During any M&A, so much effort goes into checking the a-listers in due diligence that technology almost always gets treated as an afterthought.
No acquirer or acquired should ever underestimate the significant part that IT plays in bringing two businesses together.
The process of combining the technology and infrastructure of both businesses into one is critical. However, the importance of all employees buying into, and working from, the same platform is often overlooked. This is especially critical if a business makes the decision to replace tools and technologies that people within the business have been using comfortably for a long period of time.
Our own research has highlighted just how crucial this stage of technology implementation is and it is even more paramount when bringing organisations together. If done well, it can be a key driver of culture and performance moving forward as a combined business.
The process of combining technology and infrastructure can cause confusion if it isn’t planned and integrated effectively. A recurrent example we have seen is businesses operating separate phone systems. This means that calls between the business cannot be identified as internal. This leads to confusion and also division as employees don’t consider themselves to be working as one united business and brand. Unified communications on the other hand pulls all colleagues onto the same platform making communication between employees seamless and unites colleagues.
Of course, technology integration during a merger or acquisition also includes the integration of billing and wider IT systems and no communications technology decision should ever be made without consideration of the expanded IT infrastructure in place. You wouldn’t, for instance, move the whole business to a VoIP based unified communications platform without first reviewing your internet connectivity and analysing your network requirements to support the increased traffic that would ensue. Integrations like this should not be rushed into, instead they need to be mapped out first by a dedicated team with a technical lead and a project lead taking accountability for the design and execution.
To find out more about how IT can bring businesses together, read our recent article, written by Andrew Jackson, Intercity Technology’s CEO, published in this month’s HR Director Magazine (page 30).
