Mergers and acquisitions are frequently high profile, time critical events. Some businesses merge to create an entirely new company, or one business might acquire another, but either way, it is important to consider the data content migration of the digital assets affected by the business decision. So, it would be useful to offer some insights into the considerations Vamosa have to discuss when supporting any business through the content migration process of related data.
During Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), the spotlight focuses on the success of the transition. Data content migration is obviously just one of the many things to be considered but, particularly with any public facing website content, inconsistent messaging or interruption to normal business due to data migration issues will be immediately visible to staff and customers, and this can impact the reputation of a new joint business before it has had a chance to establish itself.
Vamosa, the T-Systems data content migration practice, has been involved in delivering successful M&A projects for more than twenty years. In that time, we have seen data volumes and data complexity grow enormously, to the point where without a robust, flexible tool set and an experienced team, one of an organisations greatest assets – their data – is at risk.
Why the need for migration expertise?
For most businesses, a large merger or acquisition is a rare event. As a result, there is often a lack of in-house knowledge and experience of data migration, or knowledge of how to plan for and deliver a seamless M&A project. In our experience, the scale and complexity of such projects is often underestimated, which can lead to a last minute rush and the risk of reduced data quality.
With our bespoke Vamosa Migration Architect software, and our experience of similar Cloud migration projects, we are able to anticipate and help customers avoid the common problems experienced when trying to merge data and user created data content. Along with data volumes and a full inventory, our initial analysis can identify the following potential issues, allowing customers to make well informed decisions about their content before it’s too late.
Duplicate and Obsolete data – Typically, we find that approximately 30% of all data can be excluded from cloud migration, improving content quality and reducing storage costs
Differences in taxonomies and metadata models – Having this information up front allows informed decisions to be made on how best to standardise data for the most effective cloud migration process. Logical rules, defined in advance with the business, can be implemented automatically during the data move using Migration Architect.
Branding issues – In any acquisition scenario, it is important that all of the merged content has consistent branding, logos etc. Any conflicts can be highlighted during analysis, and either updated manually prior to the content merger or updated automatically during the data migration architect process
Template differences – Particularly when web content is being merged from multiple sources, there can be big differences in layout and styling. Working with the customer in advance of the merge, we can identify a common content structure and automatically transform relevant content during the data migration.
Over many projects, we have built a robust software suite, as well as methodology which allows us to automate the process of consolidating very large volumes of disparate data into a common platform. The process is fully audit-able, tracking every change made to every piece of content. Changes to scope and requirements are common in these projects, and we have the ability and the data migration tools to roll back the process and make changes in a safe and controlled way.
Anyone who thinks that the content can be merged and then “tidied up” afterwards, probably hasn’t been involved in this type of project before! The information and key decisions need to be in place and tested well before any data migration process, to ensure a smooth transition that will involve minimal manual effort.
Content consolidation without M&A
Much more common than M&A are internal restructuring projects. Many organisations have grown organically, and can now find themselves with digital content in a disconnected environment of disparate, siloed solutions. This is a situation we see fairly often, with large organisations operating over multiple regions.
Often, these different regions have developed their own solutions or have chosen to use a different platform to manage content, rather than look for a well managed data migration solution. Neglecting to do so results in an expensive to maintain and in-cohesive content estate, with potentially duplicate, obsolete or conflicting information.
Vamosa’s approach can help organisations understand, rationalise and merge this disparate data into a single, centrally managed data content migration platform. Effective web migration has the advantage of reducing costs such as licensing, while automating an improvement of data quality.
This is, in effect, a merger project, but one which takes place within one organisation. As more organisations move to cloud based solutions this focus on data migration becomes a much more common requirement and one that Vamosa are ideally placed to help customers with.
What about Compliance?
Compliance with standards such as AAA and GDPR are becoming more important, and failure to comply with these standards can result in hefty fines. With Vamosa Migration Architect, we have the ability to scan content and identify compliance violations as part of the data migration process. Once identified, logical rules can be implemented, which can then be processed automatically to reduce risk and improve content quality.
A data content migration or merger is the ideal time to incorporate this exercise, and will ensure that newly merged content is consistent and compliant with standards. However, this can also be planned as a separate exercise, as data can be scanned, analysed and updated just as easily within an existing environment as it can when ‘in-flight’ through migration.
More productivity – less risk
M&A projects are large and complex. There is a lot going on, and sometimes one of an organisation’s greatest assets – their data – is neglected. Ignoring the data content migration process leads to problems internally for content creators, but can also affect the reputation of a company if there are issues with public facing content.
Our approach is proven to reduce risk and costs in data transition within M&A, with the added benefit of freeing up key customer resources to work on other aspects of the project.
At the end of the day, our support can give you one less thing to worry about during a very busy time!
Take the next step!
You may also want to read our Oracle Case Study.
A division of T-Systems, Vamosa Technologies specialises in data migration to cloud, on-premises and hybrid cloud systems. With two decades of customer migrations, Vamosa Technologies has experience with a comprehensive range of leading enterprise content management systems. To learn more about services from Vamosa Technologies, please read our case studies and whitepapers or contact us. You might also like to read our case study on Mergers and Acquisitions
