A new corporate announcement of an intended acquisition: "reAlpha Tech Corp., a real estate technology company focused on developing, utilizing and commercializing real estate-focused artificial intelligence ('AI') to drive efficiency, sustainability and growth, announced today that it has signed a letter of intent (the 'LOI') to acquire United Software Group ('USG'), an Ohio-based privately-held, multi-industry information technology ('IT') consulting company operating on a global scale (the "Acquisition")."

Announcements like this — long sentences, sometimes illustrative, other times hefty servings of blarney — are common. The drive toward mergers and acquisitions, for companies to continue to gain mass like a Star Wars economic Jabba the Hut, happens apace and catches up customers of all sizes.

This is particularly true in technology as vendors are anxious to add more features, capabilities, and billable items. How else do you argue for regular price increases when the intrinsic costs of technology keep falling? CRE users can't keep this from happening around their industry and individual businesses. But they can take steps to assess the implications. Here are some steps to take: