Global CPG Advisors Emboldened by Concurrency Leadership During Merger

Critical Issue

Two large Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Advisory firms were planning to merge into one corporation and sought Concurrency’s expertise in migrating users and software into a shared Microsoft 365 business infrastructure. They asked for consultation on the M&A roadmap and for help with implementing user migrations. In addition, due to the specifics of the merger deal, the project needed to be completed on an accelerated timeline, which was less than half of the time typically set aside for this large of a data migration.

Customer Profile

Two large CPG advisory firms

Specialize in market research and consumer strategy

Key Problems

Needs help establishing a Microsoft 365 environment

for the new combined company platform

Highly accelerated project timeline

our solution

Concurrency conducted a SMTP & Tenant Integration which meant setting up new, shared mail accounts, business services software, and servers to back them. Then Concurrency migrated user accounts (mail, software, logins, etc.) from both companies (and their various subsidiaries) into the new shared ecosystem, ensuring each step of the migration was done in accordance with industry best practices. However, due to a final deal change, the migration’s timeline was cut in half, putting pressure on the team. To address the challenge, our team focused on three principles: adaptability, empathy under pressure, and sweat equity.

Adaptability: The teams involved were geographically diverse with employees in Chicago, the Eastern seaboard, Colorado, India, and even a crucial coordinator located in Ireland. Adaptability was the key to keeping communication clear. Both technical and strategic employees worked through irregular hours and flexible availability for two weeks to ensure everyone was looped in. In addition, team members had to remain conscious of time zone and cultural differences when communicating.

Empathy Under Pressure: Practicing empathy was a necessity for the team working on the merger and for existing employees of the two companies. Stakeholders, VPs, and Directors from both sides stayed in constant contact with our team, and the veteran technical leadership of our CTO Nate Lasnoski and our senior Solutions Architects helped instill confidence in the process.

“This was a high pressure, highly intense kind of project because people are worried about their jobs. People are worried about what this means to the business. Customer satisfaction was key from the standpoint of making sure communications were happening one-on-one with the stakeholders, and within the team” – Malissa Salzinger, Concurrency Account Executive

Sweat Equity: At Concurrency, we believe in sweat equity: personal accountability, having a desire to show up, and leading by example. Encouraging buy-in from all contributors at every level may have been the difference between meeting the timetable and not.

The results

integration completion

Apart from merging two mail clients, software tenants, and users into a shared Microsoft 365 infrastructure, our team accomplished several additional objectives.

We integrated Quest Tool and Binary Tree to facilitate effective communication throughout the architecture and provided Tier 1 IT support to ensure smooth operations during the transition. Furthermore, we developed customized ‘Plays’ for each two-week migration sprint, tailored specifically to the subsidiaries involved in the process.

These achievements helped streamline the overall migration and ensured a seamless transition for all stakeholders.

strong client relationship

Throughout the collaboration with the client, there has been ongoing development of the M&A roadmap. As we strategize and plan for the final phase of the project, it is evident that a strong relationship between the newly formed company and Concurrency has been established.

The shared trials and successes throughout the project have brought the teams on both sides closer together, fostering a highly collaborative environment as we proceed into the final stage. This involves finalizing business app preparation, packaging, and conducting necessary testing.