Integrating a 450-User National Distributor into a £1.5bn Global Group
A national distribution business employing approximately 450 people had been acquired by a £1.5 billion global organisation. Wavex was appointed to design and deliver the complete end-to-end integration programme - covering Microsoft 365, Azure, networks, 320+ devices and business-critical applications across multiple UK and international locations.
More Than an Email Migration
The objective was to integrate the acquired company fully into the buyer's technology environment while maintaining day-to-day operations. The acquired organisation had developed its technology estate over many years. Its users, applications, infrastructure and operational systems were closely interconnected.
A failure in one workstream could affect other parts of the business. For example, changing a user identity could affect access to an application, file share, warehouse system or third-party integration. The project therefore needed to be managed as one coordinated integration programme.
Microsoft 365 Migration Scope
Wider Programme Scope
A Dedicated Team for Every Layer of the Programme
Wavex created a dedicated delivery team combining governance, technical leadership and specialist engineering. This delivery structure reflected Wavex's established model of dedicated Account Management and Technical Consultancy, supported by Project Managers, project engineers and service-desk resources.
Wavex Project Manager
Owned the overall migration programme - maintaining the integrated project plan, coordinating all technical workstreams, managing risks and dependencies, organising governance meetings, tracking milestones, coordinating third-party suppliers, and reporting progress to client stakeholders. Single point of coordination across Microsoft 365, Azure, networking, devices, applications and user migration.
- Integrated project plan and milestone tracking
- Risk, assumption, issue and dependency management
- Third-party supplier coordination
- Cutover planning and go/no-go approvals
- Client stakeholder reporting
Wavex IT Leadership
Provided senior oversight throughout the programme, ensuring technical decisions remained aligned with the group's target operating model, security requirements, business continuity, commercial priorities and long-term supportability. Particularly important where the project required decisions between rapid migration and more extensive remediation.
- Target operating model alignment
- Security and compliance oversight
- Business continuity assurance
- Commercial and user experience balance
- Future acquisition readiness
Wavex Technical Consultants
Led discovery, design and technical coordination. Mapped the existing environment, identified dependencies and designed the target architecture. The same consultants remained involved throughout delivery, providing continuity from discovery to migration and handover.
- Microsoft 365 migration design
- Azure infrastructure planning
- Identity and access design
- Network integration and endpoint transformation
- Application dependency mapping and migration sequencing
Project Engineers and Support Teams
Specialist engineers delivered the individual workstreams across Microsoft 365, Azure, networking, identity, devices, applications and security. The Wavex service desk and hypercare team supported users during and after cutover.
- Workstream delivery across all technical areas
- Multi-location device migration
- Service desk support during cutover
- Hypercare monitoring and incident response
- Documentation and knowledge transfer
Five Coordinated Workstreams, One Integrated Programme
The project scopes used by Wavex covered Microsoft 365 data, identity, endpoint management, networks, device security, backup, disaster recovery, Azure infrastructure and business applications - all managed as one coordinated programme rather than separate projects.
Microsoft 365 Tenant Consolidation
Migrated the acquired company's Microsoft 365 services into the buyer's group tenant. The scale and complexity of the estate meant a single migration method was not suitable for every workload. Wavex used a combination of migration platforms, native Microsoft technologies and custom Wavex processes.
- Staged data synchronisation before final cutover
- Permissions, identities and group memberships reviewed and mapped
- Source data retained until migrated content validated and accepted
- Multiple toolsets for large mailbox archives exceeding standard thresholds
Azure Infrastructure Migration
Migrated business-critical servers and applications from the acquired company's Azure environment into the parent group's Azure. Business-critical systems were migrated in phases, with test migrations and failovers completed before live cutover.
- Server and application discovery with SQL dependency mapping
- Azure Site Recovery replication and test failovers
- Application owner and user validation before live cutover
- Controlled cutover with documented rollback plans
Network Integration
Identified overlapping IP address ranges and complex VPN dependencies that would have prevented reliable integration. Redesigned parts of the network and implemented secure connectivity across office locations, Azure platforms and external systems including the Kerridge environment.
