Secure Business M&A with Software for Secure Business M&A
As mergers and acquisitions (M&A) accelerate across the globe, cybersecurity becomes more critical than ever for businesses. The stakes are high if confidential information is unwittingly disclosed to bad faith actors during M&A due diligence, or accidentally disclosed during post-M&A integration and operations.
The good news is that the right software can assist M&A CISOs to ensure the integrity of data, ensure compliance, and guard against the dangers associated with M&A activities. The right data room solution integrates digital tools into an integrated platform that allows easy uploads of files, single sign-on, and a comprehensive auditing. This helps compliance teams keep control by making sure that they do not accidentally disclose information.
Virtual data rooms can be a wonderful method of managing the M&A process from due diligence to post-M&A integration and operations. VDRs allow authorized users to read, share and comment on sensitive documents without risk of leaks. They also allow users to create activity reports that reveal who has accessed or read specific pages of documents. These reports can stop criminals from leaking information since they can be traced back to the individual user. These reports can also help M&A CISOs to assess the level of interest from potential buyers or investors.
Many M&A transactions are dependent on intellectual property. Virtual data rooms are used by life science companies to manage everything from clinical trials to HIPAA compliance, from licensing IP to storage of patient data. It is not uncommon for companies to review and supply large volumes of documents in M&A due-diligence. This can be extremely time consuming and labor intensive for both the business being acquired and the buyer. A VDR allows you to share this information securely and efficiently.
No matter what industry, M&A can be a complicated business process that can create significant security risks. In the integration and operation phases of the M&A cycle the M&A team must understand the potential risks that cybercriminals and rivals pose. These risks could include malware, unauthorised access to systems and networks as well as sabotage and other disruptions that could make M&A less valuable.
With the right security measures in place M&A can be a lucrative and enjoyable business experience. M&A is a great chance for businesses to increase value and expand their global footprint. To ensure that this value isn’t affected, a specific cybersecurity strategy should be in place prior to any transactions begin. For more information about this, download our free guide Cybersecurity for M&A: From the M&A Playbook. Todd Thiemann, director of marketing for products at ReliaQuest GreyMatter is a Security Operations Platform that can make cybersecurity possible through M&A. It gives visibility, cuts through complexity heterogeneous security stacks, and manages risk and uncertainty to help your business reach its goals.
