The audit firm KPMG UK has agreed an alliance with the cybersecurity, forensic risk and compliance product firm Nuix. The deal will see KPMG’s Forensic Technology practice deploy Nuix software – described by the developer as a tool that indexes, searches and analyses large volumes of unstructured data. KPMG supports clients in responding to data needs in disputes, investigations, M&A divestments and regulatory and internal reviews.
During M&A transactions, particularly for vendors, there is a pressing need to understand where the critical value information data sits, as KPMG says. Questions over who, how and where data is being used requires detailed attention to ensure that it is protected, managed or potentially carved-out. Hence KPMG’s deployment of Nuix software to mitigate risks, such as litigation, non-compliance and increased cost and disruption to business. Nuix, based in Sydney, Australia, has its EMEA base in London, with operations in the US, Ireland, UAE and Germany. Its products can support digital forensic investigations, information governance, email migration, privacy and data remediation services.
Darren Pauling, Managing Director of Forensic Technology at KPMG, said: “Businesses are generating an increasingly large amount of data each day. While they are realising the hidden value that can be extracted from data, they are often becoming overwhelmed by its volume and complexity. Market consolidation through M&A activity, combined with the pressures of regulatory mandates, such as GDPR, mean that more and more clients need to find ways to better understand and efficiently manage that data. Our alliance with Nuix allows us to access a really powerful tool that will search and analyse data, with unparalleled speed and accuracy. That technical capability will be valuable in helping businesses better identify and protect critical information, particularly data that is personally identifiable and commercially sensitive. Crucially, for the M&A community, this approach can radically accelerate transaction times and speed up data remediation projects, which further bolster the current wave of buyout activity.”
And Jonathan Rees, Chief Executive Officer, EMEA at Nuix, said: “Our relationship with KPMG is one that clients across all sectors will benefit from. With the highly talented Forensic Technology team at KPMG, combined with the unrivalled indexing, processing and analysis capabilities of Nuix’s technology, investigations can be conducted efficiently, cost-effectively and comprehensively. At a time when data is being considered the ‘new oil’, it is a powerful partnership. We’re proud that KPMG has such confidence in our solutions.”
