CISA Governance and Management of IT Practice Question
Which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of an IT governance framework?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the primary purpose of IT governance with operational or security objectives, such as compliance or cost reduction, because those are more tangible and frequently tested in other domains, but the CISA exam emphasizes that governance is fundamentally about strategic alignment and value delivery.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
To ensure IT aligns with and supports business strategy
The primary purpose of an IT governance framework is to ensure that IT investments, strategies, and operations are aligned with and support the overall business strategy, enabling the organization to achieve its goals. This alignment is achieved through mechanisms such as strategic planning, portfolio management, and performance measurement, which are core to frameworks like COBIT 2019. Without this alignment, IT may operate in isolation, leading to wasted resources and missed business opportunities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
To ensure IT aligns with and supports business strategy
Why this is correct
An IT governance framework directs decision rights and accountability so technology investments, risk appetite and resource allocation all serve organisational objectives. This satisfies the stem's demand for the primary purpose: alignment of IT with business strategy, rather than operational controls, cost reduction or compliance reporting, which are secondary outcomes.
- ✗
To ensure compliance with laws and regulations
Why it's wrong here
Compliance with laws and regulations is one outcome governance supports, not its primary purpose. It is tempting because regulated industries prioritise it, yet a governance framework primarily directs IT strategy, value delivery and risk alignment with enterprise objectives; compliance is a subset of that oversight.
- ✗
To protect IT assets from cyber threats
Why it's wrong here
Protecting IT assets from cyber threats is the remit of security management, a domain governance oversees rather than its primary purpose. It is tempting because security is a governance concern, yet a framework primarily sets direction, accountability and value delivery for IT aligned with enterprise objectives.
- ✗
To reduce IT operational costs
Why it's wrong here
Cost reduction is not the primary purpose.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CISA practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISACA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CISA exam.