In the world of alternative investments and private equity firms, due diligence has become an important topic. As technology continues to progress and the financial world becomes more globalized than ever before, regulations throughout the industry have continued to evolve. Now, investors are seeking more transparency than ever before. This means that financial firms are focusing more than ever on preparing for their due diligence process. It is important for every fund to prepare for the due diligence questionnaire (DDQ). Agio is a specialized firm that can provide relevant resources and prepare financial firms for their DDQ. Furthermore, Agio can help firms outsource IT work and cybersecurity tasks to expert third parties.
Information Covered in the Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ)
In general, due diligence is the process of completing an investigation or an audit of potential investments or products. The goal of this investigation is to ensure the veracity of all of the facts. During this process, the DDQ will likely review all of the company’s financial records. This includes information such as assets under management (AUM), investment strategies, and other financial statements. In addition, the questionnaire typically also has access to any other records that the audit deems material to the investigation. Frequently, one of the targeted areas is the emphasis that the firm places on their cybersecurity and IT policies. This area is important because it is a reflection of the firm’s ability to protect the safety of sensitive documents.
Potential Questions Regarding IT and Cybersecurity on the DDQ
When a firm is going through a due diligence questionnaire on IT and cybersecurity, there are a number of common questions that are going to arise. Some of these include:
- Does the firm perform its due diligence on its IT vendors?
- Does the firm have a well-documented policy on information security?
- Do the controls in place operate as they are supposed to?
- What types of changes have been made to enhance the policy?
- What breaches of this policy have occurred in the past?
- What is the access control policy of the firm?
- How does the firm’s IT staff (or partner) ensure that only appropriate people have access to sensitive company data?
- Do forced password changes take place on a periodic basis?
These are only a few of the numerous questions that companies are going to face on the DDQ. While the focus of a private equity firm might be on ensuring a return on the investment of their clients, IT and cybersecurity are still significant focuses of this questionnaire.
Ensuring Robust IT and Cybersecurity Partnerships
It is important for private equity firms to partner with a third-party specialist in the field of IT and cybersecurity. Agio is able to provide relevant resources for businesses facing a DDQ on their IT and cybersecurity policies. Instead of spending time every day dealing with IT and cybersecurity issues, many financial firms have found the value of outsourcing this work to a third-party specialist. This allows the firm to focus on growing their investments while placing IT and cybersecurity work in the hands of highly trained and experienced specialists.