How to Cut IT Costs with Zscaler Part 5: Streamlining M&A

This blog series discusses the various ways that organizations can save money by retiring their perimeter-based network and security architectures and embracing a zero trust architecture powered by Zscaler. 

Part one revolves around improving your security posture to avoid costly breaches. Part two focuses on optimizing technology costs. Part three covers the importance of increasing operational efficiency. Part four explains the benefits of enhancing user productivity. The topic for this blog post is:

Mergers and acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are strategic priorities for many companies seeking growth, expansion, and synergized value. However, integrating IT systems is a critical step in the process that can make or break the success of an acquisition. The traditional IT integration approach, as shown in Figure 1, involves connecting the two organizations’ networks to ensure that the buyer’s users and apps can access the acquired company’s users and apps (and vice versa). But this network integration process is complex, time-consuming, and often leads to unexpected technical and security issues that can delay integration timelines and result in significant cost overruns. In fact, 70% of M&A deals fail to achieve their intended value due to these integration challenges.

Figure 1: Traditional approach to M&A IT integration

Enter Zscaler

The good news is that Zscaler offers a modern approach to IT integration that eliminates the complexity, delays, and cost overruns associated with the traditional, network-centric approach. With the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, connectivity is no longer dependent on network integration—granting users access to apps does not require giving them access to the network. Instead, Zscaler acts as an intelligent switchboard to securely connect users and applications, one-to-one, no matter where they are located—as shown in Figure 2. This is done with a lightweight agent deployed to end-user devices, eliminating the need to buy, provision, or configure any circuits, network, or hardware. There are also no technical challenges like network IP deconfliction, making the process much more straightforward, efficient, and inexpensive.

Figure 2: Zscaler zero trust approach to M&A IT integration

By using this zero trust approach, IT teams can cut down on complexity by 60% on average and reduce integration timelines, allowing users to access systems and data rapidly. As a result, businesses can capture value and achieve synergies far more quickly, with 50% faster time-to-value on average. Shortening timelines also leads to a 40% reduction in M&A IT costs. Overall, Zscaler enhances overall security for the merging companies and the customers typically experience a return on investment (ROI) of 139%.

In summary, Zscaler's modern approach to IT integration is an innovative solution that addresses the challenges associated with traditional M&A integration methods. By eliminating the complexity and delays of network integration, businesses can achieve synergies and value capture activities far more quickly, leading to significant cost savings and a higher ROI. 

If you're interested in learning more about the One True Zero Trust platform and how it can help accelerate your M&A time-to-value and reduce costs, download our white paper. Or, to see the success stories of customers who saved money with the Zero Trust Exchange, download our ebook.