Every organization has older, outdated systems that are a mission-critical aspect of their day-to-day operations - we call those legacy systems. Having been in place for such a long time, legacy systems often become deeply ingrained into operational processes, which makes them difficult to replace or alter without disrupting critical workflows.

Many software companies will recommend rebuilding and replacing your old legacy systems – but that isn’t your only option! Although there are benefits to replacing your old legacy system, a modernization or system upgrade can go a long way. Sometimes the older system still works, but you want more functionality or connectivity, other times you might be losing money in lost productivity.

The Cost of Outdated Technology 

Whether your UI has become buggy, or your process is being bogged down—you’ll know when your system needs an upgrade. If you’re like the US Federal Government, spending 80% of your entire IT budget on “Operations and Maintenance”– the result of aging legacy systems that pose security and efficiency issues, then yeah… It’s time to upgrade.

Legacy systems don’t just require additional spending to resolve security and efficiency issues, they may also require investment to address compliance, maintenance and lost opportunity challenges—all of which start to add up pretty quick. Keeping these costs in mind, the most expensive route probably lies in not modernizing your system.

Save Money by Giving Your Legacy System a New Lease on Life

All software has a useful life and tends to slow down as they get older— while there isn’t often a hard “expiry” date, software is a lot like your car. Some maintenance is required to get that extra 2-5 years of functionality, and that’s where we can help. With a legacy system upgrade, you can mitigate many of the challenges caused by outdated or even obsolete technologies; consider it a refresh!

With a legacy system upgrade, you can:

• Automate your tasks, reducing the amount of manual effort
• Increase your system’s performance using the latest technologies
• Get access to your data through your mobile devices
• Create experiences that matter to your users
• Obtain an updated, more modern design

In addition, by migrating your legacy data and on-premise databases to the cloud, you have 24/7 access to them via the web, no matter where you are. All for considerably less than it would cost to build the systems again.

How to Bring Your Old System Up to Speed

So, what can you do to upgrade your legacy system? There are a few options:

1. Containerization
2. Cloud Migration
3. Re-hosting/Re-Platforming

Containerization for example, involves “bundling an application or system together with all of its related configuration files…for it to run in an efficient and bug-free way across different computing environments.” Re-hosting on the other hand, also known as re-platforming, moves your software to a more open and scalable architecture, enabling future modernization while preserving your business logic and data. By containerizing, re-hosting or re-platforming, you can greatly reduce the cost and effort of maintaining your aging system!

Transferring to the cloud is another way you can give your legacy system a much-needed refresh. According to Amazon, GE Oil & Gas saved 52% on total cost of ownership (TCO) by moving their legacy systems to the cloud. So, if you’re looking for some serious cost savings in the new year, you may want to consider what the cloud can do for you!

The Growing Trend

More and more businesses are beginning to see the advantages of improving upon their legacy applications. According to IDC, 65% of businesses plan on modernizing their legacy systems with new technology investments through to 2023. IDC anticipates digital transformation spending to increase from 36% to more than 53% of all IT and communications technology investment, also by 2023. If you’re not sure if your legacy systems are worth the investment, Shawn McCarthy of IDC recommends focusing more on the return on investment of modernizing:

“It [can] be expensive, but when you look at what the legacy system is costing you 2-3-4 years down the road… most of these [are] able to pay themselves off in a 2-to-3 year period. It’s definitely worth having that conversation and I think the CFO needs to be a part of that conversation.”

- Shawn McCarthy, Research Director, IDC Government Insights

Final Thoughts

By modernizing your legacy systems, you’re trying to do more with less. Rather than struggling with critical but antiquated software or spending the money to build from the ground up, see what our solution experts advise. You might just be able to get a few more years out of that old system. With the growing accessibility of advanced technologies, it has never been more attainable to upgrade your legacy system!