The acquisition of a company is an exciting challenge for the entrepreneur, but one that is very risky. How can a deteriorated situation be rectified? Or even more difficult: how to increase the performance of a healthy society?
Generally, the audit of the IT system as a whole (effective functioning, performance, capacity for evolution) is included in the audit of the production tool. In addition to accounting, financial, legal, tax, social or industrial audits. No more, no less.
I am acquiring a company.... Why should I be interested in his computer tool?
The information system (or IS) defines all the hardware and software of a company. It is the driving force behind the company's business. The information system is thus at the heart of the processes: it defines the way in which all the company's services operate, it structures its management, it organizes production and management. In short, it is one of the main levers of future performance gains and it is inconceivable not to take a close interest in it.
And yet, it is often underestimated by the future buyer....
My company is not/less IT-enabled
One example among others: commercial performance. The CRM brick of the ERP software is a solution dedicated to better organize the business process. Where your salespeople used to manage their prospects the old-fashioned way, they will have a system through this software tool to organize their reminders allowing them to significantly improve their sales: up to 30% increase in turnover! With a good CRM, you can have better pipeline management.
My company is already well IT-enabled....
Why modernize your IS?
But if your company is already well IT-enabled, it is just as urgent to address the issue. Indeed, IT is evolving at a very high speed and what was still impossible a few years ago, is probably no longer possible today.
An example: multi-site. If your company has several establishments and was computerized about ten years ago, it is very likely that it has been forced to think about its processes on an establishment by establishment basis. Today, with the advent of the Cloud, processes can be thought of in a more global way: which opens the way to new ways of organization and collaboration!
We could thus multiply the cases ad infinitum: mobility for example. Your sales people didn't have a smartphone or tablet 10 years ago... simply because it didn't exist yet. While today's software (well, the good ones) have been designed to be used on these new machines.
