If you’re the CFO of a private equity-backed platform, you know firsthand how quickly fragmentation becomes apparent after an acquisition. Systems that once operated smoothly in isolation often run into trouble when they’re expected to work together — particularly if they’re outdated or poorly integrated. This can result in repetitive manual tasks, which consume valuable time and gradually wear down team morale. As these processes become more complicated and responsibilities become less clear, what began as a technical challenge can quickly escalate into broader risks and operational concerns.
The executives we meet know that outdated tools and unclear responsibilities can undermine security, hinder collaboration, and slow down decision-making. To help address these gaps, we’ve gathered practical ideas for approaching integration to help you identify your priorities. And the first question to get you started is simple — how do you make sure integration stays focused on your business goals?
Anchor technology in the business strategy
Every integration begins with the same foundational question: What is your business trying to achieve? Call it a target operating model, shared services, enterprise architecture — whatever fits. Bottom line, it’s about building and integrating with a clear vision of where you want to end up. If you lose sight of that, you’ll miss valuable opportunities, wind up with extra work, and teams can end up scratching their heads wondering what happened.
Each technical decision should tie back to a business outcome, like faster reporting, stronger controls, simpler collaboration, and lower cost. Without that alignment, the work drifts, and the organization solves for what’s convenient at the time rather than what offers value. Technology should always serve your goals — it’s not a substitute for having a clear direction. Sometimes, that means merging platforms for simplicity; other times, it’s smarter to keep systems running side by side until your teams and workflows are truly in sync.
How do you achieve a parallel workflow until then? Oftentimes, it’s the most straightforward questions that help keep everyone on track. What does success look like after six months? Who will be responsible once the consultants transition out? How will progress be evaluated throughout the process? When everyone understands the underlying purpose, clarity improves, decision-making becomes easier, and momentum tends to build naturally.
A working framework: Three-phase approach for middle-market technology integration
Ideally, integration isn’t starting from ground zero, and the assumption is that a level of technological diligence has already been performed to shed light on the maturity and risks associated with the businesses. Diligence is a critical step because it should inform the integration priorities — such as remediating key cybersecurity risks prior to network integration and greater collaboration. Here’s a prior article on how tech diligence tees up integration activities.
A well-structured approach can untangle the complexities and uncertainties of technology integration. The following is a roadmap to consider when navigating this process.
Zero to three months: Establish a working baseline
The early months are about establishing stability and understanding the operating environment you’ve inherited. You’re confirming which systems are active, how data moves, what controls are in place, and where potential risk or redundancy lies. Getting accurate visibility now prevents unnecessary rework later.
Generally, there’s an immediate need and benefit for supporting easier and more efficient communication with new colleagues who are joined through acquisition. The time and complexity of building bridges between the two organizations can vary depending on the modernity of the technology stack. This phase often includes:
- Communication platforms — quickly integrate file shares, email systems, calendar sharing, and chat services to enable seamless communication and collaboration across teams.
- Cybersecurity standards — establish and enforce baseline cybersecurity protocols to protect against threats, ensuring consistent security configurations to prevent vulnerable entry points.
At this stage, it’s less about rushing big decisions and more about setting things up and letting strategic choices come naturally. When you’ve got a steady foundation, it’s much easier to tackle next steps in order — so integration moves forward smoothly without throwing off your team’s daily rhythm.
Three to six months: Align systems and behaviors
Once the baseline is set, the work shifts toward alignment — understanding which systems deliver the most value, which can consolidate, and which need to remain in place for now. The inventory you created at the outset becomes a reference point, but the real insight comes from seeing how people use their tools, where processes converge, and where they differ.
Here’s how:
- Migrate file and document management. Transitioning critical content into unified systems minimizes data silos.
- Establish tenant consolidation and migration. Streamlining IT and cloud resources fosters a more manageable and cost-effective infrastructure.
- Maintain standardization of IT. Creating consistent technology use across the enterprise supports operational efficiency.
At this point, the decisions you make don’t just shape the budget — they set the tone for how teams operate and what they expect moving forward. Taking a steady, thoughtful approach helps everyone see the “why” behind each call. When you size up platforms with the same criteria, like value, user adoption, security, and compliance, it keeps things straightforward and fair for everyone involved.
By now, day-to-day work starts to click again. Tasks flow more smoothly, data is reliable, and teams can finally pick up speed.
Six to 12 months: Move toward full digital integration
A stable environment creates the space to evaluate performance, and this is the stage where integration moves from “working” to “working well.” In the last phase, the focus shifts to integrating core business systems to enable maximum synergy realization.
- Systems of record and line-of-business: This includes consolidations within CRM, accounting, and ERP systems, providing a single source of truth.
- Support services transformation: Optimizing service desk operations and efficiency of other support systems ensure continuity.
- Realizing synergies: Aggressively pursuing budget efficiencies by leveraging service providers and refining software licensing agreements.
Over time, you start to see what’s working and what’s not. You notice where information moves smoothly and where it gets stuck. You also begin to recognize which tools actually help with decisions and which ones just create barriers. These insights reveal the difference between simply sharing a tech stack and truly building a unified way of working together. Governance requires renewed attention here, too. As workflows settle, habits form, and controls must align with how people work, not how the system was designed to work on day one. Refining access, refreshing policies, and ensuring security practices match this behavior keeps the environment stable long term.
This is where integration stops being a one-time project and becomes an ongoing strength for the organization.
Resource the work intentionally
Technology doesn’t integrate itself — people do the work. It’s about understanding dependencies, sequencing tasks, coordinating decisions, and keeping things moving, even when priorities compete. Assigning clear ownership early helps you avoid drift and keeps teams aligned and on track.
- Internal IT teams: Assess the existing skills and staff availability. This team must understand the business intimately but might need additional support for specialized tasks.
- Outsourcing and external support: Leveraging external expertise in areas like platform migration, cybersecurity setup, and large-scale data management relieves pressure on internal resources while bringing in specialized knowledge and experience.
- Common roles for integration success: Integration requires a mix of expertise, including:
- IT program managers oversee the integration timeline and milestones.
- Data analysts and engineers manage and migrate data securely.
- Cybersecurity specialists guard against threats and ensure compliance.
- Communication and change management staff members lead to facilitate culture and process transitions smoothly.
Consistent communication throughout the process is essential because, as updates flow across teams, the organization begins to trust the work and adapt more naturally.
Strategic reflection for continued excellence
Integrating technologies after a merger is a significant undertaking that comes with its share of challenges and opportunities. The most effective strategy is to approach the process in structured phases, guided by clear business objectives. This ensures that immediate priorities are addressed while laying the groundwork for ongoing success. Whether you’re preparing for integration or actively managing it, keep in mind that technology decisions shape more than just systems — they also impact how teams adapt to change, how efficiently the organization stabilizes, and the ultimate value realized from the merger.
Reflect on what supported business goals, what slowed decisions, and where new capabilities emerged. Successfully overcoming challenges like cybersecurity risks, collaboration issues, and complex reporting sets the stage for future growth.
Integration moves the organization into its next stage, guided by the strategy you set. With clear priorities and steady execution, technology becomes a reliable way to advance your business. And with the help of an experienced partner to guide you through post-merger integration, the direction becomes a choice, not a constraint.
