Uncover the hidden risks and opportunities in your acquisition.
Technology is a key component of almost every successful business today. It’s a rare company that doesn’t have a website, use office productivity software, need a social media presence or rely heavily on email. IT is now an important focus of due diligence, even if the target company isn’t a pure technology play.
When evaluating any company’s IT resources, you need to identify unexpected expenses and identify risks. You’re also looking for hidden opportunities for cost savings and new revenue streams.
Overall, you want to be sure you’re getting what you think you are when buying a company, and that you’re paying a fair price.
On top of all this, you have to consider how you’ll integrate the target company, if that’s the plan after the deal closes.
The IT Due Diligence Guide can definitely help you do these things
Ask the Right Questions
The book is intentionally written to be useful and understandable even if you’re not an IT expert – it’s not filled with technical jargon. Besides showing you the right questions to ask, it explains what the answers you receive could mean to your deal. Even more importantly, it provides the right follow-up questions to ask so that you can get the critical information you need.
The IT Due Diligence Guide isn’t a textbook or an academic study of the due diligence process. It’s based on real world issues and real world experience. My goal in writing it was to impart the knowledge that I’ve gained in almost 20 years of helping investors and buyers evaluate their potential acquisitions.
It shows you how to talk to the IT staff at the target company, and draw out the information you need to uncover problems that can cost you money unless they’re addressed by the seller before the deal closes. Like the time I used the techniques in the book to save an investor over $200,000 in software licensing costs.
In addition, the book covers sensitive questions that are not on the IT due diligence checklist and should only be asked in person. You’ll read why and when to ask these questions – they can be some of the most important ones in the entire process.
Understand What You’re Really Buying
I’ve seen too many deals that went ahead based on excitement after an initial discussion or a high level PowerPoint presentation. A few simple questions, asked the right way, can prevent this.
For example, I helped an acquirer identify the fact that a company’s “exciting new product,” for which they claimed to have 25 customers each paying $50,000 per year, actually had fewer than five customers, most of which had received the product for free.
Get a Head Start on Integration
In addition to confirming that you’re getting a good company at a fair price, IT due diligence is a key component of your integration plan. Throughout the book, the implications of key issues for integration are highlighted.
Find an IT Due Diligence Consultant
If after you use the book you decide that you need some extra help, you’ll also learn how to find a technology due diligence consultant and determine if they’re the right one to help you.
Get the Book
The IT Due Diligence Guide is priced at $195.
You might think that’s a lot of money for a book, but for less than the cost of one hour of a consultant’s time, you can be well on the way to an effective IT due diligence project. And, if the book helps you identify just one issue that you might not have uncovered on your own, it can pay for itself many times over.
The book has helped organizations from the Fortune 10 to the largest technology companies to individual consultants from all around the world.
“I have used the IT Due Diligence Guide over the past six months and find it very useful. It allows me to gather a comprehensive set of data/information in a short amount of time which helps me write a robust and detailed ITDD report that always leaves my clients impressed. Thanks for the Guide.”
— Art B., global management consulting firm
“We are very happy with the book. It was the best value of the several IT due diligence resources we investigated.”
— Gavin C., Canadian investment firm
“As someone who has come from a very technical background, and moved into M&A, I was looking for different angles to explore when carrying out IT DD for my clients. Fortunately I had the basics covered but Jim’s book provided additional areas to investigate with in-depth questions, and certainly added value to my reports. If you are involved IT DD then this book is, without doubt, worth every penny.”
— Gavin D., leading professional services firm
There’s a 30 day money back guarantee if you don’t think the book is valuable. If you’re not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, simply let me know and you’ll receive a full refund.
You’ll be able to download the book immediately once your purchase is complete, since the IT Due Diligence Guide is a PDF document.
Your order will be securely processed by credit card or PayPal.
And, if you’d like some assistance editing and reviewing your IT due diligence report, you can purchase four hours of consulting time along with the book for a total of $895.
+ Consulting
- Book
- Report Template
- Integration Plan Template
- Data Collection Spreadsheets
- 4 hours of consulting time via email to help you review and refine your findings
+ Consulting
- Book
- Report Template
- Integration Plan Template
- Data Collection Spreadsheets
- 4 hours of consulting time via email to help you review and refine your findings
If you’re a larger organization and would like to purchase multiple copies of the book for your team, email me for volume pricing.
About the Author
Jim Hoffman wrote the IT Due Diligence Guide after years of technology and operations experience with companies very active in M&A. He’s worked on IT due diligence projects ranging from a $50,000 investment to a $375M company sale. The tools, information and practices outlined in the book are exactly what he uses himself when he runs due diligence projects.