The IT Governance Institute (ITGI) was established in 1998 in recognition of the increasing criticality of information technology to enterprise success. In many organizations, success depends on the ability of IT to enable achievement of business goals. In such an environment, governance over IT is as critical a board and management discipline as corporate governance or enterprise governance. Effective IT governance helps ensure that IT supports business goals, maximizes business investment in IT, and appropriately manages IT-related risks and opportunities.

ITGI is a research think tank that exists to be the leading reference on IT-enabled business systems governance for the global business community. ITGI aims to benefit enterprises by assisting enterprise leaders in their responsibility to make IT successful in supporting the enterprise's mission and goals. By conducting original research on IT governance and related topics, ITGI helps enterprise leaders understand and have the tools to ensure effective governance over IT within their enterprise.