M&A - Cybersecurity in mergers and acquisitions

M&A – Ciberseguridad en fusiones y adquisiciones
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Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are a fundamental element in the commercial strategy of companies globally. In this way, organizations increase their market share, international footprint, diversify their services and acquire technology.

 

Like any operation, there are also more or less successful M&A.

Some success stories for companies and shareholders can be seen with the purchase of Pixar by Disney, and later by Marvel, or the purchase of Facebook on Instagram and WhatsApp.

However, negative results occur due to various factors, including external ones, such as changes in the economy, market disturbances, regulatory restrictions, and we are witnessing serious shortcomings in the execution of the integrations and the impossibility of materializing the expected results. Some failed processes are the acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft or the acquisition of Tumblr by Yahoo.

Every merger or acquisition involves a due diligence process . Due checks are a complicated and detailed process. Depending on this process, if the transaction is finally carried out, an integration process will begin that will have a significant influence on the overall success of the operation . As is foreseeable, each business has a clear dependence on its technological infrastructure and the human resources that operate it, presenting a clear challenge: combining completely different human teams and systems.

It is imperative that companies undertaking an M&A process adequately evaluate the IT infrastructure of their potential additions in order to safeguard customer, company and partner data, as well as ensure the integrity of business-critical systems. However cybersecurity is becoming a common blind spot for organizations involved in mergers and acquisitions. This leads to new serious vulnerabilities that cloud managers’ efforts to successfully integrate platforms, solutions, services, and people. 

Companies embarking on M&A processes must have full visibility into their own systems and personnel, as well as the systems and personnel of the companies with which they are paired, if they are to give security the attention it deserves during the process.

Kymatio - Human firewall activation and cyber risk management

Among the benefits that Kymatio provides:

Understanding the real situation, critical positions, impact of a potential incident, digital exposure. Is it cyber-resilient?

To holistically meet the information needs related to security during the M&A process, companies that embark on such merger and acquisition processes must seek total visibility over human and technological resources, both their own and those of others. Including in said analysis the acquired or merged company, but also its suppliers. The danger of not meeting the security needs during the M&A process exponentially increases the risk, opening the door to the failure of the integration process, witnessing serious infractions, and seriously affecting both companies adding reputational risks that in case if they materialize, they will have a difficult reversal.

Meet your new allies, artificial intelligence and neuroscience

Take advantage of the power of AI that, supported by neuroscience, provides key information, individualized according to the characteristics of each person and position, offering support actions, recommendations and targeted awareness. Obtain key insights such as the level of risk and potential impact that an incident would have in each position, including information on social engineering, digital exposure and determination of critical function.

Activate the human firewalls of the resulting organization

Boost the level of cybersecurity and wellbeing of the people in your organization to reduce the risk to which it is exposed.
Obtain recommendations for the corporate cyber risk prevention plan, adapted based on the data obtained that contemplates the degree of exposure of the staff to information security incidents.
Determine what their particular support needs are for each person and automatically offer content and recommendations to employees for their strengthening, enhancing their alertness and status in the areas of cybersecurity and wellbeing (sentiment).

Cyber risk reduction

Through periodic evaluation of the exposure related to the information security risk associated with people and the activation of mitigation measures

Strengthening

Determines the needs to strengthen the organization, obtaining a plan for human risk mitigation (micro-segmentation) at corporate, departmental and employee levels

Recurring evaluation

Periodic and automated evaluation that allows continuous monitoring of risk and accompanying employees in their awareness and strengthening

Actionable measures

Organizational charts with the state of risk, impact analysis, cyber awareness and other stressors such as wellbeing/sentiment analysis allow a complementary way to make decisions based on data

Efficiency

In the execution of actions and optimization in the use of protection and detection technologies

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