rarely push for the rapid change that is required to achieve synergies. Key employee departure: Employees are the biggest and most important assets in a technology company. If employee satisfaction cannot be maintained after the acquisition has been made, then the combined company risks losing talented employees. Management should make key employee retention a core focus in the planning and execution of the deal. Systems & Processes: From an operational perspective, different systems and processes will delay the operational merge of the companies, making it hard to identify necessary synergies to justify the deal.  Management must evaluate all the critical systems and processes used by the target company and how they are expected to change post merger. This also has the hidden benefit of bringing cultural differences to the forefront. Market or regulatory changes: Any uncertainties in the market, or regulatory changes, should be considered carefully prior to acquisition. Many deals have failed because the acquiring company hasn't considered the impact of environmental changes. Negligence or fraud: It is imperative that sufficient due diligence is conducted to uncover potential fraud. Negligence in due diligence, and not taking proper precautions in deal structuring, can have disastrous consequences. In the technology industry, mergers and acquisitions are essential to remain competitive. It is nearly impossible to stay on the forefront of the industry without a well thought out acquisition plan. However, a flawed M&A strategy can have disastrous consequences. A successful acquisition requires a competent team, careful revision of what could go wrong,