Acquisitions 101: Why Companies Acquire Other Companies

Mergers and acquisitions can have a profound impact on the Information Technology (IT) organization in a company, both directly as a result of merging IT departments and indirectly as a result of other changes within the combined company. But the impact varies considerably depending on why the acquisition or merger was done.

Although there would appear to be hundreds of reasons for M&A, in reality all of the reasons boil down to three categories. This three-page white paper describes the three categories, and then zeroes in on how an acquisition will affect IT in each of the three categories. By reading the white paper and by going through the thought process for understanding the impact of an acquisition on IT, you'll be much better prepared when M&A affects your own company.

I've done technology due diligence for over twenty acquisitions in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Switzerland. A few years ago I did a presentation on my acquisition experiences to a group of Atlanta senior IT executives. The presentation generated a lot of good comments, so I refined the presentation based on their comments, and I put it all together in this white paper.

Understand the impact of M&A on IT before the M&A is complete. Read this white paper and be prepared when it happens to you.

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Outline of this White Paper

Introduction

3 Reasons for an Acquisition

3 Synergy Scenarios

How Does Synergy Affect IT?

Questions that have to be Answered

Conclusion

“Harwell is one of those rare individuals who has both great vision and the ability to get things done. His leadership, forward thinking and deep understanding of technology resulted in several state-of-art business applications that have gone on to become mission critical systems at Ceridian.”
– Robert Bazzini, President of Bazzini Consulting and former VP and GM at Ceridian Corporation


About the Author

Harwell Thrasher has spent over 30 years working in and around IT organizations: as a developer of information systems, as a manager of software development groups, and as a technology vice-president. Harwell has worked for major companies, including Digital Equipment Corporation (now part of Hewlett-Packard) and Ceridian Corporation (originally called Control Data Corporation). He's done technology due diligence for over twenty corporate acquisitions in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Switzerland. He's been a speaker at the Microsoft CIO Summit, and at meetings of numerous technical and non-technical societies. He's seen systems come and go, organizations succeed and fail, and leaders make a difference or get fired. He's seen the difference between mediocre IT and effective IT. Now you can benefit from his experience.

Disclaimer

This report is for informational purposes only. It is important to consult with an attorney regarding specific situations your company encounters.

Questions or comments? See Hot Line to Harwell
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Acquisitions 101: Why Companies Acquire Other Companies

Get free consulting advice with each white paper and article.

Outline of this White Paper

About the Author