IKADVISORY is a project being prepared by Ismail Kamali. The company has not yet been incorporated.
Services
Focused answers to
critical technology challenges.
IT M&A, strategy and transformation: from defining the target to planning, budgeting and delivery leadership, tailored to your mandate.
IT M&A & transaction-led transformation
For sellers and buyers: from strategy and due diligence to planning, budgeting and delivery leadership for IT separation or integration.
End-to-end support, or a focused engagement at a specific stage of your transaction.
- StrategyScope, dependencies, scenarios and target IT.
- PlanningWorkstreams, sequencing, resources and Day-1 milestones.
- BudgetingOne-off and recurring costs, investments and assumptions.
- Delivery leadershipTeams, suppliers, budgets, risks, decisions and transitions.
Seller side — prepare the sale and lead separation
From seller preparation to the divested business’s autonomy: strategy, planning, budgeting and separation leadership, coordinated with the buyer.
Vendor IT due diligence & sale preparation
Your challenge
The seller needs a clear IT perimeter, early visibility of deal issues and a structured basis for buyer discussions.
Our scope
Scope the vendor assessment, evaluate dependencies and autonomy, identify risks and prepare IT sale information. Estimate standalone costs, dis-synergies and transition needs; organize assessments, remediation planning and buyer Q&A.
Example deliverables
Depending on mandate: vendor IT due diligence report or seller preparation pack, red-flag report, dependency assessment, standalone IT cost model, TSA scope, prioritized remediation plan and Q&A pack.
Experience relevant to this scope
Seller preparation and IT assessment as mandated; no legal opinion or transaction guarantee.
IT carve-out & separation — from strategy to autonomy
Your challenge
The seller must separate the divested business while maintaining continuity for both the business and the retained group.
Our scope
Define the separation strategy and target operating model, map dependencies and select standalone scenarios. Build the schedule, budget, resource plan and governance; steer application, data, infrastructure, identity and supplier workstreams, risks, decisions, cutovers and operational handover.
Example deliverables
Depending on scope: carve-out strategy, autonomy assessment, Target Operating Model, standalone cost and dis-synergy model, separation budget, integrated roadmap, resource plan, risk and dependency register, cutover and transition plans.
Experience relevant to this scope
Seller-side IT program leadership, coordinated with the buyer; technical implementation by the assigned teams and suppliers.
TSA & transition services — design, oversight and exit
Your challenge
The seller needs to organize temporary services for the divestment and control the duration of residual dependencies.
Our scope
Structure the TSA Framework with both parties: services, scope, responsibilities, cost assumptions and durations. Plan and budget transitions, track service commitments, risks and changes; coordinate Day-1 readiness, exit plans and autonomy criteria with the buyer.
Example deliverables
Depending on scope: TSA Framework, transition service catalogue, cost model, responsibility matrix, transition schedule and budget, monitoring dashboard, exit and contingency plans, exit readiness criteria.
Experience relevant to this scope
IT transition service design and oversight; contracting with legal advisers, service provision by the relevant teams.
Buyer side — assess the target and lead integration
From due diligence to integration: inform the decision, define the target state, build plans and budgets, then steer delivery and the value roadmap.
Buyer IT & technology due diligence
Your challenge
The buyer needs to understand technology risks, takeover feasibility and the costs associated with the acquisition.
Our scope
Scope and plan due diligence around deal priorities; assess architecture, technical debt, cybersecurity, scalability and dependencies on the seller and suppliers. Evaluate transferability, TSA needs, Day-1 feasibility and integration options; estimate costs and prioritize actions for the post-acquisition program.
Example deliverables
Depending on scope: due diligence report, red-flag report, dependency assessment, transferability and Day-1 feasibility assessments, estimated integration costs, TSA requirements and a priority action roadmap.
Experience relevant to this scope
IT assessment and recommendations for the decision and integration preparation; no legal audit or compliance certification.
Post-merger integration — from strategy through delivery
Your challenge
The buyer needs to translate the acquisition rationale into a feasible, budgeted and governed IT integration.
Our scope
Define integration strategy and target IT around business priorities. Build the Day-1 plan and post-acquisition roadmap, budget costs and resources, then establish governance. Lead workstreams, teams and suppliers, milestones, spend, risks and dependencies; coordinate migrations, cutovers, service continuity, TSA exit and operational handover.
Example deliverables
Depending on scope: integration strategy and target state, Day-1 plan, consolidated roadmap and budget, resource and convergence plans, governance and accountabilities, cost-schedule-risk dashboards, decision papers, TSA exit and operational handover plans.
Experience relevant to this scope
Buyer-side IT leadership, coordinated with the seller and delivery owners; implementation remains with delivery teams and the mandate does not cover the entire transaction.
IT synergies — identification, budgeting and oversight
Your challenge
The buyer needs to translate expected synergies into funded, sequenced and tracked initiatives.
