Key Benefits
- Complete Audit Records
Every action in Preside is recorded in a server-side log written by the platform rather than by the acting user. That record supports the integrity of governance evidence for regulatory examinations, litigation and stakeholder accountability.
- Comprehensive Activity Coverage
The audit trail captures document access, meeting activities, voting events, e-signature actions, permission changes, communication metadata, and user session data, providing complete governance visibility.
- Searchable & Filterable Logs
Find any activity record instantly using powerful search and filter tools. Query by user, action type, date range, document, or meeting to locate specific events within seconds.
- Compliance-Ready Reports
Generate audit reports formatted for specific regulatory frameworks, SOX, UK Corporate Governance Code, GCC governance regulations, ready for submission to auditors and regulators.
- Configurable Retention & Export
Set retention policies that align with your regulatory requirements and export audit data in standard formats for integration with enterprise compliance and SIEM systems.
Complete Audit Records
The foundation of Preside's audit trail is its completeness. Every action is recorded server-side, so the log is written by the platform rather than by the user performing the action, and administrators work with it through the application rather than editing rows by hand. Cryptographic hash chaining, which would make any later alteration of a historical entry detectable, is on our roadmap and is not in place today. The audit trail begins recording from the moment a user account is created and continues through every interaction with the platform until the account is deactivated. Each entry captures the user's identity, the specific action performed, the object acted upon, a precise UTC timestamp, the originating IP address, and the device and browser information. For actions involving changes, such as document edits, permission modifications or resolution status updates, both the before and after states are recorded, enabling complete reconstruction of the change history. That level of detail is what boards need when evidencing how a decision was reached, though we would not yet represent the log as meeting a formal evidentiary standard for a given regulator without discussing your specific requirement first.
Activity Logging for All Actions
Preside's activity logging is comprehensive by design, capturing every meaningful interaction within the platform to create a complete governance record. Document activities include uploads, downloads, views (with duration tracking), edits, version changes, annotations, shares, and deletions. Meeting activities cover creation, scheduling changes, attendance confirmations, agenda modifications, minutes drafting, and approval workflows. Voting events log vote casting with timestamps, result calculations, and any recusals or conflicts of interest declared. E-signature actions track signing requests, signature application, authentication verification, and certificate generation. Communication metadata records message sends, delivery confirmations, and read receipts without capturing message content (unless specifically authorized). Administrative actions log user account changes, role modifications, permission updates, and system configuration changes. Each activity category is captured with consistent detail, user identity, timestamp, IP address, action type, and affected objects, enabling cross-category analysis that reveals how different governance activities interact and ensuring no aspect of board portal usage goes undocumented.
User Access & Document Tracking
Understanding who accessed what information and when is critical for both security monitoring and governance compliance. Preside's audit trail provides granular tracking of user access patterns and document interactions. User session logging captures login times, authentication methods used (password, SSO, MFA), session durations, and logout events. Failed login attempts are recorded with additional detail to support security investigation. Document access tracking goes beyond simple open/close events to capture the duration of document views, whether documents were downloaded or printed, which pages or sections received the most attention, and whether annotations were added. For sensitive documents classified as confidential or restricted, enhanced tracking captures screenshot-prevention trigger events and watermark generation. Access pattern analytics identify unusual behaviors, such as bulk downloads, access outside normal hours, or access from new locations, that may warrant security review. This detailed tracking serves dual purposes: it provides the evidence boards need to demonstrate information security governance to regulators, and it gives governance teams insight into how effectively directors are engaging with board materials before meetings.
Compliance-Ready Audit Reports
When regulators, auditors, or legal counsel request evidence of board governance activities, Preside's audit reporting tools produce the documentation they need in the format they expect. Pre-built audit report templates are aligned with major regulatory frameworks: SOX requires evidence of internal controls and financial reporting oversight; the UK Corporate Governance Code demands documentation of board evaluation processes and committee activities; GCC governance regulations require proof of compliance with specific meeting, voting, and disclosure requirements. Each report template extracts the relevant audit trail data and presents it in a structured format that maps to the regulatory framework's requirements. Custom audit reports can be built by selecting specific activity categories, date ranges, users, or objects, and applying filters to isolate precisely the evidence needed for a particular inquiry. Reports include chain-of-custody metadata confirming the integrity of the underlying data. For organizations subject to regular external audits, scheduled audit reports can be generated automatically and delivered to audit committee chairs or external auditors at defined intervals, reducing the burden of audit preparation.
Data Export & Retention
Governance audit data must be retained according to regulatory requirements that vary by jurisdiction and industry, and Preside provides the tools to manage this obligation effectively. Retention policies can be configured at the organizational level or by data category, ensuring that audit records are maintained for the required period, whether that is seven years for SOX compliance, ten years for certain financial services regulations, or a custom period defined by organizational policy. When retention periods expire, automated data disposition workflows handle archival or secure deletion according to your configured policy, with the disposition action itself recorded in the audit trail for compliance documentation. Data export capabilities support multiple formats: structured JSON for integration with enterprise SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Elastic, or Microsoft Sentinel; CSV for analysis in spreadsheet tools; and PDF for formal audit documentation. API-based export enables automated, scheduled data feeds to external compliance systems, ensuring that audit data flows into centralized governance repositories without manual intervention. For organizations with data sovereignty requirements, export controls ensure that audit data complies with applicable cross-border data transfer regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What activities does the audit trail track?
Preside's audit trail tracks every significant platform action: document uploads, views, downloads, edits, and shares; meeting creation, attendance, and minutes approval; vote casting and results; e-signature events; permission changes; user login and session activity; and communication metadata. Each entry includes user identity, timestamp, IP address, and full action details.
Are audit logs server-side?
Yes. Preside's audit logs are written to a managed data store using cryptographic hashing that chains each entry to the previous one. Any attempt to alter historical records is immediately detectable. Even system administrators cannot modify or delete audit entries, ensuring the integrity of governance records for regulatory and legal purposes.
Can I export audit trail data?
Yes. Audit data can be exported in JSON for SIEM integration, CSV for spreadsheet analysis, and PDF for formal documentation. API-based automated exports enable scheduled data feeds to external compliance systems. All exports include chain-of-custody metadata confirming data integrity.
How does the audit trail support regulatory compliance?
Pre-built audit report templates are aligned with major frameworks including SOX, UK Corporate Governance Code, and GCC governance regulations. Reports extract relevant audit data and present it in the format regulators and auditors expect. Configurable retention policies ensure data is maintained for the required period by jurisdiction.