The typical implementation process for Knowa:
Needs Assessment and Planning: Knowa’s team works with the client to identify governance priorities, migration needs, integration requirements, and custom workflows before platform setup begins.
Account Creation and Platform Setup: The organization’s secure Knowa environment is provisioned, with administrative roles, permissions, and granular access controls configured.
Data Migration and Integration: Existing board documentation, past minutes, and contacts are imported, and integrations with tools such as Outlook, Google Workspace, and Zoom are established.
1-1 Onboarding and Training: Personalized onboarding sessions are delivered for board members, administrators, and power users. These cover navigation, collaboration features, and AI-driven tools, ensuring rapid adoption.
Live Testing and Feedback: Early board meetings are run on Knowa, with premium support available for troubleshooting, adjustments, and workflow optimization.
Knowa can be customized to fit specific business needs across several dimensions, offering a high degree of flexibility, configuration, and integration opportunities to support diverse industries and governance requirements.
Every new client receives personalized onboarding, covering everything from user invites to file structuring and workflow automation.
Training typically involves hands-on demonstrations, customized walkthroughs for meeting setup, document sharing, and AI feature enablement.
A knowledge base is available on Knowa’s platform, containing articles and FAQ support for common tasks.
Organizations can schedule additional training if new users join later or if advanced features are needed.
Knowa offers multi-channel support, including email, live chat, and a help desk ticketing system.
The support team operates during business hours, with typical response times under 20 minutes for most queries.
There is no 24/7 hotline, but the support team is described as responsive and helpful, offering guidance and troubleshooting for all user levels.
Knowa implements advanced, multi-layered security measures to ensure the protection and confidentiality of sensitive board and organizational data.
Data is encrypted using FIPS 140-2 certified, AES 256-bit encryption both at rest and in transit, providing strong protection against interception or unauthorized access.
Secure cloud storage is utilized with rigorous access controls, and all user data is transported securely through SSL/TLS protocols.
Knowa features granular role-based permissions to restrict data access according to each user’s responsibilities or committee memberships, reducing the risk of internal data leaks.
The platform supports two-factor authentication (2FA) and Single Sign-On (SSO).
Administrators can set robust password policies through integrations and enforce regular security reviews.
Knowa is ISO 27001 certified, demonstrating its alignment with international best practices for information security management systems (ISMS).
Additional compliance includes SOC 2, ISO 27018, HIPAA, FedRAMP, and PCI DSS, ensuring suitability for regulated industries like finance and healthcare.
Full audit trails record user actions for accountability and regulatory investigations.
Automated backups, version control, and disaster recovery procedures are in place to protect against data loss.
The platform employs strict physical and network security for its data centers, including continuous monitoring for suspicious activity.
Regular penetration testing and security reviews are conducted to address potential vulnerabilities proactively.
Updates are automatically managed and deployed to all user organizations through Knowa’s secure cloud infrastructure, requiring no manual intervention from clients.
All changes are communicated in advance through in-app notifications, email alerts, or release notes to ensure admins and end users are prepared for any new features or changes.
Critical security or compliance updates may be rolled out with immediate effect and prioritized over routine fixes.
Knowa’s approach is designed to ensure minimal disruption, so access and workflows remain consistent during and after updates.
Knowa’s data ownership and portability policy centers on giving organizations full control of their data, with strong support for export and migration of information when needed.
Data stored in Knowa is owned by the organization using the platform, not by Knowa itself.
The platform’s policy ensures that all uploaded content, documents, and records remain the legal property of the client, with Knowa acting only as a processor and not a proprietor.
Users and administrators maintain the right to manage, restrict, modify, or delete any of their organizational data at any time, supporting compliance and internal governance requirements.
Knowa enables easy export of all organizational data, including documents, meeting packs, minutes, and user information, in standardized, machine-readable formats.
Migration and data transfer support are included as part of Knowa’s onboarding and exit processes, ensuring organizations can securely move data into, or out of, Knowa without hurdles.
The platform complies with data protection and privacy regulations that mandate the right to data portability, supporting seamless transfer to other board portals or business systems as required.
Knowa’s APIs further facilitate automated data synchronization or extraction if complex or ongoing portability needs arise.
Knowa’s approach complies with international standards such as GDPR, the UK Data Protection Act, and ISO 27001, further reinforcing the rights of organizations to access, export, and control their data without constraint.
Knowa’s terms for scaling up or down are highly flexible, allowing organizations to adjust their usage to match changing needs without penalty or complexity.
Knowa offers unlimited user seats and collaboration spaces as part of its core plan—there is no per-user cost, so organizations can add as many users, committees, or workspaces as needed with no incremental charges.
If an organization needs additional features, modules, or higher data storage than the standard offering, these can typically be added through a simple contract amendment or plan adjustment, with pro-rata billing for the added services depending on timing.
Requests to scale up (e.g., add advanced AI modules or new integrations) are processed quickly, and new capabilities are typically activated immediately following agreement.
If organizational requirements decrease—such as fewer features, fewer collaborative spaces, or removal of certain modules—clients can adjust their subscription accordingly at the end of the current contract term.
There is no penalty fee for reducing usage, though pro-rata refunds are rarely issued if a downgrade occurs mid-term; instead, the lower plan takes effect at the next renewal cycle.
Knowa’s contract renewal and cancellation terms are designed to give organizations flexibility and assurance, with clear provisions for notification, review, and orderly exit or extension.
Knowa contracts are typically annual with automatic renewal unless written notice of cancellation is provided within the specified period—this is usually 30 to 90 days before the renewal date, depending on the organization’s agreement.
Before renewal, organizations can request a contract review to discuss pricing, features, or terms. Adjustments or renegotiations to reflect changing needs are allowed and documented.
Renewal notifications are sent out ahead of deadlines via email and in-app alerts to ensure administrators can make timely renewal decisions.
Organizations can cancel their subscription by providing written notice before the next renewal date; failure to give this notice may result in automatic renewal and continued billing for the next contract term.
There are no punitive cancellation fees for ending a contract at the correct notice period, and Knowa provides support with data export, migration, and offboarding to ensure a smooth transition if users choose to exit.
If early termination is requested (before the contract period ends), organizations may be charged pro rata for the period used, or may need to pay for the balance, depending on their agreement specifics.
Knowa meets a broad array of leading international compliance standards, making it suitable for organizations that operate within regulated industries or require strict governance frameworks.
ISO 27001: Knowa is certified to ISO 27001, the globally recognized standard for information security management systems, ensuring rigorous control of data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
SOC 2: The platform adheres to Service Organization Controls (SOC 2) requirements, validating the effectiveness of controls related to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
ISO 27018: This standard focuses on the protection of personally identifiable information (PII) in cloud environments, ensuring cloud privacy and security.
PCI DSS: Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) supports secure management of payment and financial data.
HIPAA: For clients in the healthcare space, Knowa provides HIPAA-aligned controls supporting safe handling of sensitive health data.
