ACA launches cybersecurity tool

ACA Group has launched ACA Vantage for Cyber, a tool designed to address cybersecurity risks at the portfolio level.

The offering combines advisory services with ACA’s ComplianceAlpha technology to assist operating partners with the establishment and operation of a cybersecurity framework across the portfolio and monitor it throughout the investment lifecycle.

According to ACA, the tool’s key elements include:

• Continuous, portfolio-wide cybersecurity monitoring and assessment
• Methodology that enables risk comparison across the portfolio
• Support to establish a formally governed oversight programme.

Risks and remediation actions can be displayed in real time through implementation of ACA’s regulatory tech platform.

“When a company within the private equity firm’s portfolio suffers a breach, this results in financial and operational losses to the portfolio business but equally to the sponsors and investors,” said Kavitha Venkita, partner at ACA. “What’s needed is a programmatic approach to cybersecurity across all portfolio companies, designed to be formally governed and applied consistently. A confidence-building portfolio oversight programme is a competitive advantage today for attracting and retaining investment from limited partners; tomorrow, it will likely be table stakes.”

Jeremy Bergsman, managing director at ACA, added: “Firms are constantly navigating what ‘good’ cyber oversight looks like. We are excited about how ACA Vantage for Cyber can help private markets firms create or improve their oversight programmes. And ACA Vantage for Cyber has flexible risk assessment and monitoring that can be scaled up or down to meet the risk management needs of every company in the portfolio.”