Quest Technology CEO Burke on M&A Integration Best Practices

As mergers and acquisitions accelerate across the IT channel, technology integration has emerged as one of the most common, and costly, failure points after deals close.

In an interview with Channel Insider, Tim Burke, CEO of managed services provider Quest Technology Management, shared insights from years of guiding organizations through post-deal technology integrations. 

Drawing on experience across traditional M&A and private equity–backed transactions, Burke outlined why early planning, contract visibility, and clear communication often determine whether deals deliver expected efficiencies or create long-term operational friction.

Why technology integration often determines M&A success

Burke has seen many types and sizes of deals among his client base, including traditional M&A between businesses and, more recently, an increasing amount of private equity firms entering markets through transactions.

While there are a vast amount of financial, operational, and logistical implications in any deal, Burke says the technology and process integrations between the parties involved is often a crucial component of success.

“In the situations I’ve seen gone well, you’ve probably started the transition of technology and systems before the ink is even dry on the financial side,” Burke said.”There are just too many moving parts to not start early.”

Burke added that questions about which of the parties’ technology systems should be kept or migrated often pose more challenges than leaders anticipate. 

“There’s this perception sometimes that we can just ‘move everything over’ like it’s no big deal, and that just isn’t true of technology,” Burke said.

Why licensing and contracts derail post-deal integrations

Burke says of all the issues he sees arise during the integration process, licensing and contracts are often the most challenging and least discussed.

Most companies at this point carry a significant number of ongoing contracts for everything from software licenses to their hardware, and Burke says parties on both sides tend to miss understanding those requirements before finalizing a deal. 

“More often than not, those contracts are missed as a part of the process, for a number of reasons,” Burke said.

To Burke, it’s crucial for leaders of all parties involved in the deal to take the time to understand the contracts they hold or will hold once the sale closes. 

Burke says he’s seen many owners only realize months after that they are now saddled with contracts that they didn’t know about prior to closing.

“Some of the larger vendors you buy from, they’re perfectly content to have you paying twice for one license, honestly, so it can be tricky to get out of things if it isn’t talked about ahead of time,” Burke said.

“At the same time, we’ve seen leaders say, ‘well I really want to move the acquired company to my SOC or our endpoint protection, but they’re under contract elsewhere still and it doesn’t make sense to do, and then everyone’s frustrated,” he added.

Why clear communication reduces risk during M&A integrations

Tensions can (and often do) flare during this process, and Burke says he’s seen the best and the worst of people involved in the difficult work of understanding how companies will integrate. To him, open communication is key.

“We call it ‘staying above the line’ here, and what it really means is that all sides and everyone involved is communicating clearly, explaining everything, and working together to get the thing done,” Burke said.

This ties directly into the technical aspects of the work. As Burke noted above, contracts and other facets of a company’s technology stack need to be shared upfront to give everyone involved time to reflect and move forward with a clear plan.

Burke also told us he’s seen plenty of examples of firms missing crucial changes to agreements made in the final moments before closing that have left leaders responsible for contract costs and other components.

Ultimately, Burke said, everyone should want the same outcome.

“What we see a lot is leaders who say, ‘I’ve got to figure out how to pay for my acquisition,’ and to do that, they need to determine where savings and efficiencies can be found over time,” Burke said, noting that this is why many will seek “synergies,” or ways to optimize the tech stack between the organizations, over time.

“To do that, you need to be pretty candid about what is working and what isn’t, and you have to get involved in the conversation early,” he added.

What channel partners and IT leaders should learn from M&A integrations

Quest Technology Management offers a variety of managed services in cloud, security, and other IT needs. The company’s team also works with clients when they are acquiring or being acquired to ensure best practices are followed.

“We are sometimes brought in as a part of the due diligence process to help clients understand their own environments and potentially the environments of the other business,” Burke said. 

“What makes me comfortable is when I can see there’s a planning mechanism in place that everyone is following, and that we’re all working ‘above the line,’ as I said earlier, to get the best possible outcome,” he continued.

As Burke notes, deals of any size are often emotional and challenging for all involved, but he says companies (and their partners, when involved) can mitigate challenges and anticipate issues by communicating openly and frequently.

As more organizations look to their MSPs and channel partners for strategic guidance, deal-related integration advising might become more commonplace for providers.