Get Future Ready with an Application Modernization Strategy

As stated in a recent article in Forbes, many companies have accumulated a “technical debt” due to years of patching and upgrading systems. Although this patchwork approach may seem like a quick-fix solution, it can cost far more than redesigning and redeveloping applications using newer technologies. It also makes innovating more difficult – upgrading one system can “break” or disrupt another. Additionally, modernizing legacy systems provide new features and functionalities that can not be replicated in older systems.

In most businesses, it’s the norm to find IT departments struggling to fix the defects in legacy applications. They often spend more time and resources on troubleshooting than value-added activities such as supporting digitization and automation.

However, the most significant benefit comes later: When you apply an application modernization strategy using the latest technologies and platforms, you minimize the time and resources required to maintain and manage these applications.

Here’s an Example

• A leading company in the manufacturing industry modernized a legacy on-premise application and built a web app using Microsoft Azure App Service, which offers auto-scaling and high availability.
• After the legacy system modernization approaches were complete, their IT department no longer had to worry about managing the infrastructure.
• Functionalities such as Managed Cloud Backups and Disaster Recovery as a built-in service also reduced the time required by IT for maintenance, thereby freeing up time and resources to focus on reskilling and contributing to the strategic goals of the organization.

Wouldn’t you want your IT team to implement AI, leverage Business Intelligence technologies for better analytics, and bolster data security to protect the organization from cyber-attacks rather than performing maintenance and putting out fires?

And speaking of security, 74% of CIOs now feel vulnerable to cyber-attacks, per The Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey 2019. Storing encrypted passwords is the least efficient way to manage information security. Employing an application modernization strategy can ensure multi-factor authentication for all applications. It becomes even more critical for healthcare professionals who must also stay HIPPAA compliant.

The following pain points make a compelling case for modernizing your legacy systems and retiring applications built on obsolete technologies.

• Rigid architecture - lack of flexibility and scalability
• Lack of agility
• Expensive to maintain and enhance
• Require skilled resources to maintain and manage, which may be in short supply
• Limited hardware and software options

One of the reasons application modernization is gaining traction as a business priority is the need to integrate applications to share data and functions within a single user interface. To make remote working effective, there must also be a change to applications that were previously used only behind a firewall. To better serve your customers, your employees need access to business-critical applications across all their devices, including laptops, tablets, or mobile phones.

An application designed specifically for a PC must now be compatible with multiple mobile devices. It requires powerful web and mobile apps that ensure you continue interacting with your customers and harvest meaningful data to understand changing preferences and behaviors.

According to The Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey 2019, of the 3,645 CIO and technology leaders surveyed across 108 countries, “almost two third (64%) allow business-managed IT investment and 1 in 10 actively encourage it.” It means a cross-functional team will make decisions concerning IT of stakeholders from business/operations and technology. So, what will the priorities be for such a full-stack team of decision-makers? Data-backed decisions rank high on the list.

While the board and the C-level executives recognize the importance of data-backed decisions, assessing whether your applications provide the necessary data and can analyze data and drive insights is imperative. This data must also be easy to access and understand.

For instance, data may be visually represented through dashboards so management teams in all company areas can easily see data and, more importantly, use it to make effective decisions. This ability alone can empower businesses to:

• Make faster, more accurate decisions
• Move forward with disruptive changes that puts you ahead of the competition

While there is no doubt that successful companies must implement legacy system modernization approaches, you must proceed with some caution. There are challenges to any digital transformation. A Cloudbase Research found that 81% of enterprises had application modernization projects fail, suffer delays, or be scaled back in the past year at an average cost of $4.12 million. They also found that 82% were prevented from pursuing an application modernization strategy due to a lack of resources or funds, a lack of skills to deliver the project, or the complexity of implementing technologies.

To avoid costly mistakes and delays, it’s essential to begin with an overall assessment and strategy. Before you embark on your modernization journey, you need to understand the steps involved and plan for multiple decisions along the way. For instance:

• What infrastructure and platform will you use?
• What security and compliance requirements do you need?
• Which applications are low-hanging fruit which could be immediately rebuilt?
• Which applications are impacting customer experiences?

You may also want to adopt a strategy of incremental upgrades, prioritizing departments or processes that are most critical to operations. Finding the right partner to assess, plan and implement your digital transformation can save your company time and money.