Key Takeaways

In private equity, effective IT due diligence is increasingly important for driving deal value. Yet it often gets overlooked. Many investors still prioritize financial and market positions and tend to overlook how an organization’s technical capabilities can further support its growth. As cloud services, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity risks grow at a rapid pace, here are three key areas to focus on for successful IT due diligence.

Increased Reliance on Cloud Infrastructure, Distributed Systems and Containerization

Companies have increasingly adopted cloud infrastructure and distributed systems. Containerization technologies—software that bundles an application’s code with all the files and libraries to run on an infrastructure—like Docker and Kubernetes, are becoming mainstream and revolutionizing deployment processes. By 2027, over 90% of G2000 organizations will utilize container management tools for their hybrid environments, a significant increase from less than 20% in 2023, according to Gartner, a technology research and consulting firm. 

Why This Trend Matters:  

Scalable, cost-efficient and secure infrastructure ensures that a product can handle growth without excessive costs or security risks. While private equity teams undergo IT due diligence, it’s essential to evaluate the following areas: 

  • Scalability: Can the existing infrastructure support rapid growth or spikes in user activity? Can the dashboard management tools be scaled to meet increased demand? 
  • Cost-Efficiency: Is the company leveraging cloud-native features to optimize costs? Are AI integrations leading to operational efficiencies or simply adding costs? 
  • Security: Are there robust measures to protect against data breaches and downtime? In a virtual, distributed environment, this is a complex and critical need.  

The Era of AI Integration

Companies are increasingly using AI for coding and maintaining code, configuration management and even managing and maintaining projects and programs through risk, action, issue and decision logs. The promise of AI—that it will speed time to market and reduce costs—appears to be coming true in the world for IT operations. Take Broadcom, a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions. It saw an investment in AI for IT operations increase the effectiveness of its IT staff by $4.3 million, with additional cost reductions of over $1 million through automating manual processes and consolidating monitoring tools.  

Why This Trend Matters:

A company can only achieve such significant cost savings if it knows where it’s spending its money. Understanding how a company handles its deployment and management processes is a critical component of investment. Here are a few key factors to consider: 

  • Controls and Documentation: Automated deployment can reduce human error and speed up release cycles. As part of due diligence, it’s essential to assess the internal controls, documentation and inputs to ensure newly automated processes are working as efficiently as possible.  
  • Resource Allocation: Efficiently using AI and automation tools can free up technical staff to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. Evaluating an automated resource allocation process requires a different approach than assessing a human-driven one. Understanding and aligning with the rules driving automated resource allocation will help identify issues early and create a streamlined approach between leadership and private equity investors.  
  • Assessing Overall Outcomes: Streamlined processes can lead to faster time-to-market and better product quality. Due diligence should prioritize whether those benefits have been genuinely realized rather than simply assessing whether the firm is leveraging AI.  

Increased Cybersecurity Risks and New Regulatory Standards

Cyber threats are increasing while regulatory bodies are enforcing stricter data protection standards. The introduction of regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) underscores the importance of compliance. According to IBM, the average global cost of a data breach reached $4.45 million in 2024, an all-time high, and companies with fully deployed security automation saved an average of $1.76 million per breach. 

Why This Trend Matters:

Significant cybersecurity events can devastate a company both reputationally and operationally, potentially leading to failure. With regulations increasing and a heightened focus on data and AI use, it’s crucial for private equity investors to identify potential gaps. During the IT due diligence processes, investors must confirm that the target company has: 

  • Robust Security Architecture: As cyberattacks become more sophisticated and frequent, emerging technologies like generative AI provide advantages to both cyber attackers and defenders. During the due diligence processes, it’s important to evaluate whether the current tech stack can hold up against phishing and malware attacks. Identifying and attracting strong talent plays a key role in this, as cyber skills and talent shortages continue to expand at an alarming rate, especially for small to mid-sized businesses.  
  • Regulatory Compliance: Non-compliance can result in hefty fines and damage to a company’s reputation. For instance, GDPR violations in the European Union can lead to fines of up to €20 million ($21+ million USD) or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher.  
  • Industry-Specific Requirements: Sectors like healthcare and finance have additional regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Breaching regulations like these is costly, too. In 2019, British Airways was fined £20 million by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office for a data breach that affected nearly 400,000 customers.  

Why Traditional IT Due Diligence Falls Short

Traditional IT due diligence methods often overlook the full range of risks and opportunities associated with tech investments in the private equity landscape. The faster a company creates a virtual environment, the faster technical debt can accumulate if IT departments aren’t careful. According to Stripe’s Developer Coefficient Report, a study that examines business challenges, software practices and future investments, developers spend over 42% of their time managing technical debt, which costs the global economy $300 billion annually.  

During IT due diligence, it’s important to assess the virtual environments’ ability to prevent technical debt buildup and analyze the effectiveness of tools and integrations. By realizing the full potential of tech investments, companies can avoid costly mistakes that impact a portfolio. With the right due diligence processes, IT can help achieve scale and growth targets rather than becoming a cost burden. 

To learn more, or to schedule a call with one of our private equity subject matter experts, contact us today.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is IT due diligence important for private equity investments?
A: Effective IT due diligence helps private equity investors identify gaps in technology and processes, ensuring they understand a target company’s scalability, cost-efficiency and security. Overlooking IT can lead to missed opportunities and increased risks. 

Q: What areas should be assessed during IT due diligence?
A: Investors should focus on scalability, cost-efficiency and security measures of the target company’s infrastructure. Evaluating the effectiveness of AI integrations and the robustness of cybersecurity frameworks are additional areas that continue to evolve and should be included in the assessment. 

Q: How can technical debt impact a company’s valuation?
A: Technical debt can accumulate quickly, diverting resources and limiting growth potential. If left unaddressed, it can significantly affect a company’s operational efficiency and valuation, costing investors in the long run. 

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