Mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships are some of the most pivotal—and risky—moments in a company’s lifecycle. These high-stakes transactions often involve the transfer of sensitive data, including financial records, intellectual property, and customer information. And when that data is mishandled or exposed, the consequences can be devastating—from regulatory fines to lost deals and permanent brand damage.

In fact, cybersecurity lapses have derailed M&A deals and resulted in major reputational hits. That’s why robust data protection isn’t just IT hygiene during M&A—it’s a business-critical priority.

The M&A Data Dilemma: What Makes These Deals So Risky?

During an M&A process, companies must:

• Grant access to large volumes of confidential, sensitive data to external stakeholders

• Merge or integrate disparate IT systems, often with different security standards

• Navigate complex regulatory and compliance requirements

• Prevent leaks, insider threats, or unauthorized data access—especially during due diligence

Without the right safeguards, organizations leave themselves open to data breaches, IP theft, and compliance violations.

Smart Data Protection for Smarter Deals

To protect your most valuable data during a merger or acquisition, you need solutions that offer:

• Full visibility into who is accessing what data, and when

• Access governance and privilege management to enforce least-privilege access

• Real-time threat detection to stop insider risks and unauthorized activities

• Posture management and risk scoring to continuously evaluate vulnerabilities

Let’s take a closer look at two vendors leading the charge in this space: Netwrix and Sentra.