Ownership & Control
The most important questions are often asked too late.
Many organisations discover ownership issues only after a website needs updating, a supplier disappears or a key person leaves.
Understanding who owns what is one of the most important parts of any digital platform.
What Should Your Organisation Own?
Regardless of who builds or supports your website, certain assets should remain under the ownership and control of the organisation wherever practical.
Ownership
The organisation remains the legal owner of its assets, content, records and online presence.
Control
Appropriate people within the organisation should be able to access and manage critical systems when required.
The Domain Name Question
A domain name is often the most valuable digital asset an organisation owns.
If ownership of the domain is unclear, recovering access can become difficult, expensive and time consuming.
Organisations should know who registered the domain, where it is managed and who has access to it.
Questions Every Organisation Should Be Able To Answer
Domains
The public address people use to find your organisation online.
Hosting
The infrastructure that stores and delivers your website and digital resources.
Access
The accounts, permissions and credentials required to manage the system.
Avoiding Dependency
Many organisations unintentionally become dependent on a single developer, supplier or volunteer because key information is not documented or shared.
This can create unnecessary risk and make future changes difficult.
Good systems reduce dependence by documenting ownership, access and responsibilities.
MACH BASE Perspective
MACH BASE™ encourages organisations to understand their systems, retain ownership of their digital assets and build internal capability wherever practical.
External support can be valuable, but ownership and understanding should remain with the organisation itself.
High Risk
One person controls everything. No documentation. No backups. No succession planning.
Lower Risk
Ownership is documented. Access is shared appropriately. Backups exist. Knowledge is preserved.
What Can A Modern Platform Actually Do?
Once ownership and control are understood, organisations can begin exploring capability.
Explore Platforms & Capability