My company is in the process of acquiring another business with about 20 employees, located around 250 miles from my main office. I'm a bit unsure whether I will need to provide IT support for them remotely or if they already have a setup in place. I've learned that their IT person also takes care of accounting and HR, which makes me think they may either have third-party IT help or things could be a bit disorganized. I'm trying to compile a list of important questions to ask before the acquisition goes through. Here's what I have so far: Will I be responsible for IT functions at their site? Do they have third-party IT support? What's their data backup situation? How much data do they store? What does their networking setup look like? Do they have a list of their servers and PCs, including the age of those machines? What software do they use, and are they all updated to Windows 11? Do they have older machines that can't be upgraded?
5 Answers
It's crucial to make it clear to your management that you'll need to purchase new hardware that fits the existing standards of your company. This is basically a must when acquiring another business. Trying to integrate different infrastructures can lead to chaos!
Remember to check on critical services like phone systems, internet connections, and any software subscriptions they have. You should also ask about their BYOD policies and antivirus solutions; these details matter!
From my experience with acquisitions, expect to deal with a lot of undocumented systems. Usually, everything they have is at end-of-life since upgrades weren't prioritized before selling. It's often better to replace everything with your company’s standard hardware.
If possible, schedule a site visit! It’s the best way to understand what you’re getting into. It’ll be easier to assess their tech and operations firsthand, plus you can establish how you'll integrate systems. Are you planning on taking on end-user support there, or will that be covered elsewhere?
I’m really advocating for a site visit right now! I want to get clear answers about what’s expected of me, especially when it comes to providing support.
Don't forget to ask about any software they use, whether it's licensed or not. If they have a website, you’ll need to get info on their domain registrar, DNS, and hosting services too.
Absolutely! At my last job, we inherited a couple of companies and tried to make their systems work with ours. It was such a hassle; we eventually had to upgrade everything because the old setups were just a mess!