Legacy Modernization: A Reality Now

Whether it is a customized application with old-lost source code or a mainframe-based program your business probably has an important legacy application. This legacy application might perform an important or irreplaceable function which your business requires day in and out. It might even be mission-critical but you need to consider how you can introduce new technologies that are more efficient and effective than your old legacy application.Also sometimes to remain competitive, businesses need to modernize their infrastructure by integrating these systems of record with the new systems of engagement, particularly mobile and other handheld devices and hybrid cloud applications. Now here comes the modernization of your old but important Legacy systems.

When planning for modernization, it is important to consider all project aspects upfront. Analysis must include existing IT architecture, its capabilities and capacities, as well as business and performance requirements. The goal should be to create a 360-degree view of application usage, including how people operate the applications, what data they use and how the applications have been modified over the years. This process produces a realistic view of how effectively the legacy applications meet your organizational objectives today and the functional interdependencies among all assets.At the same time it also gives you all the necessary information to plan your modernization plan.

Legacy modernization projects primarily focus on the re-engineering and moving of applications from one technology platform to another.Though Modernization has other forms too. In many cases it requires re-engineering the architecture so that it is robust enough to handle the current as well as future business models.Rather than starting from scratch, this re-engineering eliminates the obsolete code and enhance the current business relevant functionality.Modernization is more of a journey than an IT project.

Organizations today understand that if they are not evolving to more modern infrastructures they are falling behind the competition. A legacy modernization strategy is crucial for maximizing the value of your existing investment in applications, reducing the total cost of ownership of those applications and developing the agility to bring IT investments into alignment with business imperatives.Legacy modernization provides many choices and can take several forms including application redevelopment,application consolidation, application migration and application replacement. These choices can be used individually or in combination.Finally, selecting the right platform and the right partner solution provider are crucial to a successful outcome.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are my personal point of view and do not in anyway represent that of the organization I work for.