A lot of very successful companies have a dirty little secret. It’s the 21st century and despite their slick advertising, modern buildings and the latest computers on their workers’ desks, back in the server-room lurks the digital equivalent of a lime-green velour leisure suit. Realistically, it’s hard to justify getting rid of something that works — but as these systems get older and older the ability to find replacement equipment and competent people to maintain the old programs becomes more and more difficult.
Sometimes the reason for the persistence of Legacy Apps is as simple as the mentality that they’ve worked so far, why change something that works? There are lots of folk-wisdom equivalents to this approach. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Here at Apex Process Consultants, we get it.
Modernizing to systems with broad support, taking advantage of the exponential power and speed of new hardware and switching to graphical interfaces over those old green-screens terminal connections can lead you to a sustainable future that still builds on the proven formula that got you this far.
So there are benefits to be had from modernizing. Great. But can you justify it financially?
Here’s a better question: Can you afford to let things stay like they are?
Chances are you’re already dealing with constant updates with nearly every bit of infrastructure in your life — except your Legacy Apps. Your mobile phone is probably nagging you to update daily. Your Operating System has updates and responds to threats with patches and fixes. In this age of “The Internet of Things” it could be that your TV and your lamps even need software patches — but your Legacy Apps need attention to, but they probably weren’t developed with built-in nagging prompts to remind you.
Is fear holding you back?
Fear can make you lose sight of the benefits that a well-placed investment in modernity can bring. It’s not just speed — it’s the ability to plug in mobile apps, empower your customers in ways they’ve never experienced with your old systems, and to extend and expand your features to outdo your competition in ways they can’t even imagine.
But I need to maintain this old system until we can figure out how to get our data out of it!
We have tools that we can plug into your legacy infrastructure to extend the life of your legacy apps and add features for your customers and employees. Building the future doesn’t require you to burn down the past. We can help you smoothly evolve your capabilities into something new — a hybrid solution that gives you the best of the new while maintaining the best of the old.
We can also help you accomplish a complete digital transformation using our Digital Business Automation tools. There are many options. We can help.
So what’s it going to be? Do you need us to extend the life of your Legacy Apps? Or help you escape into the brave new world of the fully integrated digital future? You’ll have to decide — the only certain thing is that doing nothing ends in obsolescence.
Oh, one more thing.
Using a continuous development approach, we can help you change the way you think about applications. Instead of thinking of about a “final” release, we can teach you the wisdom of continuous improvement. This requires a shift in how you think about application development, but the benefits are substantial. You get more value for your infrastructure and development investments, you get new features on a continuous basis, feedback from actual use guides development towards user-directed improvement, and your team gains a better understanding of what truly works well in your company.
Make Legacy Applications a thing of the past. Contact us today to learn how.
