Private Equity (PE) firms are facing pressure to create value faster than ever, with technology now sitting at the center of operational improvement. From accelerating digital transformation to protecting sensitive data across portfolio companies, reliable IT execution has become a strategic necessity—not just a back-office function.
Yet, few PE firms have the in-house resources or bandwidth to optimize technology across an entire portfolio. That’s where Managed Service Providers (MSPs) like Access One come in: as an extension of the firm’s Operating Team, helping to identify inefficiencies, standardize IT processes, and de-risk technology investments across multiple entities.
According to a 2024 Deloitte Private Equity Technology Report, 72% of PE operating partners now consider IT modernization “a top-three lever” for value creation, up from just 49% three years ago. However, only 37% report having consistent IT governance across portfolio companies—a gap that MSP partnerships can directly fill.
1. Extending the PE Operations Team: Centralized IT Expertise Across the Portfolio
Managing IT across multiple portfolio companies often means dealing with fragmented systems, inconsistent security postures, and unpredictable costs. Partnering with an MSP brings a layer of consistency and scalability to that environment.
Access One supports PE firms by acting as a centralized technology partner—delivering standardized IT infrastructure, 24/7 help desk support, and security frameworks that scale across acquisitions.
This not only drives operational efficiency but also reduces onboarding time for new acquisitions by up to 40%, according to Access One’s internal benchmarks. PE Operating
Teams gain real-time visibility into IT health, spend, and risk – enabling them to focus on growth and integration rather than troubleshooting.
2. Accelerating Value Creation Through Technology Modernization
Your investments are on a timeline—and IT modernization is one of the fastest ways to unlock value early in the hold period.
Modernizing legacy systems, implementing cloud solutions, and optimizing connectivity can yield measurable gains. In fact, Bain & Company’s 2025 Global Private Equity Report found that digital-enablement initiatives can improve EBITDA margins by 15–25% in mid-market portfolio companies within the first 12–18 months.
By leveraging Access One’s managed IT and communications services—ranging from cloud migration to unified networking and VoIP—PE firms can implement modern, secure, and scalable systems without the need to build or manage IT teams in-house.
This approach not only drives short-term efficiency but lays the groundwork for a higher exit multiple, as potential buyers assess a company’s technology readiness as part of IT Due Diligence.
3. Mitigating Cyber and Operational Risk Across Portfolio Companies
Cybersecurity is now a board-level issue—and in PE, it’s a portfolio-wide concern. With varying levels of maturity across companies, a single breach can expose the entire firm to reputational and financial risk. According to EY’s 2025 Global Private Equity Pulse Survey, 68% of PE firms rank cybersecurity among their top three risk management priorities, yet fewer than half conduct ongoing IT audits across all portfolio holdings.
Access One integrates 24/7 monitoring, compliance management, and threat detection as part of its managed IT services—ensuring every portfolio company meets baseline standards and regulatory requirements.
This unified approach gives operating partners confidence that technology and data security are being proactively managed, not just reactively supported.
4. Enabling Seamless Exits Through IT Readiness
When it comes time to sell or merge, IT infrastructure often becomes a determining factor in valuation and deal execution. Buyers increasingly demand evidence of system stability, documentation, and scalability—factors that can add or subtract millions in enterprise value.
Partnering with an MSP that understands the PE landscape creates a clean IT footprint that supports due diligence, streamlines transition services, and provides documentation that enhances buyer confidence.
For PE firms, this translates into smoother exits, faster transitions, and often, higher valuations.
5. Quantifying the ROI of a Managed IT Partnership
PE firms operate on measurable outcomes. MSP partnerships deliver tangible financial returns by:
- Reducing IT overhead through shared services and economies of scale (average 20–30% cost reduction per company).
- Increasing uptime and productivity, with managed network monitoring cutting downtime by an average of 40%.
- Improving cybersecurity posture, lowering breach probability by 60% on average per IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report.
When scaled across a portfolio, these gains can translate into hundreds of basis points of additional EBITDA improvement, directly contributing to value creation metrics that matter most to PE sponsors and LPs alike.
Conclusion: The MSP as a Value Creation Partner
In today’s environment, technology is not just a cost center—it’s a value driver. As Private Equity firms seek to accelerate growth, reduce risk, and maximize exit outcomes, partnering with a trusted Managed Service Provider like Access One provides a strategic advantage.
From centralized IT operations to cybersecurity oversight and digital transformation, Access One helps PE firms and their portfolio companies move faster, safer, and smarter.
When technology works seamlessly, so does the path to value creation.
About the Author
John Kochvar, National Account Manager, leads our Private Equity team at Access One, with nearly 20 years’ experience partnering with PE-backed mid-market organizations across all industries, from manufacturing and business services to healthcare and information technology. He has a deep understanding of the modern Private Equity operating model and the role in which IT plays as a value creation tool at each stage of the investment cycle.
