Assess the security risk in an acquisition before you commit.
When acquiring a business, the financials get scrutinised in detail, but the information security risk is often overlooked. A poorly protected target can expose you to data protection failures, vulnerabilities, and reputational damage, problems that become yours the moment the deal completes. We provide an information security health check of the target, so you know exactly what you are taking on before you commit.
How well the target protects its information, whether it meets its data protection obligations, and what risks would transfer to you on acquisition. We identify the issues that matter, both technical and compliance-related, so there are no nasty surprises after completion.
From a focused review for smaller acquisitions through to in-depth assessment with ongoing support for larger, more complex transactions. For significant reviews, this can be delivered as a one-off project or through the appointment of a short-term Non-Executive Director, typically around 20 days, to drive the work.
The target's weaknesses become your liabilities. Understanding the information security position before you commit protects the value of the deal and shields you from inheriting avoidable risk.
The earlier the better, ideally once you are serious about a target and before terms are settled. Findings are most useful while there is still room to act on them: to ask sharper questions, to adjust your plans, or to agree how issues will be dealt with before completion. Cyber security due diligence run alongside the financial and legal work lets your advisers take our findings into account as the deal takes shape. It can still be valuable late in a transaction, or even after completion, but by then the options narrow and the risks are already yours. We work with acquirers in Sussex, London and across the UK, and much of the review can be carried out remotely, which helps when timetables are tight.
Some findings deserve closer attention than others. Common warning signs include no clear record of what personal data the business holds or where it is kept, policies that exist on paper but are not followed, and access to key systems that is neither controlled nor reviewed. Others include software and devices that are no longer supported, heavy reliance on a single person or supplier for IT, no plan for responding to an incident, and past security incidents or data breaches that were never properly investigated. Gaps in data protection compliance, such as missing records of processing, matter too because they can carry regulatory consequences. None of these automatically stops a deal, but each one needs to be understood, costed and planned for before you commit.
Due diligence does not end when the deal closes. The acquired business then has to be brought up to your own standards, and its systems often connect to yours for the first time, which is a moment of real risk if weaknesses travel with them. Our findings give you a starting list of what to fix first, and we can help turn them into a practical integration plan: aligning policies, tightening access, carrying out risk assessments of high risk processes and training staff in how you expect information to be handled. For larger acquisitions, the Gold level adds ongoing monitoring and quarterly reviews, and can be delivered through a short term Non-Executive Director who keeps the work moving.
We work with organisations across the UK. Much of our work is delivered remotely, so we support clients wherever they are based, with particular strength in London and the Southeast. We are based in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, and the areas we cover include London, Brighton and Hove, Crawley, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill, Worthing, Guildford, Tunbridge Wells, Reading, Slough, Newbury, Swindon and Bristol.
Want to know if this is the right fit for your organisation? We will talk it through with you, with no obligation.
Get in touchWhen acquiring a business, the financials get scrutinised but the information security risk is often overlooked. A poorly protected target can expose you to data protection failures, attack and reputational damage. We provide a security health check of the acquisition target so you know what you are taking on.
Book a consultation and we will tailor this service to your organisation and the risks it faces.
Because the target's problems become yours on completion. Poor data protection, unaddressed vulnerabilities, or weak controls can bring financial, legal, and reputational risk into your organisation.
A structured information security health check of the target: how well it protects information, whether it meets its obligations, and what risks would transfer to you. It is scaled to the size and complexity of the deal.
Yes. For significant transactions the service can be delivered as a project or through a short-term Non-Executive Director engagement, typically around 20 days, to drive the review thoroughly.
Cyber security due diligence is a structured review of how well a business you plan to acquire protects its information and systems. It looks at controls, policies, data protection compliance and past incidents, so you understand the security risk you would inherit. We deliver it as an information security health check of the target, scaled to the size of the deal.
A report identifying the key information security and compliance gaps in the target, with recommended mitigating actions for each area of risk and a checklist for ongoing improvement. At higher levels the analysis is more detailed and can extend to tailored policies, process support and risk assessment of high risk processes, which becomes especially useful once the deal completes.
Usually, yes. A meaningful review needs access to the target's documents and to the people who run its systems, so it works best with the seller's cooperation as part of the deal process. Where access is limited, we review what is shared and set out clearly what remains unknown, which is itself useful information for your decision.
Book a consultation and we will tailor the right level of support to your organisation.
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