IT Integration Done Right
It may or may not surprise you, but about 70% – 90% of M&As fail, for one reason or another. The integration of two companies into one functional unit inevitably involves great change. Culture, business strategies, and many other variables need to be adapted to fit new environments, people, and goals.
Are you prepared to take on the pressure and complexity of an IT M&A? Our new M&A Playbook for IT is your roadmap to navigating the biggest IT integration challenges and driving business goals.
In this strategy brief, find out:
-The three common M&A pitfalls that CIOs must avoid
-How to improve synergy, lower costs, and shorten time to market
-How to determine the right level of IT integration for your company
4. Most complications around IT boil down to
the fact that companies often implement
technologies in vastly different ways.
For example, one company may rely on
third-party, cloud-based services to meet
their needs, while another may rely primarily
on an in-house, locally-hosted solution.
Software licenses, service agreements,
equipment, policies, and a wide range of
other factors must all be accounted for to
complete a successful merger or acquisition.
Usually, this means a number of projects have
to be undertaken to consolidate technologies
and form a cohesive foundation for the future.
Why Technology
can be One of
the Most
Challenging
Aspects of
Integration
5. To arrive at the right integration model,
companies must have a solid understanding
of how and to what extent they want to
combine resources and efforts. Integration
models run the gamut between holding and
absorbing — where each company is left
completely intact, or where the target
company is integrated into the parent
company. Deciding on an integration model
will form the basis for how the integration will
proceed and help CIOs prioritize their efforts.
Understanding
Integration Models
8. What value can integration add?
In many cases, technology integration may add significant value
through synergy, lower costs, and improved time to market. It is
important to carefully consider every potential impact of integration
and evaluate based on models and data. One of the most
important components of integration is identifying areas in which
the target company’s technologies, people, processes, and service
contracts can be combined with those of the parent company to
reduce costs, increase efficiency, or drive innovation.
What are the downsides to integration?
Although there may be many benefits to integration, there can
also be many pitfalls and downsides. Culture clashes, incompatible
policies, and overlapping systems can all create problems and
additional work for the IT team. In the case of a full absorption, there
will inevitably be a major increase in the number of projects that the
IT team must contend with, likely for a significant period. The added
costs and the potential for risk that this brings must be considered
when weighing the value of integration.
Determining
the Right
Level of IT
Integration
9. One of the most common sources of failure
in M&A is ineffective planning and execution.
Many companies fail to understand or properly
prepare for the immense change that the
transition will bring. This inevitably leads to
significant problems when the reality of the
merger or acquisition demands action from
business leaders.
Three Keys
to Successful
Integration
Planning
11. Four Integration
Elements to Consider
To form the foundations of an integration effort that
builds on the strengths of both companies, these elements
should be examined thoroughly:
Synergy
The integration should combine pieces of each company
to form a more complete, more effective whole. This
involves the maximization of revenue streams by
embedding key products from the target company
into the parent company or vice versa. It also involves
recognizing that some elements should be left segregated
to achieve maximum cost effectiveness or efficiency.
Elements that should be considered include people,
operational elements, applications and services, and
enabling technology.
Time to market
As a combined entity, a variety of factors will change the
time to market for products and services. Leveraging skills
and resources from both companies can help expedite
development, testing, and production, allowing products
to be created faster and cheaper. In some cases, this can
also work in the opposite direction, as integration can
cause inefficiency and other problems.
12. Cost
The costs of any integration effort will be a major component in
developing effective strategies. Companies must examine the
expenses of a chosen integration roadmap, as well as the savings
it will allow, to make better decisions about what to keep
segregated and what to combine.
Innovation
Bringing together the varied talent and resources of two
companies can lead to a dramatic increase in innovation.
Companies may have the ability to develop new products faster,
combine technologies to create more effective solutions, and
benefit from an influx of ideas. However, it is also important to
take steps to make sure that innovation is not stifled by
incompatible culture changes or processes that aren’t effective
in a new environment.
Four
Integration
Elements to
Consider
14. Infrastructure and applications
A careful inventory of each company’s applications, systems, and
infrastructure must be made to look for areas of overlap and to
allocate resources most effectively. Other issues to address include
relative scalability of infrastructure, the suitability of adopting
resources to new tasks, and adherence to industry best practices.
Strategic alignment and governance
There should be mechanisms in place to ensure each company is
aligned regarding its goals and accountability. This will help avoid
conflicts of interest and problems in the power structure of the new
organization.
Financials
There should be a careful analysis of IT costs by function and activity
for each company. This allows the company to identify items that do
not provide value and a path to integrate most cost-effectively.
Creating
an
Integration
Plan
15. Create a timeline and project portfolio
After making an assessment and deciding on an integration model,
companies should begin creating a plan that includes a structured
timeline with milestones and metrics to judge progress. This allows IT to
prioritize projects according to the needs of the business and allows
for a more organized approach to integration.
Address risk mitigation
Technology integration inherently involves risk. IT leaders should look at
every decision in terms of the potential costs and pitfalls compared to
its benefits. This allows for planning that is based on logical analysis of
the facts and reduces the chances that the integration will fail due to
unforeseen outcomes.
Develop a structure for execution
Planning is only half the battle. Companies must also put solid
structures in place to ensure follow-through on any projects that
have been delegated. This involves ongoing dedication to the
integration process and requires a substantial commitment on the
part of IT management to ensure that early work is not undone by
later mistakes or lack of will.
Creating
an
Integration
Plan
17. About WGroup
Founded in 2004, WGroup is a
management consulting firm with
a peer-to-peer approach to IT
optimization and transformation.
The team is composed of
consultants who average more
than two decades of experience
as former C-suite executives and
IT leaders, and the client roster
includes many Fortune 1000
companies across a wide range
of industries. WGroup is known
for on outcome-driven, service
provider-agnostic approach that
optimizes IT operations and
minimizes costs.
Visit us at
thinkwgroup.com
or give us a call at
(610) 854-2700
to learn how we
can help you.