Why Businesses Should Modernize Their Legacy Applications?

It is an anomaly that modern companies are still using legacy software solutions for their business processes. Today, enterprises are still leveraging outdated programming languages such as RPG, COBOL and redundant databases such as DB2Net, DB2Core, etc.

Legacy applications such as IBM i Series are well known for its reliability and efficient scalability. However, modernizing your IT systems can deliver you with more agile options such as migrating your new technologies to serverless or cloud-based computing.

When we analyze the recent trends in code and database modernization, more and more businesses are adopting a positive approach to modernize their legacy codes and database.

For an effective IT modernization, an end-to-end approach is most preferred. In this approach, you must carefully analyze the elements that need modernization, it can be your code, database or even the entire architecture.

This article will give you an insight into why businesses should modernize their legacy applications

Reasons why Businesses should Modernize their Legacy Applications

• Outdated Technology
• Shortage of Developers who know legacy code
• Inaccurate or Outdated Documentation
• High Maintenance Costs

 

Benefits of Legacy Application Modernization

Cost Efficiency

The primary benefit that businesses achieve from modernizing their code is the reduction in cost.

A company that modernizes it’s legacy systems is 10 times more likely to reduce their overall cost when compared to a competitor that uses legacy software systems.

Moreover, there is a higher probability for them to spend a considerable amount of their IT budget on the maintenance and support of their legacy software.

Easy Maintenance

If businesses that use legacy applications hire new developers for their maintenance, they will find it very difficult to learn the complex legacy codes. besides that, it may take long hours or even days to diagnose an issue possibly due to the lack of in-depth knowledge of legacy systems.

Maintaining your legacy applications can drain your corporate budget. Whereas, modern and well-integrated applications are easy to maintain and are less costly. Moreover, there is no necessity to hire developers who are having in-depth knowledge of legacy codes.

Enhanced Business Ops

Modernized applications enhance business growth and agility. With legacy systems and applications, it will be difficult for businesses to integrate the latest functionalities, design, and services. With modernized applications, they can integrate those features effortlessly.

Modernized applications can also integrate seamlessly with mobile devices, wearables, etc. Migrating to a new code allows developers to efficiently manage databases which increases the flexibility of applications.

High Security

Modernized applications have high security when compared to your legacy applications. This is one of the important reasons why businesses are modernizing their legacy applications.

Recent reports of IT security firms like Fortinet reveals that legacy applications and legacy databases are extremely vulnerable to data breaches and malware attacks.

Below we will illustrate the challenge faced by the National Anti Terror Organization with their legacy systems and how they managed to fix the issue by modernization.

 

How Business Improved Their operations Through Legacy System Modernization?

Equinix

Equinix is one of the USA’s top data center companies, they were using old legacy systems without any major hassles. While their old legacy systems did its job perfectly, the enterprise needed something more, that could support their programmers to bring new and advanced functionalities to meet their innovative needs. Modernization has helped Equinix to accelerate their delivery and quality.

NATO

From a business challenge perspective, NATO found itself in a place where its technology was aged. In 2012 the decision was made that they would modernize their IT infrastructure. NATO started its modernization process by outsourcing its modernization project to an external vendor. They have to build a very cost-effective and resilient infrastructure for all services throughout the building, the network that connects them in a very powerful way to those data centers and access those applications. They completely migrated their applications and services to a modern virtualized type of environment.

Decade-old systems legacy systems may work fine, but it won’t add any advantage to your business in the future. Modernizing your legacy systems can transform your business into a new level.

These days, a plethora of software development companies are offering IT modernization such as RPG modernization, code&database modernization, etc. However, businesses should only outsource their modernization project to vendors that keep your system completely operational during the process of modernization. Software outsourcing vendors must analyze risks that are associated with modernization such as technical risks, reworks, etc. They should deploy a correction plan after analyzing the potential risks to mitigate future issues that develop after the initiation of the modernization process.