Cybersecurity in mergers and acquisitions (M&A)

Cybersecurity can have a significant impact on business value across the lifecycle of an investment. By considering the cybersecurity risks and priorities at each stage of the deal process, you can mitigate the threat of cyber attacks, avoid overspending on security, and maximise the return on investment.

Why cybersecurity matters in M&A activity

Negotiate with confidence

A cybersecurity due diligence assessment will help uncover any security risks and liabilities, as well as the costs for remediation. This will provide you with key inputs to support negotiation and help establish whether the acquisition is equipped to deliver on your deal thesis.

Optimise your integration or separation plans

By proactively examining the cybersecurity challenges you may face in the separation or integration of an entity, you can build and then execute a robust, secure and cost-effective plan that supports wider strategic objectives.

Focus on value creation

An ongoing focus on cybersecurity throughout the deals lifecycle helps protect your investment, optimise security spend and to ensure your value creation plans can be realised.

Maximise your return on investment

A clear, consistent message on cybersecurity that stands up to buyer scrutiny will help you achieve maximum value and limit any delays in the sale process.

Our cybersecurity M&A services

Our dedicated cyber deals team can help you maximise value at each stage of the deal lifecycle. We combine technical and financial expertise to clearly explain cybersecurity risks and opportunities in the context of M&A activity.

We provide tailored, specialist advice from due diligence through to divestment, delivering insight that can inform investment decisions, legal documents and practical action plans.

Cybersecurity activities aligned to the phases of a deal

Activity End-to-End Cyber M&A Framework
Deal phase Due diligence On-boarding and inttegration Risk management and value creation Divestment and separation
Deal phase security goals
  • Identify security risk exposures to support negotiation and drive remediation.
  • Uncover hidden costs and risks associated with separation and integration.
  • Identify process misalignment and incompatiility that will complicate value creation.
  • Aid investee/acquisition in addressing significant risks.
  • Support assets in achieving peer-aligned security capability baseline.
  • Execute integration process is fully planed and securely executed to safeguard value.
  • Build and mobilise end-to-end frameworks for acquisition risk management.
  • Preserve and create buisness value through opitmised security spend and capability improvement, cost-out and security premium generation.
  • Prepare business for buyer scrutiny and articulate security 'value story'.
  • Uncover unknown breaches to prevent exposure of hidden liablities that impact sale.
  • Produce accurately costed separation palns to deliver appropriate transfer of security responsibility and secure divestment execution to retain value.
Activity Cybersecurity DD Detailed Integration Planning Cybersecurity Optimisation Review Sale Preparedness Reviewe and Training
Security Transition and Cost Analysis Rapid Fix Team Portfolio Exposure and Expenditure Assessment Detailed Separation Planning
Business Continuity DD Secure Integration Office Targeted Post-Acquisition Review Secure Separation Office

Contact us

Matthew White

Matthew White

Partner, Digital Trust Leader, PwC Middle East

Tel: +971 056 113 4205

Simone Vernacchia

Simone Vernacchia

Partner, Digital & Technology Consulting, PwC Middle East

Tel: +971 4 304 3203

Imad Abuizz

Imad Abuizz

Partner, Digital and Technology Platform Leader, PwC Middle East

Tel: +966 50 426 3478

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