Lead Infrastructure Separation Project resulting from Private Equity purchase.

Our client is a global leader in assurance and advisory services, specialising in helping businesses navigate risk, enhance performance, and meet regulatory requirements. They have built a reputation as a trusted partner for organisations in various sectors. 

Operating in industries such as logistics, mining, chemicals, and healthcare, our client offers services ranging from certification and risk management assessments to tailored training programs. Its solutions help companies achieve compliance and operational efficiency. 

Backed by over 5,000 employees and contingent workers worldwide, our client combines global expertise with local insights to deliver tangible value to its customers. 

Challenge

Following a private equity acquisition and transition to an independent business, the organisation needed to separate its IT infrastructure—a complex task that required maintaining uninterrupted service for both entities throughout. 

In addition to the technical demands, the organisation faced significant cultural change. Previously operating as a registered charity focused on research and education in science and engineering, it was now part of a tier one private equity firm—driven to be dynamic, entrepreneurial, and a digital leader in the assurance space. 

The separation project demanded strong technical leadership to ensure successful infrastructure delivery and to support the newly appointed service partner. With the incumbent infrastructure lead struggling to manage the technical complexity and prioritisation of activities, the client turned to Mason Advisory for expert support. 

Solution

Our approach required an initial rapid review of the infrastructure project scope and identification of the critical activity, particularly those where dependencies reside from the wider separation project. We also carried out a technical review of the proposed solutions and migration activities. With limited existing technical design documentation, we developed the necessary materials and created new design patterns where required. These were taken through the client’s technical governance process, including the associated implementation approach. 

The outcome would ensure global IT consistency and clarity; however, this would also require re-alignment of the programme timelines accordingly – setting a realistic project plan to succeed. 

Throughout the project we focused on communication and collaboration, providing clear tracking reports, RAID (Risks, Actions, Issues, and Dependencies) logs and daily calls addressing the critical activities. 

The support provided was strong technically with an architecture background, coupled with programme management experience. Communication could be tailored to the audience fostering strong relationships and trust.  

In addition, opportunities to optimise the IT estate were captured as the project ran, but care was taken not to slow or de-rail the complex separation activity. These would provide valuable insight to the client post-separation. 

Outcome

The separation project was heralded a great success and delivered within 9-months – ahead of the target 12-month timeframe initially set. 

The technical scope within the infrastructure workstream that we successfully separated/migrated included: 

• Global network, security, telephony
• Azure & Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Office 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, Yammer) 
• EUC 
• Active Directory 

Design patterns created and approved by client’s technical governance include: 

• Global telephony 
• Office IT x 4 

Design material documented included: 

• Global network 
• Global security 

Recommendations captured to optimise IT post separation included: 

• Migration to Zero-Trust Architecture 
• Security policy enhancements 
• Strategic Office provision 

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