Microsoft CISO advice: Consider the risks of early integration with mergers and acquisitions

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Geoff Belknap, CVP and operating CISO, shares advice about integration with acquired businesses.

When considering mergers and acquisitions (M&A), security needs to be an important part of the financial and operational due diligence process. At Microsoft, the security organization does more than fulfill the traditional role of assessing risk. It seeks also to address questions about the speed and costs of integrating new resources and capabilities.

Geoff Belknap, CVP and operating CISO shares the questions he asks when considering when and how to integrate technologies with a merged or acquired company.

Watch this video to see Geoff Belknap share questions about integration with M&A. (For a transcript, please view the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrE2FSXZ-ss.)

Key takeaways

Think about moving slowly with early integration with M&A. Here are some key questions to consider:

  • What do we risk by combining tools or technical capabilities too quickly?
  • Is the deal still valuable if we do not integrate systems?
  • What operational safeguards and governance are needed?

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