From mergers to momentum–how to leverage technology for M&A wins
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From mergers to momentum–how to leverage technology for M&A wins
The Adaptavist Group
6 March 2025
9 min read
The Adaptavist Group
6 March 2025
9 min read
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are transformative events in the business world. Whether aimed at expanding market share, acquiring new technology, or unlocking synergies, M&As promise significant opportunities. However, these promises come with their share of challenges. For many organisations, the integration process—especially involving people, technology and workflows—can be daunting. In this blog, we'll explore the common hurdles of M&A activities, the opportunities they offer, and how companies like Adaptavist, a leading global solution partner, can support businesses during these critical transitions.
8 big challenges of mergers and acquisitions
1. Integration of systems and processes
Technology is a key area of focus: there will be different tools and processes, and it's a challenge for merged teams to operate efficiently on disparate systems. Combining two or more companies often means merging their IT ecosystems, tools, and workflows. Different systems for project management, collaboration, and data tracking can lead to inefficiencies, redundancies, and data silos if not addressed properly. To be efficient, companies could consider migrating to a single unified platform. There can be financial challenges to move off existing platforms. For example, integrating Atlassian instances of two companies (Jira, Confluence, etc.) may involve handling different configurations, apps, and integrations.
2. Data migration and user management
Transferring data and users between platforms is a complex task. Inadequate planning can lead to data loss, misconfigured permissions, or downtime, disrupting critical operations. Additionally, changing user domains or consolidating identity providers can introduce further complications.
3. Legacy systems
Integrating older, outdated legacy systems can pose significant challenges. These systems may lack modern APIs, be difficult to maintain, and struggle to communicate with newer technologies. This can lead to compatibility issues, data bottlenecks, and increased integration time and cost.
4. Compliance issues
M&As can create complex compliance requirements, especially when dealing with different regulatory environments or industries. Ensuring data privacy (GDPR, CCPA), industry-specific regulations (HIPAA, FINRA), and financial reporting standards can be a major undertaking. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and reputational damage.
5. Potential security issues
Combining IT infrastructures can create security vulnerabilities. Different security protocols, access controls, and threat detection systems need to be harmonised. Data breaches, unauthorised access, and malware infections are potential risks if security isn't a top priority during the integration process.
6. Change management and cultural alignment
Cultural issues arise when merged teams work from older tools and have different ways of working, including varying levels of maturity. Merging two workforces involves more than aligning tools; it requires blending distinct corporate cultures, processes, and expectations. Employees may resist changes to familiar tools and workflows, further complicating the integration process.
7. Cost management
Licensing and app costs can escalate significantly during integration if not optimised. For example, duplications in app usage or inefficient licensing tiers can lead to unnecessary expenses. Tool consolidation is key for cost management.
8. Maintaining business continuity
While the integration unfolds, day-to-day business operations must continue uninterrupted. The risk of downtime, broken workflows, or miscommunication can have real consequences for customers and stakeholders.
The opportunities in M&A
Despite the challenges, M&A activities offer significant opportunities for growth and innovation:
1. Enhanced capabilities
Combining the strengths of two organisations can lead to enhanced product offerings, improved workflows, and access to new talent and expertise.
2. Cost synergies
Streamlining systems, processes, and licences can unlock cost savings. For example, consolidating instances of software from Atlassian, GitLab or monday.com into an enterprise-tier solution may reduce long-term expenses while enabling advanced features like cross-instance analytics.
3. Improved collaboration
Good collaboration is essential. An integrated tech stack fosters better collaboration between teams, enabling more efficient project management, communication, and decision-making—ultimately delivering improved outputs to drive better value for their customers.
4. Innovation potential
While looking at technology, M&A offers the opportunity for full transformations. With access to new tools and perspectives, M&A creates fertile ground for innovation. Teams can rethink workflows and adopt best practices from both organisations.
How Adaptavist can help
As a partner to best-in-class technology providers including Atlassian, AWS, GitLab and monday.com, Adaptavist specialises in helping organisations navigate the complexities of M&A activities, particularly when it comes to integrating and optimising your tool stack. Here’s how Adaptavist can support your journey:
1. Strategic advisory services
Adaptavist’s experts work closely with stakeholders to develop a tailored strategy for integrating tools, systems, and processes. This includes:
- Assessing all existing software instances and configurations
- Recommending cost-effective licensing options
- Aligning integration goals with broader business objectives
- Best practice set-up of work management and collaboration tools
2. Data migration and consolidation
Adaptavist ensures seamless integration, synchronisation and consolidation of data across your software ecosystems while minimising downtime and disruption. This includes:
- Migrating or merging software instances, including custom fields and automations
- Cloud transformations with migrations to AWS
- Managing domain and user account transitions without losing historical data
- Optimising app usage and resolving redundancies
3. Custom solutions and automation
Adaptavist helps replicate or enhance custom workflows, scripts, and automations to ensure that critical functionalities are not lost during migration. This includes:
- Creating bespoke solutions tailored to the merged organisation's needs
- Streamlining repetitive tasks with automation for improved efficiency
4. Licensing and cost optimisation
With deep expertise in software licensing across business-critical tools such as Atlassian, GitLab and monday.com, Adaptavist identifies the most cost-effective solutions. For example:
- Consolidating licences under an enterprise plan to unlock savings
- Leveraging vendor credits for unused portions of existing licences
5. Training and change management
Adaptavist supports your workforce during the transition by:
- Conducting training sessions on Atlassian tools and best practices
- Creating documentation and resources to empower users
- Guiding leaders in fostering a culture of collaboration and adaptability
6. Ongoing support and maintenance
Adaptavist provides long-term support to ensure your systems remain optimised post-integration. This includes:
- Monitoring system performance and resolving issues as part of our managed services
- Implementing new features or upgrades as your organisation evolves
Navigating merger complexities–how Adaptavist transformed BetaNXT's operations
Mergers bring complexities, as BetaNXT experienced integrating three businesses. Learn how Adaptavist reduced tools by 67%, created a scalable architecture, and enhanced growth opportunities.
A proven partner for success
Mergers and acquisitions are as much about opportunity as they are about overcoming challenges. With a trusted partner like Adaptavist, organisations can confidently navigate the complexities of M&A. By providing strategic guidance, technical expertise, and customised solutions, Adaptavist ensures that the integration of tools like Atlassian products becomes a catalyst for innovation and growth rather than a source of friction.
If your organisation is embarking on an M&A journey, contact Adaptavist to learn how we can help make the transition seamless and successful.
Ready to transform your M&A experience?
Contact Adaptavist today to discuss how we can support your business through its next big move.
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