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Digitization

With an increased degree of digitization information technology now takes a central role in business processes. Digital business models become more important everyday. This concerns innovative Start ups as well as traditional manufacturing methods within Industry 4.0. Furthermore, business relations to customers and suppliers are often fully automized.

In order to estimate the value of a company, its IT structures and processes have to become fully comprehensive. Only this way you can detect risks and opportunities and balance pros and cons. For this reason, IT Due Diligence has become a crucial separate audit next to Financial Due Diligence, Commercial Due Diligence and Legal Due Diligence. IT Due Diligence analyzes the operative and strategic requirements of IT and compares them to existing structures. Strength and weaknesses of the target are documented within an IT Due Diligence Report.

Especially digital enterprises are marked by a high number of IT positions within Financial Due Diligence. A previous IT Due Diligence provides basic information for the evaluation of these positions. Specifically this intellectual property and the choice of the right, future-proof and scalable technologies can be an important competitive advantage for successful synergies.

Distinctions of IT Due Diligence in comparison to Commercial Due Diligence

A systematic survey and analysis of IT has become increasingly important for many companies. With an IT Due Diligence you can extensively observe all relevant technological aspects as well as their chances and risks.

A Commercial Due Diligence however, focusses processes of business administration, which complicates an accurate assessment of information technology. Observing this actual state existing risks for a company’s growth are often overlooked.

Nonetheless, company growth, the development of customer value and the scaling of the business model are important factors for Private Equity . IT Due Diligence is furthermore important to large businesses, that want to improve existing internal business processes or products after the acquisition of a young digital company.

The subsequent post merger phase marks another challenge. However, this can be planned easily with an extensive IT Due Diligence. In this process we provide, potentials for synergies and risks of integration of an M&A transaction.

In both cases the digital scalability of the business model is indispensable.

Risk analysis

Classical elements of an IT Due Diligence contain the analysis of the IT organization, of IT processes and of  private data protection and data security. These are the components of an IT Due Diligence check list. To avoid possible risks all IT related technologies and organizational components need to be evaluated carefully. This ensures that increasing requirements for the high availability of IT systems are always met. A further element is the protection againts hacker attacks, in which organizational errors often remove technological measures. This step also observes the IT’s cost structure within the current timeframe and for future scaling.

Opposed to this, an evaluation of standards on the buyer’s side may become important to assess the effort for the integration of an acquisition. Thus, possible scenarios of acquisition can be simulated prior to the deal. This process can detect and avoid a failed or delayed integration, due to badly adjusted standards or systems.

Dimensioning and scalability

With an increased degree of digitization the number of distributed computing for IT processes is also on the rise. This IT infrastructure becomes visible in networking and division of tasks between work computer and server. Hybrid solutions between cloud, hybrid cloud and the internal datacenter may be used on top of that. In this case, a risk analysis must include the network infrastructure and network security. The dimensioning and sustainability of these distributed systems is also assessed within the margin of an IT Due Diligence.

The success of such an extensive audit of IT can only be guaranteed through longstanding experience and expertise.

Project Management

Project Management is crucial to the further development of a digital business model within the ares of IT operations and IT development. Especially when planning rapid growth or the adoption of additional  business areas, processes and indicator systems must be able to support this growth.

In this process, an extensive IT Due Diligence audit should intensively analyze on-site processes as well as existing results. Due to our long-term experience we are able to analyze distinct systems of project managements and to evaluate established procedures.

Assessment of complex algorithms

Audits of start-ups within the field of real time trading (Fintech, Adtech), Industry 4.0, big Data and Analytics may become an additional chalange, as IT systems become more complex each day. Modern trends, such as AI, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing or Blockchain are key in this process. Without a separate IT Due Diligence and the required expertise, the influence of such technologies on the target’s IT is very hard to understand. For this reason, complex IT systems have to be audited by experts. Only with the right amount of knowledge on this topic, the importance of complex technologies for the economic success of a company can be evaluated realistically.

During a so-called code-review, we assess the sustainability of developed technology and solutions. We analyze the structure and scalability as well as possible alternatives. If desired we include experts from your team into this process. In the end, you will have an evaluation of intellectual property as well as chances and risks of the technology.

Buyer and vendor

With an IT Due Diligence a vendor can detect and evaluate risks and their influence on the companies values prior to the sale and have the risks audited externally. For the possible buyer of digital company IT Due Diligence and Tech Due Diligence are crucial audits next to economic ratios.

With this audit, the scalability of business models and the operative security is assessed. This processes cannot be replaced by a pure Commercial Due Diligence without any risk, as insufficient automation and risk affinity can have direct negative consequences for operating safety and scalability.