Merging Legacy Systems: The Not-So-Fun Challenge in Acquisitions

When two companies come together in an acquisition, they don't just bring people and products together; they bring together junctures of complex systems that have been built independently and in silos. Just such was the challenge when AirWatch, a leading mobile device management firm, was acquired by a worldwide leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure. It was looking to create one subscription delivery platform for its combined products with minimal friction from redundant systems and processes.

This was no trivial challenge. While orders for these products were taken in an Oracle EBS system, actual fulfillment was managed through a different CRM system. In came a labyrinth of manual steps, increasing the times required to process and, hence, complicating the order management lifecycle. In other words, what should have been a rather straightforward subscription management process became a bottleneck to operational efficiency and plunged costs upwards.

Bridging the Gaps with Automation: Uma's Strategic Solution

The problem Uma Babu Chinta had to address needed a fresh look-a look beyond mere integration strategy. He realized that what was needed was not mere migration per se but an integrated automation strategy toward making these mechanisms of order processing and fulfillment seamless and cohesive. It did not merely solve an immediate operational problem; instead, it changed how these two systems interact with each other in continuous flow, eradicating redundancy and improving accuracy.

Uma led the entire initiative, right from technical design to security reviews down to implementation. His aim was to automate all the hitherto manual activities that involved fulfilling orders, tracking issues, and booking credits for sales teams. This eliminated human error and drastically reduced processing time, hence freeing up the resources for higher value addition. In addition, his work on re-architecting the system meant that any enhancements in the future could be more easily done, so this set the scene for continuous improvement.

Beyond Automation: Creating a Seamless Experience

What Uma actually did was not just automate a number of manual processes, but actually created a seamless experience that aligned various business units to enhance the overall customer journey. He developed an end-to-end order management framework that bridged the gap between legacy systems and modern platforms, thus enabling teams to collaborate and become more productive. That resulted in one source of truth in order management for real-time data, true order status, and fewer headaches in resolving issues for the sales team.

The project went beyond technology: It forged a new level of collaboration between cross-functional teams dispersed across multiple business units and helped them work in a far more cohesive manner. Uma harmonized the different operational workflows, thereby reducing the cost of order processing by about 15%, which directly impacted the bottom line. More importantly, it laid the foundation for an agile platform to support future integrations and adapt to changing business needs.

Leading Through Complexity: Uma's Success with Integration

Most of the integration projects, especially after mergers or acquisitions, come with their own set of challenges, ranging from systems incompatibility to cultural barriers between teams. Uma Babu Chinta played an important role in this project, not only for his technical contributions but also for leading through such complexities. He aligned diverse teams, ensured compliance with standards of security, and kept sharp focus on business outcomes while delivering the project on time and within budget.

What differentiated Uma's contribution was the ability to look beyond the immediate challenges of integration and focus on building a scalable, future-ready architecture. His leadership ensured that this integration would solve today's problems but also provide a flexible framework that could accommodate future acquisitions and product expansions. His approach is the playbook for how technology leaders drive value in complex integrations.

About Uma Babu Chinta

Uma Babu Chinta is a highly regarded technology strategist with deep experience in system integration, cloud infrastructure, and automation. He has a strong history of leading high-impact projects in complex enterprise environments that transform unwieldy, difficult-to-maintain legacy systems into agile, scalable platforms. With a singular approach to solving the most daunting technical challenges, Uma has empowered organizations to simplify operations and create efficiencies resulting in profound cost savings. His contributions are highly relevant in shaping how companies tackle post-acquisition integrations and optimizations of systems, making him a high-demand leader in the field of enterprise technology.