M&A IT Due Diligence for Acquisitions
Two-week IT and security due-diligence reports for acquisitions -- infrastructure, security, compliance, and operational risk surfaced before LOI to remediation pricing.
Surface IT and Security Risk Before You Sign
M&A IT due diligence is the difference between buying a company and buying a company plus an unexpected $2M post-close infrastructure rebuild. We run technical due diligence for acquirers (PE-backed buy-and-build, strategic acquirers, venture-backed roll-ups) and for target companies preparing for sale. Reports land within two weeks of data-room access and cover infrastructure architecture, security posture, compliance status, technical debt, and operational risk -- with remediation cost ranges scoped to the actual systems we examine.
Our diligence playbook combines architectural review (cloud accounts, networking, data tier, observability), security assessment (IAM hygiene, vulnerability scanning, penetration test history, incident history), compliance evidence review (SOC 2 reports, HIPAA documentation, PCI DSS scope), and operational maturity (deployment cadence, MTTR, runbook discipline, on-call burden). We've run diligence engagements for healthcare-tech acquisitions, fintech roll-ups, and SaaS strategics; the playbook is tuned to surface the issues that matter at deal close, not academic concerns.
Post-close integration support is the natural follow-on. We've helped acquirers consolidate AWS organizations, unify SSO and identity, migrate or retire compliance frameworks, and run the engineering integration that determines whether the synergy thesis actually lands. Because Jacobian's roots are in audit and compliance work, we know which findings move at deal close versus which can be deferred to year-1 integration.
Why Choose Our M&A IT Due Diligence for Acquisitions
Engineering rigor, audit-ready process, and operational depth across cloud, SaaS, and software delivery
Two-Week Turnaround
Standard report in 10 business days from data-room access. Rush engagements (1 week) available when LOI timing demands it. Quality is non-negotiable -- we scope down rather than rush.
Remediation Pricing
Findings come with remediation cost ranges scoped to actual systems, not generic ballparks. PE buyers use this to negotiate purchase price; target companies use it to fix issues pre-sale.
Operational Risk Coverage
Infrastructure, security, compliance, technical debt, deployment cadence, MTTR, runbook discipline, on-call burden, key-person risk. Every dimension a CIO would worry about post-close.
Post-Close Integration
We can run the engineering integration after deal close — AWS Organizations consolidation, SSO unification, compliance framework migration. One team across diligence and execution.
Our M&A IT Due Diligence Process
From data-room access to closing report in two weeks
Scope & Data-Room Access
Day 0-1: scope alignment with deal team. Data-room access, target-company introductions, NDA execution. We work under the acquirer's NDA and through your deal counsel.
Infrastructure Review
Days 2-5: AWS / Azure / GCP account audit, network architecture, data tier review, observability stack assessment, deployment pipeline review. Read-only access where possible; data-room artifacts where not.
Security & Compliance Review
Days 4-8: IAM and identity hygiene, vulnerability scan history, pen-test reports, SOC 2 / HIPAA / PCI DSS evidence review, incident history, vendor risk register, BAA / DPA review.
Operational & Team Review
Days 6-9: deployment cadence, MTTR data, runbook completeness, on-call rotation health, technical debt inventory, key-person risk, hiring pipeline. Interviews with target-company engineering leads.
Report & Remediation Pricing
Days 10-14: written report with findings categorized as deal-impacting / fix-pre-close / year-1 / out-of-scope, plus remediation cost ranges. Live readout with deal team and Q&A. Optional follow-on integration scope if deal proceeds.
Scope & Data-Room Access
Day 0-1: scope alignment with deal team. Data-room access, target-company introductions, NDA execution. We work under the acquirer's NDA and through your deal counsel.
Infrastructure Review
Days 2-5: AWS / Azure / GCP account audit, network architecture, data tier review, observability stack assessment, deployment pipeline review. Read-only access where possible; data-room artifacts where not.
Security & Compliance Review
Days 4-8: IAM and identity hygiene, vulnerability scan history, pen-test reports, SOC 2 / HIPAA / PCI DSS evidence review, incident history, vendor risk register, BAA / DPA review.
Operational & Team Review
Days 6-9: deployment cadence, MTTR data, runbook completeness, on-call rotation health, technical debt inventory, key-person risk, hiring pipeline. Interviews with target-company engineering leads.
Report & Remediation Pricing
Days 10-14: written report with findings categorized as deal-impacting / fix-pre-close / year-1 / out-of-scope, plus remediation cost ranges. Live readout with deal team and Q&A. Optional follow-on integration scope if deal proceeds.
Generalist Diligence vs. Engineering-Led IT Diligence
Why the depth of the engineer matters more than the brand of the firm
| Feature | Generalist Diligence Firm | Jacobian IT Diligence |
|---|---|---|
| Reviewers | Junior consultants reading documentation | Senior SREs who operate equivalent systems daily |
| Findings Specificity | Generic risk language ('elevated cybersecurity exposure') | Specific findings ('IAM root account has no MFA; 47 IAM users with admin policies; 12 production secrets in env vars not Secrets Manager') |
| Remediation Cost | Vague ranges or no cost guidance | Cost ranges scoped to actual systems with engineering hours estimated |
| Compliance Depth | Reads the SOC 2 report cover letter | Reviews the auditor's testing notes, exception list, and remediation status |
| Post-Close Continuity | Hands off to a different firm for integration | Same team can run the engineering integration if deal closes |
Reviewers
Findings Specificity
Remediation Cost
Compliance Depth
Post-Close Continuity
M&A IT Due Diligence Playbook
Read our IT and security diligence playbook for acquisitions -- diligence dimensions, finding categorization, remediation pricing, post-close integration.
Read the whitepaperM&A IT Due Diligence FAQs
What deal teams ask before engaging us
Related Services
Buyers of m&a it due diligence for acquisitions typically partner with us across these adjacent disciplines
Cloud Migration Services
Most post-close integrations include consolidating clouds — moving the acquired company's workloads onto the acquirer's primary cloud or unifying multi-cloud sprawl.
Compliance Management
Post-close compliance integration — unifying SOC 2 scope, harmonizing control frameworks, retiring duplicate audit programs.
IT Infrastructure Management
Once integration completes, ongoing infrastructure management of the consolidated environment under one operational discipline.
Ready for IT Due Diligence?
Engage our team for technical and operational diligence on your next acquisition.