The verdict in three sentences
Emailing board packs as unencrypted attachments exposes a holding company to a leak of inside information at every meeting. A board portal centralises documents, electronic votes and minutes with encryption, named watermarks and an access log. SaaS licences cost about 7,000 to 21,000 GBP a year and custom builds 30,000 to 60,000 GBP from London agencies; Kolonell works within a range of 2.5 to 15M+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR) depending on complexity, with the rest quoted on request.
The problem: what email governance really costs
A London holding company with 7 subsidiaries has 14 directors, several of them based in Paris, Dubai or Johannesburg. It holds 6 board meetings and 12 committee meetings (audit, remuneration, investment) a year. Each meeting generates a pack of 80 to 250 pages: financial statements, draft resolutions, auditor reports.
| Risk of emailing board packs | Observed frequency | Possible consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Pack forwarded to a third party | 1 to 3 times a year | Leak on a disposal or financing |
| Outdated version used in the meeting | 20 to 30% of meetings | Debate on wrong figures, resolution deferred |
| Director's personal mailbox compromised | Not measured | Access to resolutions before announcement |
| No proof of receipt | 100% of sends | Notice of meeting challenged |
| Minutes signed late | 3 to 6 weeks | Delayed Companies House filings |
| Untracked email vote | Common in emergencies | Legal weakness under the Companies Act 2006 |
The Companies Act 2006 allows written resolutions and virtual participation where the articles permit, provided directors can be identified. A portal provides exactly that traceability, and the UK Corporate Governance Code expects boards to manage information securely.
SaaS licence or custom portal: the comparison
| Criterion | International SaaS licence | Custom portal (London market) | Kolonell custom portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry cost | 0 to 2,500 GBP of setup | 30,000 to 60,000 GBP | 2.5 to 15M+ FCFA depending on complexity |
| Recurring cost | 7,000 to 21,000 GBP a year | 10 to 15% of the project a year | Maintenance quoted on request |
| Data hosting | Vendor's region | Your choice, UK included | Your choice |
| Fit with committees and subsidiaries | Limited to built-in options | Full | Full |
| Languages | English, other languages partial | As specified | English and French |
| Archive portability | Export often paid | You own code and data | You own code and data |
| Time to go live | 2 to 4 weeks | 3 to 5 months | 2 to 4 months depending on scope |
Over 5 years, a 13,000 GBP annual licence totals 65,000 GBP. A custom portal becomes competitive from the third year, especially if the holding wants to extend it to the boards of its 7 subsidiaries.
The functional scope to demand
Minimum features: a library of packs per meeting with versioning, private annotations on tablet, watermark showing the director's name and viewing time, AES-256 encryption at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit, two-factor authentication, votes and written resolutions with timestamps, e-signature of minutes, exportable audit log. Encrypted offline mode on tablets helps travelling directors. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 must be built in from scoping, with a data protection impact assessment.
Mini case study
Rachel, company secretary of the holding, spends 3 days per meeting compiling, printing and chasing: 18 meetings x 3 days = 54 days a year. The portal cuts this to 1 day per meeting, freeing 36 days. She also removes printing and courier delivery of 14 packs per meeting at about 40 GBP each, so 18 x 14 x 40 = 10,080 GBP a year. Combined with 36 days of her time valued at around 400 GBP a day (14,400 GBP), the direct annual saving is close to 24,500 GBP, before any value placed on the leak risk avoided.
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FAQ
Is an electronic board vote valid under UK company law?
Yes, where the articles allow it and directors are properly identified. The portal stores a timestamp and the identity of each voter, which email does not guarantee.
Where should board documents be hosted?
Most UK boards choose UK or EU hosting for data protection reasons. Expect about 150 to 600 GBP a month depending on the redundancy required.
How long does deployment take?
Allow 2 to 4 months for a board and committees scope. Extending to 7 subsidiaries usually adds 4 to 6 weeks.
Will non-technical directors use it?
A 45-minute training session per director is usually enough. The tablet app mirrors reading a paper pack, with stylus annotations.
What happens if a director loses a tablet?
The secretariat revokes access remotely in seconds and offline documents are wiped on reconnection. Encryption keeps the content unreadable in the meantime.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many directors, committees and subsidiaries are involved: we price a secure board portal deliverable in 2 to 4 months, within a range of 2.5 to 15M+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR) depending on complexity. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
