Mackinac Partners: Redefining Corporate Security the BIG Way

Kevin M. Cronin, Senior MD

The key to a business’s success is not just to define the ‘right kind of change,' it’s in going beyond to ‘get the change right.' In addition to making successful transformations in the company’s strategy, leaders must also focus on other factors such as establishing company’s security position against fraudulent attacks and developing strategies to address these threats. A significant part of these tasks requires multi-faceted levels of actionable intelligence gathering and security initiatives that plot an appropriate transformational model for the company to execute. This is where Mackinac Partners comes into the game helping organizations through its expertise in business intelligence and corporate security services. Based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Mackinac Partners is a leading restructuring and turnaround management advisory firm with a global footprint. The company’s vast operational and transactional experience efficiently identifies flaws and limitations in its clients’ businesses and helps them to determine future challenges and create stronger and more stable operating environments. Led by former special agents from different three letter, and other, security agencies is Mackinac’s very own three-lettered division that sets the company aside from other restructuring firms—BIG. An acronym for Business Intelligence Group, this division offers a wide array of services in corporate espionage investigations, fraud investigations, IT and physical security risk assessments, and due diligence while supporting its clientele’s complex operational, transactional, and continuity requirements. Kevin M. Cronin, Senior Managing Director, BIG says, “Whether companies are struggling with liquidity issues, complex market conditions, operational risks, or M&A opportunities, we have the expertise, experience and track record to overcome these challenges, while improving performance, through our innovative restructuring solutions.”

Our services are all about bringing increased profits and value for our clients at any point in their business cycle while minimizing risks

Mackinac Partners offers a wide variety of services and programs designed to minimize risks as well as to deter and prevent frauds and compliance violations. BIG is highly accurate in gathering actionable intelligence and uncovering vulnerabilities in a customer’s operating environment. With a vast knowledge of security vulnerabilities plaguing different industry verticals, the group efficiently addresses a diverse range of corporate security issues while delivering comprehensive and sustainable business solutions for its clients. It performs comprehensive vulnerability and penetration tests, web application tests, and perimeter network security assessments to identify the soft spots of a client’s externally exposed information architecture. It protects clients’ assets and infrastructure by helping them to prepare and respond to financial and regulatory problems, brand infringement, reputation risk, data breaches, and cyber threats through its investigative and security advisory services. The group also offers strategic guidance for its clients to resolve high-stakes matters involving fraud and corruption, accounting irregularities, risk management, and complex compliance issues.

With prior experience within top agencies, such as the FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security, the BIG team provides support across all aspects of security planning and response including security engineering, design and analytics, vulnerability and threat assessments, business continuity, and crisis management. The company’s professionals can also supplement the clients’ response team in managing a crisis, including securing business assets, assisting in coordination with impacted vendors, customers, and partners, implementing remedial security measures, and helping safeguard the enterprise until operations are stabilized. Gregory J. Suhajda, President, BIG, states, “Our team can deploy unique law enforcement investigative techniques to support our engagements. We are adept at developing relevant and effective recommendations for managing the complexities involved in corporate internal investigations and regulatory actions.” These highly trained professionals can review and enhance policies and procedures, assess risks, test controls, and remediate significant exposures, as well as provide customized compliance training. “Our services are all about bringing increased profits and value for our clients at any point in the business cycle while efficiently minimizing risks.”