The decision to migrate legacy applications is always a challenging one. Leaders must reflect on whether their attachment to their outdated system stems from guilt over abandoning what once worked or fear of change and adopting new technologies. For many leaders, there is also an attachment to the application and process that pushed their organization to where it is today. No matter the case, deciding to migrate your application is not a decision made overnight.

To Keep or To Let Go

When company leadership comes together to reflect, here are four key questions to remember when deliberating whether your legacy application is worth a migration investment.

1. Is your legacy application exceeding its worth in maintenance and operational costs?

Legacy applications are often the backbone of a critical business operation. Yet, when these applications become more costly to maintain securely than the value they produce, they become an incredible risk for the organization; the overall risk outweighs the rewards. One example of an organization waiting too long to migrate or modernize is the US government. During Covid-19, the Department of Labor had to process more unemployment filings. At that time, their systems ran on an old version of COBOL, a system used to process payroll, manage government pension funds, and more. Because it was integrated into almost every other system’s day-to-day use, when applications ballooned past capacity, there wasn’t a quick fix to ensure every applicant received what was needed. This incident led to a larger government-wide conversation and a more extensive migration process. Because of their delay, the project was costly not only to those who needed help but to the budgets of the Department of Labor and their equally affected sister departments. The takeaway from this event is that every leadership and IT team should map out their worst-case scenario and proactively build a modernization plan, migrating and updating the riskiest applications first.

2. Does your legacy application open the door to security threats?

Arguably, the most crucial question is the security of operation-wide systems and applications. When mapping your migration, consider if your current applications pose security risks to themselves or organizational data. If there is, ask your IT advisors for recommendations for better securing your company’s data footprint. Many will remember the last major Microsoft transition. Heartland Payment Systems was caught in a bind when their applications could no longer update or access security patches. This inconvenience led to one of history’s most significant and costly hacks. Sadly, many vital healthcare systems still run on old applications. Research by Palo Alto Networks recently found that a wide range of internet-connected imaging devices used for taking X-rays, MRIs, mammograms, and CAT scans still run on outdated Windows systems that can no longer accept updates, opening a vulnerability hackers could take advantage of.

3. Does your legacy application still have vendor support and board buy-in?

One of the most prominent reasons businesses continue with their legacy applications is due to their vendors and boards. Frequently, these influential bodies don’t support the financial investment that migration to a new application brings nor the vulnerabilities of remaining on a legacy platform. Unfortunately, this is the case for over half of retailers. Corporations in the retail industry spend 58% of their IT budget maintaining their legacy systems. The unwillingness to convert is primarily due to the volume of POS devices and other computers needing significant updates. While biting the bullet can be taxing upfront, the money saved or lost due to data compromises versus converting to a scalable, secure solution may unlock valuable innovation.

4. Are your legacy systems scalable?

Not all hope is lost if your legacy systems run on a scalable coding language. These applications are much easier to adapt and migrate into the new system. When a legacy application outgrows an organization’s needs, add-ons and patches are often added. Over time, this can lead to security vulnerabilities, increased maintenance, and a growing complexity within the application, making it more expensive and difficult to adapt. Modernizing with today’s infrastructure allows businesses to avoid compounding issues within their current application, letting them fade into the background until it is no longer needed. This gradual shed of legacy systems through modernization and migrations offers corporations a natural way to scale into the future.

Deciding to migrate or move on from your legacy applications takes work. The questions above will allow leaders and IT teams to have a productive conversation so they can take the best next step for their organization. Whichever way the organization decides to go, Forty8Fifty Labs has the resources to support you.

With experienced senior software application modernization engineers ready to guide you, Forty8Fifty Labs can revitalize your legacy solutions for enhanced performance and resilience. The reality of modernizing legacy systems is a much-needed makeover. Forty8Fifty Labs tailors solutions to unlock new strategy-led solutions, improve performance, and ensure your technology remains an asset instead of a vulnerability.

Learn more about modernizing legacy systems here, or check out our custom development capabilities and DevSecOps solutions for decommissioning legacy systems and modernizing for the future. Whichever route your business prefers, Forty8Fifty Labs is here to help. Contact us today to learn how we can support you.

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