Technology has a tendency to become obsolete, this means that operating systems, and applications along with Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems used by businesses are always running out of time to stay the best in their game. This produces a need to find solutions that could cater to this problem, a simple way out is upgrading these to ensure optimal functioning, cue- enters Legacy Modernization!
Not only would this save the reputation of a business and prevent it from being deemed outdated but it would also make their app interfaces more accessible to the customers and in vogue as they market in a competitive economy.
Legacy Modernization to the rescue
In the age of technology, every business operates with a specific application that caters to all of the requirements of the business at the time but one needs to be mindful that the needs of a business grow and change as it cultivates with time. This change also brings with it a demand for the applications to support what the business requires in the current scenario, failing to achieve that might lead to increased cost and unfavorable user experience.
One must think of Legacy Modernization as a quintessential software update that uses modern technology to strengthen a business platform that has been operating with the same system application since its inception. This update is a bane that comes with multifaceted benefits if achieved successfully - It reduces IT costs that were earlier needed to bear the burden of carrying outdated applications, Creates agility in the business by adding newer ways to cater to their customers, increases productivity with creating ease for corporation staff, enhances customer satisfaction and leads to the overall growth of a business.
Challenges of Modernizing Legacy Apps
The main reason that companies and businesses stick to their systemic applications that have continued as a legacy is because a shift to modern platforms feels daunting. This happens due to certain ingrained factors that include:
- A knowledge deficit about the problems with the existing application
- The impact of the transition on the performance of the business
- The financial burden it might risk on the company.
- Lack of Assurance of the quality of the new system
- Dwindling of the optimization of performance with such a huge change.
Even if a company decides to go through with the transition, despite so many concerns, data migration poses a pivotal challenge, because differences in encoding need to be managed with expert precision.
When accosted with all these problems, a corporation or business might feel inept to conquer the task of modernizing their applications. In such a scenario they can outsource this task to software developing companies like Continuum Software Solutions which could be employed or contracted to provide solutions that would help transform such systems or applications into cloud-based applications by rewriting the source code, by either adding to the existing code or inputting it to a modern platform providing full support throughout the process for a feasible and smooth transition.
Facilitating a Sequential advent of Cloud Computing Services
Anything new should be taken with a grain of salt and so one must believe that legacy modernization will come with a set of challenges that a corporation would experience that would directly influence the business. This makes it essential to go into the shift with a proper set of steps that would ensure that the business does not get adversely affected through the course of this change. The following points could be treated as stepping stones for this migrating process:
#1. Auditing the performance of the existing system
This is a preliminary and most crucial step in the process where the current system and operating infrastructure are accessed to discover which part of the existing software does not add any value to the functioning of the organization. It is also a crucial step that identifies which problems need to be weeded out when transferring and rewriting the source code to be upgraded to the cloud.
#2. Strategies to approach the Upgrade/Migration
Based on the workload of the company's application system, two major ways to approach the migration can be adopted:
The Big Bang
A quick option, this strategy involves re-hosting the entire application on the cloud in a single go. This leaves the legacy system decommissioned as the whole workload is transferred to the cloud; it has a shorter period of implementation and hence is ideal for companies that have smaller or less complex workloads dependable on their legacy applications.
Phased
This approach involves multiple shifts from the legacy platform to the cloud, spaced out through a period of time ideal for large migration projects. It is often used by companies where it takes more time to train the employees to work with the transition facilitating easier management and lower risk factors than the big bang.
Read more about various cloud transformation strategies, including Re-hosting, Refactoring, and Re-platforming to make an informed choice for your organization, in our upcoming blogs.
#1. Forming a team of experts within the corporation or hiring aid from expert developers
To ensure seamless legacy-to-cloud transitions it is essential that the team working on the migration process has expertise in the niche skills required, this could be achieved in one of two ways, either re-skilling certain members of the pre-existing staff or outsourcing the modernization mission to expert software developers. Hiring experts on the mission has its benefits as they can accurately assess the challenges involved and the amount of workload that needs migrating ensuring that the company reaches the BAU phase ASAP.
#2. Monetary forethought
Appropriate financial planning is extremely necessary before the advent of the required shift to the cloud, organizations should keep in mind that this would require them to spend a large sum upfront followed by continued costs that would be paid to the cloud service. Financial planning in this regard would then have to be mindful of the pre-migratory, migratory, and post-migratory phases. With appropriate budgeting, companies can enjoy the benefits of cloud migration to its optimum.
#3. Selecting the cloud service
Remember, this involves looking for something which is a perfect fit for your corporation. Your options in this regard would include any of the three models of cloud service:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
To make a pragmatic and informed choice read extensively on and about your three options, here.
Core Benefits of Legacy Modernization
#1. Amplified Business flexibility
Not only does an automated system cater to the customers in an optimum fashion but it also competes in the market to produce and offer the best possible services that are in vogue with the current demand.
#2. Improved Team efficiency
Legacy systems often cause obstacles and prevent the smooth sailing of projects in an organization causing employees to perform tasks manually and involve lots of paper trails, a modernized system prevents this with automation and ensures employee efficiency and productivity where needed.
#3. Contemporary Tech Compatibility
Since all the systems that operate within an organization are up to date, they seamlessly operate and are compatible with the latest technology.
#4. Better Protection and stronger firewall
Updating the system that is used for crucial business transactions, legacy modernization creates the highest possible quality of security for any business.
#4. Cost efficiency
Maintenance and operational costs fall to a minimum with legacy modernization, as the cost spent on the upkeep of an outdated system is eradicated by the employment of a now automated cloud service.
In the contemporary market economy, embracing the cloud for upgrading legacy applications for the growth of any enterprise seems imperative. A survey by Gartner perceives more investment in cloud services by organizations in the near future, read all about it here.
So if you wish to be a strong competitor in the present market and are looking to boost your application’s reach and overall performance or just want a wider audience base to have accessibility to your business services, contact our experts at Continuum Software Solutions Canada, your one-stop solution for all the Application optimization, development and maintenance gimmicks.