M&A IT Integration for Financial Services Organizations

Careful planning and precise execution through every phase of the process leads to success. See how through the experience of a midsize bank’s IT director.

Laying the Foundation

Immediately following the merger announcement that his regional, midsized bank was acquiring a similar sized bank, the IT director swings into action. He instructs his small IT team to begin the discovery process of all IT assets and an onsite survey to understand the infrastructure and supporting technology. His team uses a software asset management tool to locate software, ensure licensing compliance and eliminate duplicate products.

Image of people in office having a discussion.

Laying the Foundation

Immediately following the merger announcement that his regional, midsized bank was acquiring a similar sized bank, the IT director swings into action. He instructs his small IT team to begin the discovery process of all IT assets and an onsite survey to understand the infrastructure and supporting technology. His team uses a software asset management tool to locate software, ensure licensing compliance and eliminate duplicate products.

Image of a woman and man in office having a discussion.

Forming a Plan

When the audit is complete, the IT director engages the CDW Consulting Services (CCS) team to help plan the integration of technology from Day 1. Integrating the two financial institutions would be especially challenging due to the large number of branch locations with an expansive geographical footprint. Plus, the acquired bank just acquired a fintech firm, increasing concerns around the IT integration as well as regulatory compliance.

The IT director works closely with the CCS team to create a detailed timeline and plan for the rollout, address areas of concern, and identify projects that could be outsourced to help his small IT team stay focused on the most critical aspects of the M&A.

Image of a woman and man in front of bank having a discussion.

Flip the Switch with Confidence

Once the switch is flipped, the IT director works with his team to build out their network infrastructure and data center to warrant it can handle the rapid scale-up of the merging banks. They ensure that the technology will support business-critical applications as well as manage and store massive quantities of data. They work with their trusted technology partner to select IT that provides the newly merged banks with a powerful infrastructure to support their aggressive growth plan. The IT director outsources the time-consuming data and workload migration and the integration of the Active Directory so that his team can stay focused on the all-important network and data center work.

Optimize Security and Risk Management

The IT director consults with the CCS team to review regulatory compliance concerns including issues related to data security and evolving cyberthreats. The CCS team assesses the infrastructure for vulnerabilities and then designs and deploys a defense-in-depth security system that will secure customer and institutional data of the newly merged banks.

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Image of a woman and man in office having a discussion about CDW solutions.

Prepare for the Future

The IT director is eager to build out an IT platform that is flexible and can easily integrate emerging and advanced technology that fosters innovation and opportunity for the newly merged banks. The technology also needs to deliver a memorable customer experience with every transaction, in every channel and drive efficiency, business results and cost savings. The IT director connects with his technology partner to discuss the latest innovations in the financial services marketplace and, after consultation, he purchases several IT solutions to be installed by his team.

Minimize IT challenges and maximize productivity, value and opportunity.

CDW experts and technology partners can help your financial services firm orchestrate the right solutions to help your IT team rapidly roll out a merger and acquisition with precision and efficiency.