Legacy systems refer to outdated software programs that a company continues to use in order to support specific business processes and meet its requirements. Examples of such systems include CRM systems, ERP software, or accounting software.

Numerous business owners opt to employ outdated systems because of fear that legacy Application migration is too expensive. This tactic can save money in the short term, but maintaining legacy applications can provoke significant problems down the road. 

Why should businesses upgrade their applications?

• Legacy apps were projected using old design guides that lead to poor performance.
• Scaling legacy applications to offer advanced functionality poses a challenge.
• Legacy applications frequently lack compatibility with the latest software versions.
• Legacy applications often don’t have mobile versions which is crucial for a positive user experience.
• Outdated design vulnerabilities in legacy programs can lead to escalating security concerns.

What scenarios of legacy application migration exist?

• Relocating an application between data centers.
• Migrating from an on-premises server to a cloud provider’s environment.
• Transitioning from a public cloud to a private cloud configuration.

Why migrate to the cloud?

Almost 50% of the surveyed CIOs reported their organizations had implemented a Cloud-smart strategy for all new applications deployed in 2021. Only 8% of companies had not yet planned a statewide cloud migration strategy. So why do businesses choose this way?

Lower costs: When an organization utilizes cloud services, they pay only for the needed functionality. At the same time, it can add new resources or cut them on request. Also, a cloud services provider is responsible for software updates and maintenance. It can offer various costless features as a bonus. 

Easier access: Cloud-based applications provide mobility, with high availability and support for modern user devices. That means that users can access systems from anywhere at any time, and multiple users can work with data simultaneously.

More compatibility: It allows for the integration of applications with other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that run in the cloud.

Advanced data security: Cloud software is frequently updated to meet security standards and provides inherent security features: permission-based rules, policies, security analytics, and enterprise visibility tools.

Which legacy migration model to the cloud to opt for?

Rehosting (lift & shift migration): This approach is the least complicated. It allows moving on-premise software into the cloud environment without any code changes. Companies often use this method as the first stage of legacy migration. After rehosting, the application may not be able to utilize advanced cloud capabilities like auto-scaling. However, it can still benefit from general cloud hosting advantages like 99.999% reliability and global accessibility. 

Refactoring: This approach demands the total remodeling of your existing system architecture and business logic. The product will be improved by better coding techniques, design, and database utilization. At the same time, the user experience and functionality don’t have to suffer. Codebase redesign will make it clearer, and simpler to update and boost its performance. The companies should consider the refactoring method if they are completely ready for cloud-native transferring. 

Replatforming: This model is often considered a middle ground between rehosting and re-architecting. Utilizing this method, you need to optimize your system to advance its cloud compatibility. It means some software architecture changes that give you an opportunity to benefit from such services as DevOps automation and modern database management. The auto-scaling option also becomes available, and the business can speed up handling with cloud resources. Re-platforming is a profitable solution when you’d like to get access to advanced cloud capabilities but don’t want to redesign your current application significantly.

Retiring/replacing: In certain scenarios, it may be more practical to decommission an application because of its limited value. The company can have the duplication of app capabilities in the current environment. Also, it can be more cost-effective to replace the old solution with a new Software-as-a-Service platform instead of transformation.

Why do companies postpone migrating legacy applications?

• Since the software is currently functioning without any immediate issues, there is no pressing requirement to upgrade it.
• The organization aims to prevent any disruptions to its operations. For each case, the legacy systems migration scenario is exclusive, but the key purpose is that it should never harm the current business processes. 
• The company desires to avoid investing resources in the search and implementation of a suitable solution. 

Nevertheless, it is worth remembering that business evolution often causes risks and challenges. By playing proactive, you can forecast and minimize these issues. Also, the earlier you start, the faster you beat the competition in the booming tech market. 

Why can legacy migration projects fail? 

Rejection of the old approach and deploying the new system have pitfalls. Stakeholders with great business minds, but without necessary technical expertise can’t project a precise step-by-step plan without consulting. The most common reasons why legacy migration projects don’t succeed: 

• Poorly designed, developed, and documented legacy systems can result in significant issues during the redesign and transition process.
• Ignoring the user experience and solely focusing on transitioning to a new platform can make the migration effort pointless.
• If poorly evaluating legacy applications’ dependencies, it can result in system breakdowns during migration.
• Productivity issues with the system like network downtime and problems accessing data during migration, can cause excessive business disruptions.
• The upgrading process can be time-consuming, potentially leading to budget overruns and forcing companies to stick with their current systems.

In conclusion

Many executives are procrastinating about the legacy system migration because it is a stressful process for themselves and their business in general. The main challenge is to plan and carry out the migration project smoothly enough, without any critical downtimes that cause reputation and revenue losses. This blocker should be overcome because software modernization allows the company to align with tech trends, meet industry challenges more confidently, and ensure a better user experience for the customers.