A new guide from the Los Angeles managed IT provider separates securing the firm itself from the technology work that runs through every deal, from due diligence to exit.
LOS ANGELES – Tech Kooks, a managed IT services provider based in Los Angeles, has published a guide to IT services for private equity firms, setting out how deal teams can secure their own operations while managing technology risk from due diligence through exit. The guide, written by CEO Karim Karawia for partners, operating teams and compliance leads at private equity firms in Los Angeles, is available at https://techkooks.com/insights/it-services-private-equity-firms-los-angeles.
Two Separate IT Problems
The guide’s central point is that a private equity firm has two different IT problems. The first is the firm itself: a small team handling sensitive investor data, wire instructions and deal documents. The second is the technology inside the companies the firm buys, integrates and eventually sells.
“Most private equity firms are lean, and the people approving wires and signing documents are the same people attackers go after,” said Karim Karawia, CEO of Tech Kooks. “Securing the firm and handling IT across a deal are different jobs. Both need a plan before the next transaction starts.”
Email Fraud and Compliance at the Firm Level
The guide names business email compromise as the biggest day-to-day threat to deal teams. National figures show why. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, released in April 2026, recorded about $3.05 billion in reported business email compromise losses, up from $2.77 billion the year before. The FBI also reported that wire transfers made up most of the money lost in those cases.
For a firm, the guide’s recommended baseline covers protection against email and wire fraud, phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, prompt offboarding when people leave, secure file sharing for deal rooms, managed devices, tested backups and responsive support.
Compliance belongs on the same list. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s amended Regulation S-P, adopted in 2024, now applies to registered investment advisers of every size. Larger advisers had to comply by Dec. 3, 2025, and smaller advisers by June 3, 2026. The rule requires a written incident response program, oversight of service providers and notice to affected individuals within 30 days of certain breaches. The guide notes that exempt reporting advisers fall under the Federal Trade Commission’s Safeguards Rule instead, and that auditors and compliance teams will expect documentation either way.
IT Work Across the Deal Cycle
The second half of the guide follows technology through the life of an investment. It covers IT due diligence and cybersecurity due diligence before close, with findings meant to feed into the purchase price and the 100-day plan rather than sit in a report. It then covers Day 1 readiness, the first 100 days, carve-outs, add-on integration and exit readiness.
Carve-outs get particular attention. When a business is separated from a parent company, it often relies on the seller’s systems for a period under a transition services agreement. The guide describes these agreements as expensive and time-limited, and recommends that planning to exit them begin when the deal closes.
“A transition services agreement buys time, but the clock starts on day one,” Karawia said. “Firms that wait until the end of the term to plan the cutover usually end up paying for an extension.”
What to Look for in a Los Angeles IT Partner
The guide closes with criteria for choosing a provider: experience with private equity work, clearly defined roles between the firm, its portfolio companies and any specialist advisers, security included as standard rather than sold as an add-on, local presence and thorough documentation.
For day-to-day firm IT, Tech Kooks positions managed IT as the ongoing layer, combining monitoring, security, help desk support and technology planning under one monthly agreement, with the deal-cycle services covered alongside it. Firms in the region with questions about the guide can contact Tech Kooks’ LA office.
With amended Regulation S-P now in effect for advisers of every size, the guide is meant as a practical starting point for firms reviewing both their own IT and their deal process. More information about the company’s managed IT services is available at techkooks.com.
About Tech Kooks
Tech Kooks is a managed IT services provider serving businesses throughout Los Angeles. The company helps organizations manage technology through IT support, cybersecurity, cloud services, infrastructure management and technology planning. Tech Kooks works with professional service firms and growing businesses that want a proactive, well-documented approach to maintaining their systems and supporting the people who use them.
Contact Information
Name: Tech Kooks
Contact: Karim Karawia, CEO
Address: 1536 W 25th St. OFC #1028, San Pedro, CA 90732
Phone: 424-416-1516
Email: info@techkooks.com
Website: techkooks.com
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