Any business acquisition presents a certain level of stress, and the CIO’s priority is to minimize that stress as much as possible when merging networks. Avoiding service disruptions is vital, along with reducing networking costs and ensuring the organization retains its technological advantage over competitors.
In this blog, we’ll explore the most important factors to consider when merging corporate networks and how the right partner can help you achieve merged network infrastructure success.
Elements of a Successful Merged Network Infrastructure
Any CIO would agree to these objectives, of course. But how do you successfully merge the networks and ensure the broader organization is working without any interruptions in connectivity? Consider these five elements to merging networks following an acquisition:
#1. Conduct a Network Audit
Before embarking on a disruptive corporate network merger, you need to know what your steps should include. Some enterprises hire this initial step out to a merged network infrastructure specialist to mitigate risk and to successfully prioritize flexibility in the end product.
Not sure how working with a corporate network specialist like TailWind can benefit your business? Download our free white paper today to learn how we’ll care for every aspect of your IT with our own resources, from wired and wireless access to infrastructure and cabling to project management and support.
#2. Interconnect the Two Networks
This is a logical next step, and it includes eliminating redundancies once you’ve merged the two corporate networks into one. You’ll also want to replace any leased hardware with owned equipment.
#3. Rationalize Core Service Networks
Rationalizing your core services is essential for handling the network down to the point of presence. While this is a straightforward part of the process, there are still some important decisions to make. One such decision is whether to add the legacy domain of the acquired company to your business domain as a child domain. The other option is to keep them separate, then migrate applications and services to the existing domain.
#4. Consider Performance
You’ll need to account for the actual distance between the physical networks in addition to the applications and systems the users at the acquired location will need to access for some time. If there’s a sizable geographical discrepancy, you’ll need a strategy to mitigate potential latency and jitter for a successfully merged network infrastructure.
#5. Think About SDN
When merging networks, it’s a great time to consider software-defined networking (SDN) in many situations. The virtual overlay makes it much more simple to integrate disparate networks, and the inherent upheaval of a merger might be the perfect opportunity to introduce a somewhat radical approach. It’s also a good idea because you’re already investing significant time in evaluating corporate network needs, and implementing an SDN solution may cost more later.
TailWind: Your Merged Network Infrastructure Partner
The changing complexity and demands on the network with multiplying endpoints and cloud computing mean that merging networks will often present the ideal time for implementing SDN.
When it’s time to implement a change to your corporate network infrastructure, contact us at TailWind. With certified onsite technician support and high-speed broadband connectivity, your end users will never suffer a lapse in connectivity.
