What is Legacy Application Modernization Strategy?

Whatever your position in the business world is due to your legacy system, those same applications, architecture, and systems will become obsolete in the future and will become the reason for holding back the growth of your company. As these applications become old and outdated, they affect the speed of your team, making it difficult for you to reach your business goal. As we progress, business leaders increasingly understand the need for a strong legacy application modernization strategy.     

In this blog, we will approach key topics associated with legacy application modernization to help you learn more about the legacy application modernization journey. We will assess a step-by-step approach for legacy application modernization, all with the goal of ensuring your legacy application modernization journey is on the right path that is in accordance with the needs of the business and the movement of the industry to provide a future-proof modernization strategy.     

What is Legacy Application Modernization?   

Legacy applications are simply older software applications that are still critical to the day-to-day operations of a respective organization. Most legacy applications run on older hardware and software platforms that become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, which in turn creates the need for modernization. This need to modernize arose from the following interrelated reasons: 

• Applications no longer support new business needs that emerge 

• Security aspects are vulnerable to threats and weaknesses 

• Applications not able to integrate well with modern applications 

• Applications not scalable 

• Increased Maintenance Besides other factors not captured here. 

Legacy systems will undoubtedly require a more significant level of modernization as business organizations continue to evolve toward Digital Transformation. It is not just about keeping up with technology; it is about supporting business agility, improving the customer experience process, and supporting businesses to sustain ongoing innovation.    

Key Drivers of Legacy Application Modernization 

Digital Transformation: Organizations in every industry are looking to adopt digital technologies to reconsider how they run and how they engage with their customers. Because legacy applications are essentially hindering these processes, organizations will need to iterate their legacy applications as part of their broader digital transformation strategy. 

Cloud Migration: The shift to cloud technologies is beneficial because they provide the potential for scale, cost efficiencies and the ability to improve accessibility. Because many legacy applications are not compatible to move to the cloud, many organizations will need to modernize their infrastructure to accommodate the benefits that cloud technologies afford them. 

Cybersecurity Risks: With the increase of cybercrime threats, legacy applications provide multiple vulnerabilities to organizations. Modernizing infrastructure enables organizations to address their vulnerabilities while also meeting compliance when it comes to regulations as they evolve. 

Customer Expectations: The world is evolving to provide customers with what they expect to be digital consumer experiences that provide solutions in real-time or fast and responsive experiences, which are things we now expect from digital solutions. Legacy applications cannot deliver a real time experience that meets the customer expectation- or any kind of user experience that meets customer satisfaction and overall retention. 

Competitive Edge: As newer, more agile competitors enter the market with modern technology stacks, businesses with legacy applications are often at a risk of failing in their capabilities when compared to agile software development processes of new organizations in year-to-year contributions to efficiencies or value creation. 

Step-by-Step Legacy Application Modernization Strategy 

Assessment and Planning 

The first key step to a robust modernization plan is to examine your current enterprise-wide legacy application. 

• Build your Legacy Application inventory: 

• Create a directory of all legacy applications.  

• Document all of their processes, dependencies, and overall business value.   

• Assess Current State: 

• Analyze application performance, scalability and security.   

• Identify Pain Points and Barriers  

• Define Modernization Goals: 

• Identify the implications to consider as modernized goals and also a full strategy for implementing changes. 

• Based on business impact, prioritize your modernization goals. 

• Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): 

• Define measurable outcomes that signify that project modernization is progressing successfully, 

Choose the Right Modernization Approach 

Based on your assessment, determine the most appropriate modernization approach for each application. 

• Evaluate Modernization Options: 

• Consider Factors Such As: 

• Business criticality of the application 

• Technical debt 

• Budget resources and staff available 

• Timeline constraints 

• Create a Modernization Roadmap: 

• Define the order of modernizing. 

• Plan for any dependencies you have to consider. 

Build a Strong Modernization Team 

Bring on a team or include the right staff to support and carry out the modernization plan. 

• Identify skills needed: 

• Knowledge of legacy system capabilities 

• knowledge of emerging technologies 

• Data migration specialists 

• Cloud application architecture (i.e. AWS, Azure, etc.) 

