The Riverside Company I Cybersecurity

Preventing cyber incidents for 100+ portfolio companies

What We Did

As cyberattacks become an increasingly common threat, The Riverside Company wanted to know more about the state of security at its portfolio companies—so they came to us.

Our distinctive expertise in technology, business operations, and private equity uniquely positioned us to add security—and drive deal value—across Riverside’s portfolio.

Over the course of the project we:

Provided tailored security advice for Riverside’s current information security office (ISO) services
Conducted initial analysis discussions with all portfolio companies and focused on priority portfolio groups
Developed individual security profiles
Highlighted security gaps
Implemented a hotline for continued security oversight

The breadth and depth of our analysis gave Riverside the actionable insights it needed to protect its investments.

100+

portfolio companies’ security capabilities analyzed

30

priority companies had in-depth profiles created

4

key areas and 34 sub-topics of security risk analyzed

Hear from The Riverside Company

West Monroe and The Riverside Company have partnered on dozens of M&A transactions over the last three years to help companies get to their next stage of growth. Hear how we work together in this video that highlights merger of Universal SmartComp and Align Networks and The Riverside Company's acquisition of Rutland Plastics.

The Challenge

How are cybersecurity issues affecting the value of a portfolio company? This was the pressing question at hand when The Riverside Company engaged us to assess security at its portfolio companies—and identify gaps that could impact their value.

Our solution? CAPE (Cybersecurity Assessment for Private Equity): West Monroe’s multidisciplinary approach to revealing security risks across a portfolio and highlighting changes that will protect a firm’s investment.

With a proven methodology and expertise in cybersecurity, business operations, and private equity, West Monroe was the ideal partner to get Riverside and its portfolio companies ahead of threats—and keep them there.

An Undeniable Approach

The world of private equity moves quickly. And so do we. Our multidisciplinary team got right to work to give Riverside portfolio-wide visibility, contacting all its portfolio companies for an initial analysis.

We drilled down into 30 priority companies identified by the firm, evaluating 19 areas of security for competencies. The output: Individual security profiles for each company, complete with gap analyses and general recommendations, so everyone could move forward to protect Riverside’s investment.

Where companies were already in the process of selecting vendors for security tools and services, we assisted them in making (and validating) a choice. We also identified opportunities for potential group negotiations with vendors or solution providers. By drawing on our experience in technology and private equity, we identified trends and opportunities for common best practice solutions that Riverside could benefit from.

Cybersecurity is an ongoing process. And so is our oversight.

We implemented a hotline for portfolio companies to seek security advice when needed—so they can make the right moves quickly and with confidence. That’s value that Riverside can count on.

Returns You Can Measure

We provided the resources and security expertise for Riverside to contact more than 70 portfolio companies and analyze their security capabilities. We went deeper with 30 portfolios within one group and evaluated 19 areas of security for competencies.

At West Monroe, we believe in the power of technology, properly deployed and protected, to drive value. We worked hard for Riverside to make sure that happened.