Identity Due Diligence: The Missing Piece of M&A Risk Assessment
Brief
Every Acquisition Inherits More Than Assets
When organizations evaluate an acquisition, they invest significant time validating the target company’s financial health, legal obligations, operational maturity, and growth potential.
They examine:
- Revenue and profitability
- Customer contracts
- Intellectual property
- Regulatory compliance
- Technology infrastructure
- Outstanding liabilities
Increasingly, cybersecurity has become another critical workstream during due diligence.
However, many cybersecurity assessments still focus primarily on technical controls:
- Vulnerability scans
- Network architecture
- Endpoint protection
- Security policies
- Compliance certifications
These assessments are important—but they often overlook one of the most valuable and vulnerable assets being acquired: