Information Technology

Bain draws on global experience across industries and technologies to help solve companies’ most complex IT challenges. More than 40 percent of our work involves major business or major IT transformation.

Our experts use data-driven analysis to diagnose existing problems, mitigate potential risks and identify opportunities. We then work alongside client teams to apply customized, problem-solving techniques proven to build IT value. Our areas of expertise include:

• IT diagnostic: We help clients identify opportunities for breakthrough improvement in IT, so that clients achieve business results commensurate with their IT investments.
• IT full potential strategy: Bain helps clients identify the optimal future state of IT that is effective and aligned with their business needs. We then develop and implement a strategy to get there.
• IT cost management: Our experts help organizations reduce IT costs and deliver value in their existing IT environment, and define and manage the transition to a more efficient environment.
• IT capability sourcing: We help clients ensure that IT offshoring and outsourcing decisions are based on business strategy and we help set up deal structures, capability networks and sourcing agreements to deliver enduring results: lower costs now and flexibility for the future.
• Application rationalization: Bain helps ensure that a client’s application portfolio is cost effective yet supports business innovation. To achieve this, we advise on and support portfolio prioritization, package selection and complexity reduction.
• Infrastructure optimization: Through processes such as hardware consolidation, process efficiency and automation, and staff allocation, we increase and improve infrastructure utilization, adding substantial value to clients’ IT assets.
• IT organization and governance design: We work with companies to design IT organizations, processes and capabilities for scalability, performance and effective decision making, control and management.
• IT M&A integration strategy: When organizations undergo mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and spin-offs, our experts help to make the most effective and efficient IT transitions part of the integration process.
• IT project turnaround: Bain helps clients maximize the business results from large-scale IT initiatives, beginning with defining the requirements of a system all the way to capturing value in system implementation. We develop and support IT project turnaround programs as well as help set up IT projects for success.

Bain’s highly experienced Private Equity group can be deployed to perform due diligence for companies’ IT as part of the evaluation process for potential PE and M&A deals.

Only a small number of companies have IT that is effective (IT systems maximize the use of resources from a cost and quality perspective) and truly aligned with the business (projects get done on time and support business priorities). These successful companies record a compound annual growth rate over three years that is 35 percent higher than the average. They also spend less: aligned, effective IT can produce material cost savings.

To make IT effective, companies need to streamline their IT organizations in three ways: simplify systems to reduce costs, source IT hardware and services from the best location (inside or outside the company) and dramatically increase the business results from IT initiatives.

The ultimate goal of an effective IT organization should be to harness IT to business objectives to propel new growth; to allow business units to serve customers in ways that competitors do not. Companies will know they have arrived when:

• The IT organization understands business priorities, supports business needs and is well staffed to respond to challenges
• Business trusts IT capabilities and actively participates in–and often leads–all IT projects and investments
• The IT organization proactively identifies business opportunities
• IT capabilities are a core element of the business strategy