One of the major post merger integration challenges faced by many financial institutions is the daunting task of merging IT centers, business application systems, front/back office integration, webficiation of legacy apps, etc. Now that the merger has taken place, how can CIOs and CTOs tune their newly merged enterprises back to the smooth running environment that existed prior to the consolidation of so many systems and processes?

With so many complex and sometime duplicative systems now in place, in the merger dominated financial services industry. Many executives are up in arms as to why the new "merged" organization is not hitting on all cylinders. Many times the analysis and implementation surrounding the merger of systems and processes are not fully thought out. Many of those that know the most about critical systems and processes are not fully open about the best way to consolidate systems, for fear of losing their level of knowledge (or their job). And many merger consultants rely too heavily on past client's merger experience rather than looking under preverbal hood of both firms systems and processes before making recommendations.

How can the systems, processes and people get back into a finely tuned engine? First, listen to the folks that use the systems and execute the processes, from Database administrators to desk clerks - open and two-way communications from all levels and from both sides of the merger will undoubtedly uncover the best way to consolidate and reduce the duplication and gaps between merged firms.