Why updating your legacy application is crucial to your business

  • Published by johnson Published on 27, Jun, 2019

The truth is, the technology your company relied on just a few years ago might not be the best solution for your needs today. Legacy applications — including software that’s become outdated either because of a lack of continued vendor support, an incapacity to meet the organization’s needs, or incompatibility with new systems — can really hold your organization back. These legacy systems are usually pretty high-maintenance and often involve complex patching and alterations.

Upgrading a legacy software may seem like a formidable task at first to any company. This is because the company has been using it successfully for years and also because all of the spendings are made on its functioning & maintenance. However, if the software or applications aren’t upgraded, then the overall efficiency and even the profitability of the company may suffer.

A Bad User Experience

Sometimes, just speed isn’t enough. If your legacy application/software (both old & new) is extremely undesirable regarding usability, then your staff will have a hard time working on it affecting employee’s performance.

Not Mobile

Business today are rapidly moving towards mobility & accessibility. But still, many legacy applications are device-dependent. They are not accessible by mobile & smart devices.
This is one of the main reasons why cloud-based applications outperform in-house systems

Hardware Dependency

Unless you upgrade your legacy application and take it to the cloud, you will need in-house hardware to support it. Not only does this take up a lot of space but it also involves the unavoidable maintenance charges. Cloud storage services can help your business by reducing your IT infrastructure costs a lot!

Not Scalable enough

As your business grows, you will need to expand your production capabilities. But your legacy application may not allow that because it works within its limitations.

Training your staff takes time and money

Many legacy apps lack clarity & involve many outdated processes. Mastering legacy software & application can take a lot of time. Hence, hiring & training your new employees to make up for old deficiencies can be challenging.

Security Threat

Now, this is really serious. Old IT assets are often overlooked and can turn out to be a major source of cyber-security issues. They’re termed as EOL or End-of-life assets. As long as you don’t identify & neutralize the potential threat from these assets, there will always be a chance of security breach. These are the tell-tale signs that your legacy application needs to be upgraded, hence, always keep an eye out for them.

We get it, Your aging digital tools may work, but they may not be as efficient as newer ones and they may impede you from moving forward in your business. Updating legacy systems can be a cumbersome process with a lot of moving parts, but if you’re smart about it and take the necessary precautions, you won’t look back.

 

 

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