- SD-WAN, VPN, IPSEC and firewall rule implementation
- Network segmentation and updated routing
- DNS changes and third-party coordination
- Each change tested through controlled migration windows
Endpoint Transformation
More than 320 Windows devices across UK and international locations moved into the buyer's management environment using Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot. Pilot groups and readiness testing used before wider deployment.
- Intune and Windows Autopilot for consistent device configuration
- Local engineering resources combined with remote processes
- Pilot deployments and detailed device checklists
- Consistent security and compliance standard across the estate
Migration Management and Hypercare
The programme was delivered through a structured five-stage methodology with detailed runbooks for each major workstream and formal stage gates controlling progression through design approval, migration readiness, cutover and handover.
- Staged data synchronisation and pilot testing
- Weekend and out-of-hours cutovers
- Business-owner validation and technical reconciliation
- Post-migration monitoring and enhanced user support
Six Challenges That Required Expert Resolution
Every complex integration surfaces unexpected problems. The ability to identify, escalate and resolve them quickly is what separates a controlled migration from a disruptive one.
The Employee Experience Was Part of the Migration
The acquired employees were moving into unfamiliar systems at a time when many were already apprehensive about the wider organisational change. Wavex treated the user experience as part of the migration, rather than leaving employees to adapt after go-live.
During hypercare, Wavex monitored repeated questions and incident trends. Where multiple users experienced the same problem, the team reviewed whether a technical issue remained, a dependency had been missed, instructions were unclear, additional training was required, or a wider communication should be issued. Hypercare continued until the environment was stable, documentation was complete and support ownership had transferred into normal operations.
Advance communications
Before migration began
Migration instructions
Step-by-step guidance
New login guidance
Clear process documentation
Changed file locations
Mapped and communicated
New support routes
Helpdesk and escalation paths
Application guidance
Per-application instructions
Security instructions
New policies explained
Post-migration support
Enhanced hypercare period
Handover Was a Planned Workstream, Not an Afterthought
Wavex produced a formal handover pack and held knowledge-transfer sessions with the receiving IT and support teams. Handover was treated as a planned workstream with defined acceptance criteria and formal sign-off.
High-level designs
Low-level designs
Network diagrams
Migration runbooks
Asset records
Configuration information
Application dependencies
Known issues log
Standard operating procedures
Monitoring information
A Controlled Integration That Protected Business Value
Wavex successfully integrated the 450-user organisation into the parent group's technology estate. The acquiring group gained a clearer understanding of the technology, data, applications and dependencies it had inherited. The acquired employees received a controlled transition into the new environment, with additional support available during the most disruptive stage of the change.
The programme succeeded because the migration was treated as an integrated business-change project, not a collection of technical tasks. The result was a controlled integration that protected business continuity, reduced risk and gave the global group a stronger foundation for supporting this acquisition and future ones.
Completed Programme Delivered
- A consolidated Microsoft 365 environment
- Migration of users, mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams
- Group-aligned identity and access management
- Migrated Azure infrastructure
- Integrated office and cloud networks
- Standardised endpoint management across 320+ devices
- Improved security and compliance controls
- Continued operation of business-critical applications
- A documented and supportable environment
- Enhanced support for acquired employees
- A repeatable model for future acquisitions
An Integrated Business-Change Project, Not a Collection of Technical Tasks
About This Integration Programme
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Related Guide
Protecting Acquisition Value Through Effective IT Integration
Read our strategic guide for CEOs, CFOs and M&A leaders on how structured IT integration protects business continuity, employee confidence and the value of the deal.
Talk to Wavex About Your Integration Programme
Wavex has delivered IT integration programmes for acquisitions of all sizes - from small bolt-on purchases to multi-site, multi-country integrations. We bring templated discovery scopes, established runbooks, enterprise migration platforms and a dedicated delivery team to every project.
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