The Client
Mindtools was already well-established in the e-learning sector through its on-demand skills and development programmes for leaders and managers. With a global vision, Mindtools was ready to expand into new markets worldwide.
Spotting an opportunity to grow its international presence, the organisation acquired Australian business Kineo.
The two companies each had their own IT systems, applications, and governance processes. To function effectively as a single business, these environments needed to be unified.
Even before the acquisition, the company had a growing international workforce, with around one in nine of its contractors based in the US. A shift from hybrid working to a remote-first culture became essential for supporting its distributed team of global employees after the merger.
The Challenge
Combining the businesses had the potential to create a unified, global company. However, several IT challenges had to be overcome before the new company could capitalise on the opportunity.
Inevitably, as two existing businesses joined forces, the resulting IT architecture was fragmented and decentralised. In this environment, implementing security controls and deploying a unified identity management system proved extremely complex. It also led to limited visibility, increasing the risk to both the company's and the client's data.
Operating across multiple countries, the merged company needed to manage several regulatory jurisdictions. Fragmented systems made it hard to oversee controls and governance across every region, potentially jeopardising compliance with frameworks including Cyber Essentials, NIST, and CIS.
The merger would expand Mindtool’s existing global employee base, but data was spread across multiple environments throughout the two businesses. The integration gaps this created had to be addressed. Once achieved, remote contractors would have the support they needed, and the new company could continue to foster Mindtools’ innovative, collaborative culture.
Overlapping platforms, multiple vendors, and an extensive combined cloud footprint were pushing up IT costs for the newly formed company. It needed a scalable IT architecture with robust security and consistent governance to support its growth as a unified, international organisation.
The Solution
Mindtools wanted an IT partner with global expertise to plan, oversee, and support the integration of the two companies across time zones. This would also provide a solid foundation for future international expansion plans.
Having worked with Texaport before, Mindtools knew the MSP was the ideal partner. Texaport had the infrastructure to offer the round-the-clock support that’s essential for an international business.
The MSP also had a big-picture view of how digital infrastructure could be a competitive advantage if designed and implemented to support business growth. With this strategic approach, Texaport had the expertise to advise the new company on one of the most critical elements in any merger or acquisition: the effective integration of IT systems.
The team at Texaport quickly pinpointed that unified, integrated systems were key to solving the immediate merger challenges. This would also provide a solid foundation to support the company’s international growth strategy.
A Post-Merger Integration Roadmap for Global Growth
Texaport developed a structured, step-by-step roadmap to shift the business from fragmented systems to an integrated, secure, scalable architecture with clear governance.
- Understanding the IT environment
- Designing a Unified Architecture
- Building the Cloud Foundation:
- Preparing for a Smooth Migration
- Implementing the New System
- Providing Ongoing Security and Support
Texaport began with an IT audit and Application Portfolio Rationalisation (APR), carrying out a full assessment of hardware, software, and security across both organisations.
This identified overlapping systems, software, and licensing issues. It was also important to identify any shadow IT to ensure the merged company had full oversight of all the systems and applications.
To deliver a consistent service to Mindtool’s global customers, the team at Texaport designed a streamlined IT architecture to unify systems and introduce a federated governance model. This ensured company-wide, global processes with centralised controls while giving regional offices the freedom to respond to local needs.
Texaport recommended Microsoft 365 as the central platform, enabling the collaborative working practices that were integral to Mindtools.
The next step was to consolidate overlapping cloud services inherited from both organisations into a single Azure environment.
To reduce unnecessary cloud spend, Texaport used FinOps strategies to uncover unused or underused resources. It then identified the most efficient, cost-effective way to run applications in the unified Azure environment.
Once this was completed, Texaport established a robust security framework to work alongside the federated governance model.
Ahead of the migration date, Texaport prepared systems and data to minimise downtime. This included establishing security policies and preparing devices, so they were ready for immediate use after the go-live.
The team used Microsoft Entra and Autopilot to automate identity and access controls, streamlining device provisioning across the merged business while making employee onboarding smoother and faster.
Once Texaport had established the IT infrastructure, the new systems were ready for deployment across all regions. The newly merged organisation transitioned to a unified Microsoft 365 environment with minimal disruption to employees and clients.
Ongoing security monitoring was handled by Texaport’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service. With the unified system, all endpoints and systems were continuously monitored from Texaport’s 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC). Any alerts were rapidly spotted, and potential threats acted on.
With a 24-hour help desk, Texaport was ready to respond to issues at any time, whether help was needed in the UK, Australia, or across the company’s global network.
The Results
The transition to single Azure and Microsoft 365 environments paved the way for a successful unification of the two companies’ IT systems into a single, integrated infrastructure. Mindtools’ Programme Manager, James Pritchard commented,
“Texaport provided a superb service throughout the preparation, go live and post live activities of the project. Feedback from employees and the senior leadership team was very complimentary on how smooth and easy the transition was.”[LD1]
Mindtools continued to benefit from the integration post-merger:
- Reduced Costs
- Faster Employee Onboarding and Closer Collaboration
- Stronger Security and Greater compliance
- A Scalable, Repeatable M&A Foundation
Identifying duplicated and overlapping systems in the IT audit and APR led to a 25% reduction in licensing costs. Consolidating cloud vendors across both companies led to further cost savings.
Unified systems combined with the new governance model led to faster employee onboarding worldwide. By automating key parts of the process using Entra and Autopilot, new joiners were quickly up and running.
After the migration to Microsoft 365, Mindtools’ 200-strong workforce across the globe, from the UK and North America, to Australia, Africa, and South America, could collaborate effectively as a single, global organisation.
Mindtools’ already robust security posture had been strengthened with 24/7 threat monitoring and detection. The federated governance framework ensured cyber hygiene was effective and consistent across every region.
Improved compliance reinforced client confidence, enabling the merged company to pursue larger, more complex contracts.
Following the merger and successful migration to the new IT environment, the two previously independent organisations were operating as a single, unified entity. Whilst offices and contractors were global, the merged organisation had consistent systems, governance, and processes.
Looking to the Future
Mindtools now has a scalable IT architecture designed to support its international expansion plans. The governance model has been built to evolve as the company expands into new regions or acquires other businesses.
Working closely with the leadership team at Mindtools, Texaport developed an IT infrastructure that overcame the immediate challenges posed by the merger and continues to provide a unified, secure foundation for their ongoing global growth.
Having developed a structured, repeatable roadmap for mergers, the MSP leads Mindtools’ global IT transition and M&A integrations.
Complex IT transformation goes hand in hand with rapid scaling, international expansion, and M&A projects. Working with an IT partner like Texaport, with the experience and resources to support your business through the process, smooths what is often a challenging transition. Talk to the team at Texaport about how we can help your M&A plans and ease your company’s path to growth.
