In the News: Data Migration Without the Drama

It’s no secret that with Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestments, the speed and effectiveness of data migration has come under the spotlight. And, every step of this data migration process raises concerns, especially in spin-off or divestment deals where just one part of the business is moving ownership… 

Absoft has featured in multiple publications discussing Data migration projects and the challenges that come with it. See the overview below or read the full article in the IT Supply Chain, IT Security Briefing, or Top Business Tech. 

 

See more M&A content > ARTICLE AND CASE STUDY: Meeting the needs of the buyer and seller for M&A projects

Recording Breaking

2021 shattered Merger & Acquisition (M&A) records and witnessed announcements of numerous high-profile deals. But M&A performance history is far from consistent.
While successful mergers realise synergies, create cost savings and boost revenues, far too many are derailed by cultural clashes, a lack of understanding and, crucially, an inability to rapidly combine the data, systems and processes of the merged operations. The costs can be very significant, yet, many companies still fail to undertake the data due diligence required to safeguard the M&A objective.

What could a solution look like and how can SAP Managed Service Providers help?

Under agreement between buyer, seller, and data migration expert, the seller provides the entire technical core, which is then subjected to a dedicated extract utility. Configuration is based on the agreed key deal assets, ensuring the extraction utility automatically undertakes SAP table downloads of only the data related to these assets – removing any risks associated with inappropriate data access. The process is quicker and delivers better quality assurance. Alternatively, the ‘copy/raze’ approach can be improved by placing the entire SAP system copy into escrow – essentially a demilitarised zone (DMZ) in the cloud – on behalf of both parties.  A delete utility is then used to eradicate any data not related to the deal assets – with the data then verified by the seller before the buyer has any access. Once confirmed, the buyer gains access to test the new SAP system prior to migration.

The resultant SAP solution can be optimally configured as part of the process, which often results in a reduction in SAP footprint, with the attendant cost benefits.  Critically, because the buyer gains early access to the transaction history, there is no need for extensions for the SPA – while the seller can be totally confident that only the relevant data pertaining to the deal is ever visible to the buyer.

By embracing a different approach to data migration, organisations can not only assure data integrity and minimise the downtime associated with data migration, but also reduce the entire timescale. 

See more M&A content > ARTICLE: SAP Mergers and Acquisitions – Supply Chain Manager’s Needs

Absoft have supported manufacturers, large and small, across a range of industries with SAP implementations and migrations since its inception, and we have worked on SAP in the cloud for over ten years. Having conducted hundreds of SAP migrations, Absoft is ideally positioned to help and advise on implementing SAP in the cloud, or migrating on-premise SAP systems into the cloud.