• Security experts 

• Consider Team Structure: 

• In-house team vs. outsourcing 

• Hybrid approach with both internal and external experts. 

• Provide Necessary Training: 

• Upskill to existing team or staff of the new technology 

• Foster a culture of continuous learning  

Implement Agile and DevOps Practices 

If you would like to benefit from modern bespoke software development practices in the modernizing process, the agile methodology will give you the best path towards implementation considerations. 

• Implement DevOps Practices: 

• Automate testing and deployment processes 

• Establish continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines 

• Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement: 

• Collect feedback and iterate at times. 

• Monitor and log to optimize time-to-time. 

Prioritize Security and Compliance 

Make security an all-time priority during the modernization plan. 

• Implement Modern Security Practices: 

• Incorporate the “security first” approach into the development process. 

• Implement multi-factor authentication, encryption and secure API. 

• Ensure Compliance: 

• Ensure compliance with relevant industry regulations (e.g. GDPR and CCPA). 

• Include compliance checkpoints in your modernization to avoid compliance risks. 

Focus on Data Migration and Integration 

Careful handling of data is crucial during the modernization process. 

• Data Migration Plan Development: 

• Cleanse and validate the data in advance of the move 

• Plan data transformation to fit the new system 

• Ensure Seamless Integration: 

• Design APIs so the systems work together 

• Build middleware solutions if needed 

• Maintain Data Integrity: 

• Implement robust data validation processes 

• Include data governance policies 

Embrace Cloud Technologies 

The adoption of cloud technologies will really power your modernization effort significantly. 

• Check Cloud Readiness: 

• Identify which applications are cloud-eligible 

• Identify which cloud model would be a fit: public, private, hybrid 

• Choose the Right Cloud Services: 

• Select which service providers fit your technology and business needs 

• Consider factors like scalability, cost, and available services 

• Plan for Cloud Migration: 

• Develop a phased approach to cloud adoption 

• Incorporate native cloud capabilities to add functionality. 

Implement and Test 

Careful implementation and thorough testing are critical for successful modernization. 

• Conduct Rigorous Testing: 

• Perform unit testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing. 

• Testing should include performance measures, security, and scalability. 

• Follow the Modernization Roadmap: 

• Implement phased implementation for changes. 

• Maintain clear communication with all stakeholders to know the flow of work and time. 

• Plan for Rollback: 

• Rollback plans should be in place if something new comes up. 

• Run both systems in parallel while establishing the modernized deployment. 

Manage Change and Provide Training 

Effective change management is required for user adoption of modernized systems. 

• Develop a Change Management Strategy: 

• Communicate the benefits of modernization to all stakeholders 

• Address concerns and resistance in advance 

• Provide Comprehensive Training: 

• Training programs for End-users and IT Staff 

• Ongoing support during the transition period. 

• Gather and Act on Feedback: 

• Establish mechanisms for active user feedback 

• Make iterative improvements based on user input 

Monitor, Optimize, and Evolve 

The modernization process does not stop at one particular point; rather, it is a process that calls for constant attention. 

• Implement Monitoring Systems: 

• Establish mechanisms for monitoring application performance and user experience. 

• Provide real-time system health and security monitoring. 

• Continuously Optimize: 

• Analyze monitoring data to identify areas for improvement 

• Implement regular updates and enhancements 

• Stay Ahead of Technological Trends: 

• Keep up with coming technologies that could be useful to the applications 

• Plan for future modernization efforts to keep business competitive advantage 

Conclusion: 

The legacy application modernization process is very often complex, yet a necessary journey into the digital world. This step-by-step approach can help organizations transform outdated technologies into modern, agile, secure applications that are much needed for business growth and innovation.   

Remember, modernization is not a one-time event but an ongoing process of evolution and improvement. Commit to ongoing learning, adaptation, and innovation so your applications will stay up-to-date and continue to meet the business needs of the enterprise.   

Consider engaging appropriate technology providers on this journey of transformation who can help you with each step. Legacy system modernization could set your organization up for sustained success in future, provided it is appropriately strategized and executed. Contact us if you need assistance in modernizing your legacy system.