Our scope
Identify convergence opportunities, establish assumptions and compare value scenarios. Budget investment and delivery costs, assign owners, sequence initiatives and track benefit capture, variances and decisions within the integration program.
Example deliverables
Depending on scope: synergy portfolio, business cases and documented assumptions, budgets and realization roadmaps, ownership, metrics and a value tracking dashboard.
Experience relevant to this scope
Estimated potential is distinguished from realized outcomes; no guaranteed savings.
M&A functions — make IT transactions repeatable
A cross-deal service for building a reusable IT M&A capability: methods, governance, management tools and organizational learning.
Building a repeatable IT M&A capability
Your challenge
M&A functions need reusable methods and tools to prepare and manage successive transactions.
Our scope
Design an IT M&A capability tailored to the organization: roles across M&A, IT and business teams, decision governance and specialist mobilization. Structure seller and buyer playbooks, standardize assessments, estimates and stage gates; define cross-deal oversight of budgets, resources, risks and synergies. Establish lessons-learned practices and continuous improvement of standards.
Example deliverables
To be tailored to needs: maturity assessment and roadmap, governance model and RACI, seller/buyer playbooks, due diligence and TSA toolkits, budget and Day-1 planning templates, stage-gate criteria, cross-deal dashboard and lessons-learned library.
A capability co-designed with M&A and IT leadership, scaled to deal volume and available resources; no predetermined benefit commitment.
IT strategy & enterprise architecture
Connect business ambitions to architecture choices, investment priorities and a practical roadmap.
IT strategy & roadmaps
Your challenge
Growth or modernization ambitions call for clear technology priorities.
Our scope
Assess business needs, compare options and shape a roadmap with executive and IT leadership.
Example deliverables
Assessment, strategic options, investment priorities and a sequenced roadmap.
Experience relevant to this scope
Decision support and strategic framing; technical implementation remains with delivery teams.
Enterprise & platform architecture
Your challenge
Complex applications and dependencies make services harder to evolve.
Our scope
Map the current landscape, define target architecture and clarify integration, identity and security choices.
Example deliverables
Landscape maps, architecture principles, option assessments and a transition roadmap.
Architecture and decision coordination; no fixed-price software development.
Cloud strategy & operating model
Your challenge
Cloud initiatives need a shared ambition and a coherent operating model.
Our scope
Prioritize capabilities, weigh shared versus local delivery, then define responsibilities and an adoption roadmap.
Example deliverables
Cloud priorities, shared-service options, target operating model and implementation plan.
Experience relevant to this scope
Strategy and organization; no cloud operations or day-to-day administration.
IT rationalization & optimization
Your challenge
A fragmented IT landscape increases costs and complicates investment decisions.
Our scope
Challenge target architectures, identify simplification opportunities and structure business cases.
Example deliverables
Rationalization opportunities, decommissioning options, business cases and prioritized roadmaps.
Experience relevant to this scope
Benefits are qualified by their maturity; an estimate is not a realized saving.
IT transformation & program leadership
Structure programs, align stakeholders and manage dependencies through execution.
Transformation framing
Your challenge
The ambition is clear, but scope, dependencies and the delivery path still need definition.
Our scope
Translate objectives into workstreams, milestones, responsibilities and decision points.
Example deliverables
Structured scope, roadmap, work packages and a governance framework.
Experience relevant to this scope
Framing and stakeholder alignment; delivery responsibilities are defined for each engagement.
Business cases & investment decisions
Your challenge
Alternative paths carry costs, risks and benefits that are difficult to compare.
Our scope
Structure economic assumptions, compare scenarios and connect investment choices to delivery sequencing.
Example deliverables
Business cases, explicit assumptions, prioritized options and a benefits roadmap.
Experience relevant to this scope
Decision support; estimated benefits remain distinct from actual outcomes.
Program governance & leadership
Your challenge
Interdependent workstreams must move forward despite competing priorities and constraints.
Our scope
Establish practical governance, coordinate stakeholders, manage risks and prepare executive decisions.
Example deliverables
Governance, milestone and dependency tracking, executive reporting and documented decisions.
Leadership or support to program leadership, as mandated; engineering remains with the delivery teams.
Technology convergence leadership
Your challenge
Heterogeneous environments must converge while maintaining service continuity.
Our scope
Shape migration paths, coordinate teams and organize pilots, transitions and operational handover.
Example deliverables
Migration options, transition plan, responsibilities and implementation risk tracking.
Experience relevant to this scope
Design and delivery oversight; no recurring user support or managed IT operations.
A clear scope
Analyze, design, quantify, prioritize and steer. IKADVISORY structures decisions and coordinates delivery with the teams responsible for implementation.
Leadership through to outcomes
Fixed-price software development, managed operations and daily support are outside the service scope. Their governance, dependencies and delivery roadmap can be led as part of a program.
Your next challenge deserves a clear direction.
Let’s discuss your priorities, constraints and next decisions.