All systems require modernization every now and then. For instance, your personal computer probably uses the newest software instead of the same old software it used to have five years ago. Consequently, the computer has more power and better capabilities when compared to the one with outdated apps.
The same goes for business applications and all systems that are legacy or similar to legacy systems. Modernizing business applications is vital if you want to stay competitive in the business world.
Below you will find some very good reasons that should convince you to consider business applications modernization.
What is legacy software?
Legacy software is any piece of software that does not receive patching or support from its developers. On top of that, it can’t meet the current compliance standards.
The examples of enterprise-level legacy software can vary, but one example that you most likely remember is the tech behind pagers.
In fact, pagers remain an important communication device in healthcare. Even though various countries like Japan are ending the services down, three-quarters of US organizations continue to support at least one type of pager.
In the US, one can find numerous examples of legacy systems across different federal organizations. Therefore, it is important to keep every legacy application up to date, and this is especially true if your business has a legacy system that it relies on.
What are the most common challenges of legacy systems and technologies?
Let’s go through the main challenges of legacy systems today:
- Outdated, inaccurate, or not fully documentation
- Poor or no support for older software systems
- Old tech
- Lack of skill sets in the market to power older systems
Complex legacy technologies are seen as a considerable obstacle on a company’s path to digital transformation by almost half of CIOs.
Reliability and continuity are often affected by legacy systems, as high maintenance costs often come with them. In addition, legacy systems have a butterfly effect, leading to a vicious cycle of problems.
Hence, it is very important to modernize your legacy software systems.
Why should you consider legacy system modernization?
The apps you already have in place at the office were installed to help your organization grow in various ways. Hence, further investments mean that you are willing to do what needs to be done to accomplish business objectives faster and reach the full potential of your business.
Start modernizing your legacy system and all business apps, and you will give more power to your IT department to work better and be more efficient. As a result, your IT guys will no longer have to waste time on manual integrations and bug fixes but enjoy using modern business apps.
Take a look at some of the most significant benefits that legacy modernization brings.
Cost reduction
Organizations that modernize their business software have better chances to reduce their costs. When a company adopts cloud-based solutions, it can reduce the expenses that are related to data center utilities.
In fact, manageable and scalable services at affordable rates are among the most important benefits of cloud-based data options.
Organizations spend a lot of their money to maintain legacy systems and the big part of this money goes toward raising the support tickets and managing the old codes.
Additionally, determining various problems may take more time (a couple of hours to a few days) because there aren’t many developers with an in-depth knowledge of the old legacy systems.
Luckily, businesses can use the legacy code with open-source programming languages to re-architect modern systems.
This paves the way to optimize your business processes, automate the manual writing of code, as well as repurpose the existing code. As a result, you won’t need to pay professional developers to take care of the code.
Better productivity and performance
Modernizing legacy systems also means improving general team productivity. A business can move the workforce to the cloud and use cloud computing to improve day-to-day activities’ efficiency.
Based on the findings of a Forrester study. It is possible to improve the productivity of a development team by almost 40%. When a business upgrades legacy applications.
Developers’ efficiency is boosted when they have access to advanced cloud technology and improved development tools.
On top of that, modernized legacy systems have shown great flexibility and the ability to work in different conditions. Portable modules can help you achieve success and also efficiently manage resources.
Better business agility
Thanks to up-to-date apps, businesses can efficiently serve both their vendors and customers, and they are also more likely to get more business.
If you’re looking for a way to scale your business, web-based modern technologies can help you with that, as they allow users to connect to their customers in real-time.
Generally, businesses have a hard time when they use legacy systems to develop new features or products. However, with modernized applications, it is much more convenient to anticipate, design, as well as launch new functionalities with greater efficiency and speed.
Better compliance and customer service
Businesses lose millions of dollars because they fail to comply with process regulations.
When a business adheres to standard software compliance while offering high-quality services, it gets an edge over its competitors. However, handling and updating the logs and reports can be very difficult with paper-based legacy applications.
On the other hand, it’s much easier to update reports and logs from pretty much anywhere when using modernized systems.
Improved project tracking, real-time data entry, as well as better security to advanced encryption and other functionalities all contribute to easy compliance, better customer service, and lower risk.
Improved security
Outdated systems are much more vulnerable to data breaches and cyber-attacks and lack of support from companies is the main reason why legacy systems are so vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Luckily, the modernization of legacy systems provides organizations with better security and protection for their critical business processes.
Final thoughts
Old systems that are highly vulnerable rarely add any value to your business. That is why business applications modernization should help your business grow and become more attractive to prospects.
However, you should first understand the portfolio and investment priorities. As well as define the strategy and business needs before you start the modernization process.
Find a reliable tech company that can really digitize. your organization and do not allow amateurs to work on this important aspect of your organization.