IT Integration and Migration Following Acquisition

THE OBJECTIVE

With the acquisition of a business unit, IT integration of all users with the new company had to be implemented. In addition, all acquired infrastructure and applications had to be migrated to corporate data centers and standard infrastructure solutions.

THE CHALLENGE

Several business and technical challenges had to be overcome for the IT integration of the new business unit. There was a 24x7 manufacturing facility with product expiration considerations, rogue systems (lab machines, servers) not managed by IT and application integration priorities conflicting with application migration priorities. In addition, as is common with many acquisitions, there were limited application subject-matter expert resources available. Initial access to the former parent company technical teams to discuss options regarding network connectivity, system access and migration planning was restricted, and we were required to set up parallel networks instead of integrating with the existing environment since only a portion of the company was acquired. We had no access to legacy systems and environments and had to rely on acquired users and their former parent company to execute changes and support the legacy environment. In addition, there were multiple unplanned FDA audits during the migration activities.

THE RESULTS - Successful IT Integration and Migration

To support the integration, we implemented network connectivity and parallel networks at three locations, including the implementation of ASA and Palo Alto firewalls at each site. We implemented over 84 firewall rules with the parent company and installed six MPLS and two internet circuits to the three locations. We onboarded 941 users, deployed Skype for Business at the three locations, and deployed four Surface Hubs and 23 Trio video conference units. New wireless access points were installed and cabled for three sites. A new Business Portal on an Azure platform was developed. 26 client applications were packaged and tested, and 627 end user machines were re-imaged to company standards and the Windows 10 client. We also migrated 41 applications to colocations and Azure. All of this was successfully executed despite an uncooperative parent company the business unit had been acquired from.

Gartner notes that “IT is one of the most difficult areas to integrate” following an acquisition and “25% of typical M&A integration efforts come from IT, and more than half of all integration activities are strongly dependent on IT.”

CTM Technology Group has experience working through challenging IT integration and migration efforts, and we can help you plan and navigate through your initiative. Contact us for more information on our Services.