IT PLANNING AND INTEGRATION ENSURING M&A SUCCESS IN THE DIGITAL BUSINESS AGE

A merger and acquisition (M&A) of one corporation with another is a significant event that requires several teams from both companies to collaborate and align on various items. M&A activities are focused on bringing together not just people from the companies but also the multiple cultures, the diverse product portfolios, operating models, critical resources such as IT systems, and the talent pool. M&A activities are initiated to primarily boost the revenue bottom line. Consequently, in order to show value to shareholders, companies undergoing an M&A are keen on making this alignment exercise happen quickly, efficiently, and painlessly. Ironically, the key things necessary to make this alignment happen smoothly are also the ones that get short shrift: IT landscape assessment, business process integration, and IT integration of both systems and data sources.