In the search for bigger and better returns from mergers and acquisitions, attention is turning afresh to IT, as the realization dawns as to just how big the opportunity may be. The combined organizations’ investments in IT represent a huge sunk cost in hardware, software, and network infrastructure. And considerable savings may be possible by managing those investments differently, to better support the newly-combined organization. Optimizing software rationalization during or post-merger is a key way for IT to drive those savings.