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With legacy applications constituting almost a third of the workplace tech we use, it can often feel like these old stalwart systems are going to be around forever. However, as we’ve discussed, such technology could be placing your data at risk, and reliance on outdated tech could also be hampering your business’s productivity and profitability.
Over time, legacy systems present more and more issues and frustrations to companies reliant on them. From costly maintenance and slow, buggy interfaces to siloed data and a lack of business insights, there are a range of drawbacks involved in persisting with a legacy system. Let’s look at a few of the most common…
Difficult, costly maintenance
A 2018 survey by Deloitte found that 57% of an enterprise’s IT spend is typically allocated to operational support, with only 16% assigned to innovation. If your business is heavily reliant on legacy technology, you could be spending far more than 57% of your IT budget on supportive maintenance. The skills and knowledge needed to support archaic software languages – such as COBOL – are becoming increasingly difficult to find, with many of programmers knowledgeable in such languages now approaching retirement. As with anything in life, rare means expensive, and the cost of finding and recruiting those with the necessary skills is only likely to increase in the coming years.
Relying on unreliable, hard-to-maintain systems is also a risky practice from a business continuity perspective. If a business-critical issue arises you could find yourself struggling to obtain personnel with the niche skills and experience needed to reinstate your applications. The result could be a period of extended downtime, with critical business functions completely or partially out-of-action, resulting on loss of revenue.
Siloed data
Today we take information mobility and cross-app integration for granted. The cloud enables location-independent access to information resources, and apps and platforms typically enable cross-party integration by default.
Many Legacy systems on the other hand, were developed in an age where enterprise mobility was severely limited and big data wasn’t really a thing. This resulted in countless standalone platforms, housing data in isolated siloes only accessible via specific hardware and unable to integrate with external applications. Harnessing and leveraging data housed in legacy platforms isn’t easy, with native information processing capabilities often extremely limited and cross-platform integration requiring complex and often expensive technical expertise.
Often the only option is manual handling: a process whereby data is manually relayed between platforms. Time consuming and costly, such activities represent a serious productivity drain, especially when newer platforms offer the ability to automate such processes.
Brand perception and employee satisfaction
There is no getting away from the fact that many legacy systems don’t look good. With outdated interfaces and little in the way of aesthetic embellishment, legacy programmes could present your organisation as tired and reluctant to innovate. Such technology could also taint employee perceptions of your company, particularly if they’ve come from an environment where more up-to-date solutions were in use.
Old-fashioned systems can also frustrate and dishearten end-users. Slow, buggy interfaces combined with information that’s difficult to interpret could leave your team facing an uphill struggle, with their desire to be productive hampered by unresponsive infrastructure. Unreliable legacy technology can also be embarrassing in public-facing roles, with software liable to fail when employees need it most.
Conclusion
From compromised security and productivity pitfalls to costly maintenance and brand damage, persisting with outdated legacy applications could be considered a fool’s errand.
While new technologies offer solutions to many of these issues, we know that significant operational change can seem daunting. The reality however, is that replacing legacy applications with newer solutions is often much easier than imagined, with infrastructure-lite technologies requiring little-to-no capital expenditure and intuitive platforms that demand almost no end user training. Why not get in touch, and we can help you find alternatives to legacy technology that will spearhead your digital transformation.
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We’re a young, fun, and enthusiastic bunch of down-to-earth people that strive to relieve our clients’ IT headaches. We do love to engage and create enjoyable relationships with our clients, but, ultimately, we’re here to help your business to run smoothly and securely. Our team has many years of experience in IT Consultancy, Website Development, Email/Web Hosting, Server Builds/Installations/Maintenance, Network Issues, and IT Security… and more! Contact us now to find out how we can help you.
