Whether it’s a complex corporate merger like the one Maria Gollnick of BloodSource has dealt with (see page 1 of our Strategic Advisor Newsletter) or, say, the shifting of an on-site infrastructure to a cloud environment, the challenges of merging/ consolidating IT infrastructures can be overwhelming.
Even modest consolidation involves networks, data centers, hardware, applications, clouds, backup plans, security policies, business and compliance processes, anticipating future needs and technologies, and more — all of which must be understood and then integrated into a new, efficient IT environment.
Regardless of any given IT infrastructure consolidation’s particulars, they all share these three imperatives, on which you should focus before beginning the actual work of merger/consolidation:
1 Know your environments. This requires exhaustive information gathering — about everything from where business-critical data resides to application traffic flow to employee attitudes about BYOD.
2 Develop a thorough, solid infrastructure integration plan. You need to understand business objectives and goals, identify risks and opportunities, conduct due diligence about your options, carefully structure your implementation plan, and ensure all stakeholders are engaged via clear communications.
3 Select resources you can trust. Few organizations have the in-house expertise needed to undertake IT infrastructure merger/ consolidation. Partner with a trusted technology consultant who has a proven IT infrastructure consolidation track record.
