Technology is thought of as a complicated tool, no matter how it’s implemented, and many decision-makers still fear technology. As a result, the perception is that the integration of technology after a merger is just another time-consuming and costly hassle. And so, people tend to gloss over it – treating it as if it will miraculously fall into place without much effort. Our experience is that careful planning early in the transaction greatly accelerates the post-merger integration of information systems. Another part of the problem is that too often technology people are not brought into preliminary merger discussions. Including technology people in the initial deal team, and establishing a process to prioritize and plan required post-merger integration actions can mitigate the failure risk of most mergers. The merging companies need to focus on the synergies of their respective technologies, more than on the cost of integrating them.

Typically, massive amounts of IT resources are consumed to complete a corporate merger. Companies that are able to quickly and accurately merge their systems and data realize the strategic goals and financial returns of a merger more quickly than companies that struggle with disparate systems. Choosing the right solution for data integration during a merger or acquisition is one of the most important decisions a company can make. In order to prioritize effectively, the acquiring company must have a clear image of what it wants to accomplish. A detailed plan and the right resources will more than pay for itself when the company achieves its integration goals on time with little or no disruption to the core business. Management must focus, have an action plan, and move fast once the ink is dry. Mergers are not the time for introducing new ideas, processes, or systems. Our technology consultants start with the planning effort, helping to define the strategies and goals of the merger and then work with the transition teams to integrate the different systems of the two firms, manage the system conversion, hardware and software installation and business process implementation.