Private equity companies exist to invest the money they manage by taking controlling stakes in portfolio companies, often small to mid-sized privately held companies in virtually any industry or business line. The goal is for the private equity company to work with company executives to make the portfolio companies more valuable so they can sell them later at a profit.

But in a world where data is the new oil, are these private equity companies really maximizing profits when they fail to fully risk assess the portfolio company's data practices; ensure the portfolio company has a reasonable compliance program; understand both the risks and value the portfolio company's data adds to the bottom line; and require that the portfolio company has sufficient people, processes and infrastructure in place to mitigate risk?