 }}</ref> AS 8105 later became the catalyst and main infrastructure for the creation of the international ISO/IEC 38500:2008 ''Information technology — Governance of IT for the organization'' standard.<ref name="SmallwoodInfo14">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5U6AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 |chapter=Chapter 10: Information Governance and Information Technology Functions |title=Information Governance: Concepts, Strategies, and Best Practices |author=Smallwood, R.F. |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc |pages=189–206 |year=2014 |isbn=9781118421017 |accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="ToomeyASig08">{{cite web |author=Toomey |first=Mark |date=20 November 2008 |title=A Significant Achievement |url=http://www.infonomics.com.au/Web%20Content/Documents/The_Infonomics_Letter_Special_Edition_Nov_2008.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815091517if_/http://www.infonomics.com.au/Web%20Content/Documents/The_Infonomics_Letter_Special_Edition_Nov_2008.pdf |archive-date=15 August 2016 |accessdate=23 June 2016 |work=The Infonomics Letter |publisher=Infonomics Pty Ltd}}</ref>

==History== The collapse of the Dot-com bubble into the early 2000s brought about demands for greater corporate disclosure and accountability. The costly failure of many information technology (IT) initiatives caused many to point fingers at poor corporate and information governance.<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06" /> One location where the call for the development of new IT management and governance standards was answered was within non-government standards development body Standards Australia. An IT Management and Governance working group called IT-030 was announced in July 2002<ref name="MillsNat02">{{cite web |author=Mills |first=Kelly |date=18 July 2002 |title=National guidelines for IT on their way |url=http://www.itworldcanada.com/article/national-guidelines-for-it-on-their-way/26005 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623171848/http://www.itworldcanada.com/article/national-guidelines-for-it-on-their-way/26005 |archive-date=23 June 2016 |accessdate=23 June 2016 |work=IT World Canada |publisher=IT World Canada, Inc}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2023|reason=Does not mention Standards Australia working group|talk=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:AS_8015#Failed_verification_of_citations_in_%22History%22_section}} and fully formed in August.<ref name="Z0001_02">{{cite web |url=https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/Z0001/IT-030-Z0001.DOC |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050701112229/https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/Z0001/IT-030-Z0001.DOC |title=Fact Sheet - IT Management and Governance (Z0001) |publisher=Standards Australia |date=13 August 2002 |archivedate=1 July 2005 |accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=August 2023|reason=Does not include information about the formation of the working group|talk=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:AS_8015#Failed_verification_of_citations_in_%22History%22_section}} The committee which drafted and recommended the publication included representatives from over 30 organizations, including the Australian Computer Society, Australian Bankers Association, Australian Institute of Company Directors, and Australia's Department of Defence.<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06" /> One of IT-030's first substantial meetings was held in Sydney September 24–26 with the goal of using a qualitative survey to gauge interest in developing a full standard.<ref name="IT-030Arch">{{cite web |url=https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050701112229/https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/ |title=IT-030 ICT Governance and Management |publisher=Standards Australia |archivedate=1 July 2005 |accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref><ref name="CruzMarket16">{{cite web |author=da Cruz |first=Marghanita |date= 30 September 2002|title=Market Research into perceptions about the governance of Information and Communication Technologies |url=http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/ictgov.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825132434if_/https://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/ictgov.html |archive-date=25 August 2023 |accessdate=25 August 2023 |publisher=Ramin Communications}}</ref> Those insights were discussed at a follow-up meeting in Canberra on September 30, agreeing that the "'Governance of Information and Communications Technologies' would be a more accurate reflection of the emerging scope of the standard."<ref name="CruzMarket16" /> By late January 2003, draft documents of the standard began to appear.<ref name="IT-030ArchDocArch">{{cite web |url=https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/ARCHIVE/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824003854/https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/ARCHIVE/ |title=IT-030 Archived Documents |publisher=Standards Australia |archivedate=24 August 2006 |accessdate=23 June 2016}}</ref> By September 2004, the draft standard was being presented at the 2004 Australian Computer Society National Conference in Melbourne, and submitted comments were being resolved, with an eye on a late 2004 publication.<ref name="CruzDraft16">{{cite web |author=da Cruz |first=Marghanita |date=2004 |title=Draft Australian Standard for the Corporate Governance of ICT |url=http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/corpgovict-slides.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825132345if_/https://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/corpgovict-slides.html |archive-date=25 August 2023 |accessdate=25 August 2023 |publisher=Ramin Communications}}</ref><ref name="CruzAS8015_16">{{cite web |author=da Cruz |first=Marghanita |date= |title=AS 8015 (2005) - Australian Standard for Corporate Governance of ICT |url=http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/as8015.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825135213if_/https://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/as8015.html |archive-date=25 August 2023 |accessdate=25 August 2023 |publisher=Ramin Communications}}</ref> The final version was published in January 2005.<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06" />

==The standard== The 12-page standard places responsibility for ICT firmly within the hands of the organization, and "[i]t involves evaluating and directing the plans for the use of ICT to support the organization and monitoring this use to achieve plans."<ref name="CruzAS8015_16" /> It features six main principles of quality governance of ICT:<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06" /><ref name="CruzAS8015_16" />

# Clearly delineate responsibilities for ICT. # Carefully plan ICT to best support the organization. # Ensure the acquisition of ICT is valid. # Ensure implemented ICT performs as expected, if not better, when needed. # Verify that ICT conforms to a set of formal rules. # Ensure ICT respects human factors.

It also includes a model demonstrating how directors should monitor and evaluate how their organization is using ICT in response to the pressures and demands being placed on the company. The standard also lays out vocabulary that helps unify other previous standards with AS 8015.<ref name="Cruz10AS8015_06" />

As one of the first standards to lay out IT governance so simply, AS 8015 strongly influenced the development of ISO/IEC 38500:2008 ''Information technology — Governance of IT for the organization'', an international standard that went on to make "a clear distinction between governance and management."<ref name="SmallwoodInfo14" /><ref name="ToomeyASig08" />

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050701112229/https://committees.standards.org.au/COMMITTEES/IT-030/ Archive of early work by IT-030] * [http://www.ramin.com.au/itgovernance/as8015.html Background from Ramin Communications], a significant contributor to the project.

{{DEFAULTSORT:As 8015}} Category:Information technology governance Category:Corporate governance in Australia Category:Standards of Australia