Making the Case for Digital Renovation

Are you working for an enterprise that utilizes outdated software? Are you working for an enterprise that utilizes outdated software?

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By Simon Martinelli
06.05.2021

Are you working for an enterprise that utilizes outdated software?

Are you working for an enterprise that utilizes outdated software? Old software, or legacy systems, pose threats to businesses looking to streamline processes, cut costs, and stay innovative. While users resist change and implementing new software is neither easy nor always feasible, opting for digital renovation can bridge legacy systems to modern demands.

Legacy Systems Cost Your Business Too Much Money

In making a case for software modernization, the most compelling reason tends to be the money saved by reducing excess labor costs and other inefficiencies incited by legacy systems.

Less efficient to maintain

Due to the grandiose size of legacy systems’ codebases, updating these systems can engender various problems, rendering the process both laborious and lengthy when done correctly.

Additionally, the infrastructure of old software is more challenging to maintain and becomes increasingly challenging as the software continues to age. What now is simple cloud-based maintenance, instead requires a specialized coder who not only understands the code but can also continue to code within the existing framework — finding that someone who fits your needs can take a while and cost a lot.

Unlike older software architecture, modern software is built to be constantly modified and adapted. The costs and inefficiencies associated with maintaining legacy systems outweigh the costs of software renovation.

Vulnerable to security breaches

This is probably the most potent consideration when deciding to modernize your legacy system. The operational inefficiencies of legacy software also leave blind spots in the software’s security. In many industries, these vulnerabilities pose serious and rippling risks. For example, the 2019 HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey reported that 69% of respondents had one or more legacy systems operating in their healthcare organization. The survey elucidated that these legacy systems “greatly increases a healthcare organization’s risk of being compromised.” Bad actors online knowingly target soft spots on older operating systems.

Furthermore, many older operating systems like Windows 7 and earlier are no longer supported by Microsoft. This means that security patches will not be released, and your system may be unable to match the constantly shifting standards in cybersecurity. The cost of redressing and patching a system that has already been attacked is steep, particularly when consumers or patients, vendors, and the company itself experience the fallout from a data hijacking. Digital renovation can assuage security concerns without an entire overhaul.

Data silos

A legacy system’s natural architecture renders them incompatible with modern software; they are unable to integrate because legacy systems were built that way. The result — legacy systems are data silos; all the data stored in the old software gets stuck in one place.

Data silos pose obstacles to interdepartmental communication. Because other parts of your organization may not have access to data housed in a particular software, more work and decreased efficiency will result from sharing that data. The hurdle of exchanging information internally may even require duplicating data and archiving it elsewhere, an added process that requires even more labor and storage costs.

Additionally, siloed data makes running complete data analysis tricky, if not impossible. The inaccessibility of data, too, is an obstacle to optimizing your business. The obfuscation of data-based insights, which can assist in making advantageous moves for your enterprise, is another consequence of using legacy systems.

Legacy Systems Restrict the Growth of Your Business

Innovations in your industry and technology go hand-in-hand. For example, machine-learning algorithms can help optimize workflow and identify operational advantages. Integrating newer technologies into your legacy system can push a stagnating business into a vanguard venture.

Leaving Space for Innovation with Digital Renovation

As mentioned previously, the architecture of older software does not work with new technology. Business opportunities may pass you by because you are operating your business in the past.

Ultimately, digital renovation allows your business and employees to be more forward-thinking. In an increasingly digital world, maintaining your place in the market requires anticipating and preparing for the digital demands of consumers and clients. Legacy systems are a barrier; they leave your business sluggish in response to industry advancements. Renovating your existing systems allows them to be more agile and up to date, giving your client the most up-to-date experience, and making space for cutting-edge ideas from your personnel.

Modernizing your existing system(s) can address the concerns of continuing to use the old software, improve the user’s relationship to the system, and optimize your business.

72® Services has modernized the software and systems architecture of companies in the transportation, consumer goods, and technology industries. Contact us for more information on digital renovation for your business’s software.

Simon Martinelli
Simon Martinelli
Programming Architect at 72® Services
Simon Martinelli ist ein versierter Experte für Java, Leistungsoptimierung, Anwendungsintegration, Softwarearchitektur und Systemdesign mit 27 Jahren Erfahrung als Entwickler, Architekt und technischer Projektmanager. Kontaktieren Sie mich hier oder buchen Sie einen Beratungstermin über Calendly.
Simon Martinelli
Latest posts by Simon Martinelli (see all)
Simon Martinelli
Programming Architect 72® Services
Simon Martinelli is an accomplished expert in Java, performance optimization, application integration, software architecture and system design with 27 years of experience as a developer, architect and technical project manager. Contact me here or book a consulting appointment via Calendly.