Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestments

Discovery

Network and service discovery is the most painstaking phase of a network transition and is a critical foundation for the rest of the project.  All site networks must be mapped physically and logically, all switch ports accounted for, and every data socket and endpoint found.  VLANs, ACLs and NAT policies understood.  Every service known, all 3rd parties contacted, support contracts and warranties checked.  How systems integrate and which ports and protocols are used.  All of this, and more, requires a methodical and intelligent approach and cannot be rushed, no corners cut.

We understand this.  We do the walking, talking, crawling, and climbing to get to every bit of every network.  We write extensive reports and produce detailed data sheets to ensure there are no surprises during cutover and no services fail on completion.  Our due diligence helps deliver a smooth transition with minimum snagging and a triumphant return to operation.

Architecture

Integration architecture to join existing networks to another requires a lot of careful consideration and review.  Relying heavily on the information gathered during the discovery phase and the detailed requirements of the new network, every element needs to be compared to look for overlapping subnets, duplicate services, wireless network requirements, new policies that affect cross-VLAN communication, internet access, printing, backups and every other system.  A detailed runbook then needs to be produced that will run through every integration stage, with checkpoints, timings, and signoff responsibilities that will take the disparate networks and merge them successfully.

Network separation during divestment, though more straightforward, has challenges and requires a detailed architecture plan to split the networks successfully.  Main network services, such as Active Directory Domain Services, DNS, DHCP and Print, must be separated correctly lest servers and systems become unavailable post-cutover.  Handover preparation is also crucial to ensure the new owners of sold equipment can take complete control without problem.

Cutover

Detailed discovery documentation will enable concise runbooks, and these will help deliver a smooth cutover.  This phase happens when the offices are closed, production is stopped, and factories quiet.  Every moment of downtime can cost money, so it must go to plan and be completed as scheduled.

Even with the best preparation, challenges can present themselves, which need to be dealt with efficiently and without disrupting the rest of the cutover.  We are agile engineers who can think on our feet, see around problems, and provide solutions, keeping everything on track.

Hypercare

There are two main aspects of Hypercare; to provide rapid support to ensure business continuity during snagging operations and to enable a smooth transition to the business as usual (BAU) teams.

Enterprise operations can run 24/7, so Hyper care may also need to. Problems must be rectified quickly and efficiently to ensure downtime is kept to a minimum. Those that manifest during this phase can be varied, not always of the standard break-fix type or a single point of failure. Given the significant changes that may have occurred during cutover and the extensive dependencies and relationships between systems, the root cause of a problem may not be immediately apparent. Therefore, the support team must be agile, good at working under pressure, have initiative and be multi-skilled.

Systems architects, and engineers responsible for cutover & Hyper care, will discover and produce a wealth of information covering the various servers, systems, and devices on the network, all of which need to be documented in a clear and concise format to hand over to BAU teams. As a client-focused team, we also aim to pass on any concerns, observations, and recommendations we’ve found.