First 3 IT Moves Post-Acquisition

Why IT Integration Can Make or Break Portfolio Performance

Acquisitions often move fast, especially in private equity. But once the ink is dry, the real work begins and IT is one of the most critical functions to address. Overlooking this in the early stages can introduce unnecessary risk, slow value creation, and complicate integration into the portfolio.

At Thrive, we help organizations prioritize the right IT moves post-acquisition to stabilize operations, uncover opportunities, and lay the groundwork for growth. Whether you’re onboarding a carve-out, consolidating overlapping infrastructure, or unifying disparate systems across a roll-up, here are the first three IT actions every organization should take post-acquisition:

1. Assess and Secure the Current Environment

Before building anything new, it’s critical to understand what you’ve inherited. That includes legacy systems, shadow IT, out-of-date software, and (often) significant cybersecurity risks.

Start with a comprehensive IT and security assessment:

• Inventory all assets, including hardware, software, endpoints, and access controls
• Audit security posture to check if there are vulnerabilities, unpatched systems, or other compliance gaps in the system
• Map out dependencies in the acquired system, such as what’s business-critical and what can be retired
• Identify all data stores and what kind of data is stored where

Partnering with Thrive can help PE firms uncover potential gaps in their PortCos. The cybersecurity risk assessment, for example, helps IT leaders and operating partners uncover potential red flags and prioritize remediation. In many cases, just a few quick wins, like MFA enforcement, DNS filtering, or email security controls, can significantly reduce risk while more complex work gets underway.

2. Standardize Core Infrastructure

M&A often results in a patchwork of systems and providers. Disparate email tenants, different backup strategies, overlapping applications all add costs and complexity. Standardization helps streamline IT operations, enhance security, and improve the user experience.

Early moves to consider:

• Consolidate Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace tenants for unified collaboration and identity management
• Establish a central backup and disaster recovery strategy
• Evaluate endpoint protection and remote monitoring tools across all acquired locations or business units

Where standardization isn’t immediately possible, Thrive can support interim solutions to stabilize operations while planning a broader integration roadmap.

3. Build a Scalable IT Roadmap

Once the environment is secure and standardized, it’s time to look ahead. Your PortCo’s IT strategy should align with the investment thesis, whether it’s organic growth, bolt-ons, or operational improvement. That means defining what “scalable” looks like for the business and designing technology to match.

Key considerations:

• Cloud migration and infrastructure planning
• Automating manual processes and modernizing core business applications
• Ensuring compliance readiness for future audits or exit

Working with an experienced partner like Thrive means you don’t have to do it alone. We support post-acquisition planning, ongoing IT management, and scalable modernization, so you can stay focused on accelerating value.

Start Strong. Scale Fast.

Every day post-acquisition matters. By prioritizing these three IT moves: assessment and security, infrastructure standardization, and long-term roadmap planning, you’ll give the business a stronger foundation and the portfolio a faster path to value.

Contact Thrive today to learn more about how we can help your firm and portfolio companies navigate IT complexity with speed, precision, and purpose.