Gallagher Case Study

Insurance Brokerage M&A Integration Multi-State

The Challenge

Arthur J. Gallagher, the world's third-largest insurance broker, completed its $13.5 billion acquisition of AssuredPartners in August 2025—adding 250+ office locations across 38 states to its existing footprint. This was the largest acquisition in Gallagher's history and one of the largest in insurance brokerage history.

Each acquired location came with its own legacy infrastructure: different cabling standards, various access control systems, inconsistent surveillance setups, and IT configurations installed by dozens of regional contractors over the years. Some locations had modern Cat6A cabling; others were still running on Cat5. Access control ranged from enterprise-grade systems to basic key locks. Documentation was often incomplete or nonexistent.

Gallagher's IT integration team faced a massive standardization challenge. They needed to bring all 250+ locations up to corporate infrastructure standards while maintaining business continuity—these agencies couldn't go offline during integration. And they needed to do it efficiently, without the management overhead of coordinating with 38 different regional contractors across every state where they now had operations.

The Complexity of M&A Infrastructure

Insurance agencies have specific infrastructure requirements that make standardization particularly complex. Every location needs reliable network connectivity for policy management systems and carrier portals. Access control matters for compliance—insurance agencies handle sensitive client data and need audit trails for who accessed what areas. Surveillance systems need to cover cash handling areas and document storage.

When you're integrating 250 locations, these requirements multiply quickly. Gallagher's team didn't have capacity to manage dozens of vendor relationships, each with different quality standards, pricing models, and responsiveness. They needed a single partner who could handle the entire national footprint.

The Solution

Axseter became Gallagher's infrastructure standardization partner for the AssuredPartners integration. Rather than coordinate with regional contractors in each market, Gallagher works with a single point of contact who can dispatch technicians to any of their 250+ locations nationwide.

The engagement started with infrastructure assessments of acquired locations. Our team documented existing cabling, access control, and surveillance systems at each site, identifying what needed remediation versus what met Gallagher's standards. This assessment data informed the integration timeline and budget, giving Gallagher's team visibility into the true scope of infrastructure work required.

Scope of Work

Infrastructure Assessments: On-site documentation of existing cabling, access control, and surveillance at each acquired location
Cabling Remediation: Upgrading locations with inadequate cabling to meet Gallagher's Cat6A standards
Access Control Upgrades: Replacing legacy systems with Gallagher-standard access control for compliance and audit trail requirements
Surveillance Standardization: Ensuring camera coverage meets corporate requirements for loss prevention and compliance
Documentation Packages: Complete as-built documentation for every location, supporting ongoing IT management
Ongoing Break-Fix Support: National service contract for ongoing maintenance and issue resolution across all locations

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When you're integrating hundreds of acquired locations, you need a partner who can execute consistently at national scale. That's exactly what Axseter delivers. One vendor, one standard, one point of accountability—regardless of which state we're working in.

The Result

Gallagher gained a single point of contact for infrastructure standardization across their entire M&A integration program. Instead of managing dozens of regional contractors with varying quality and responsiveness, they work with one partner who understands their standards and can execute anywhere in the country.

The infrastructure assessment data provided Gallagher's IT leadership with clear visibility into integration costs and timelines—no surprises when technicians arrived on-site. Standardized documentation packages for each location reduced ongoing IT support burden; when issues arise, support teams have accurate as-built records to reference.

Most importantly, the integration proceeded without business disruption. Agencies continued serving clients while infrastructure upgrades happened around them—often during off-hours or weekends to minimize impact on daily operations.

Why This Model Works for M&A

Companies pursuing aggressive M&A strategies face a recurring infrastructure challenge: every acquisition brings legacy systems that need standardization, but building vendor relationships in each new market is inefficient and inconsistent.

Axseter's national coverage model is purpose-built for this scenario. Whether you're integrating 5 locations or 500, you work with a single partner who can mobilize anywhere in the country and execute to your standards. The acquisition pace accelerates; the infrastructure partner keeps up.