Legacy applications can be draining for any organization. Specially in this hyper-competitive business environment, where even small and medium enterprises can achieve business success within a short span with their agile and scalable performance.
Outdated monolithic systems arrest the growth and hinder customer experience. Needless to say, legacy application modernization is a necessity now, more than ever. Global Market Insights portray the market to grow from $19.8 billion in 2022 to $65 billion by 2032. In this blog, we explore the various modernization strategies and techniques to manoeuvre challenges to successfully modernize and future-proof applications.
Modernization Strategy: Starting off with Assessment and Planning
There are various application modernization approaches, but first, to begin the journey, there needs to be a comprehensive assessment of the organization’s applications and systems. With this initial assessment, the team can appraise the present state- assess the strengths and weaknesses, and chalk out the potential areas for improvement.
Once you have conducted a complete assessment, the subsequent step is to develop a clear modernization strategy that properly aligns with the business goals and objectives. The strategy should ensure that the efforts are hyper-focused, cost-efficient, and planned to achieve the desired results.
Key modernization strategies
As per the specific goals and circumstances of the enterprise, modernizing legacy applications can make various arrangements. Ultimately, the choice rests on factors such as the present state, budget, and the desired outcome of modernization. The commonly implemented strategies are the following.
Rehosting
Rehosting involves transferring legacy applications to a new environment while making minimal changes to the current code and functionality. It is the most suitable choice whenever a quick transition is needed. However, it may not always realize the full potential of modernization. To execute rehosting, it is essential to understand the code structure in the arrangement and organization of source code in a software application.
Refactoring
Refactoring is the process of restructuring and optimizing the present code to enhance performance and maintainability without changing its core functionality without changing its core functionality. It is an effective strategy for improving an app’s effectiveness.
Re-platforming
This strategy entails shifting legacy applications to a different platform or infrastructure. It usually requires some level of code adaptation. Re-platforming usually leads to improvements in performance and scalability.
Re-architecting
Re-architecting calls for a complete redesign of the application’s architecture that enables it to meet modern standards. It is usually undertaken as a phased approach to managing the process while addressing architectural challenges.
Full replacement
There are cases where legacy systems are too outdated. In such cases, a full replacement is essential. This strategy comes off as a fresh start, but also brings upon potential disruptions during the transition.
Challenges that creep up
Though the transition journey varies between organizations, there are several common aspects that these modernization efforts should address.
Technical debt
When you choose a shortcut in software development instead of taking the more comprehensive and responsible approach, technical debt happens. Whether intentional or unintentional, many software developers compromise code quality to meet development goals or deadlines. Because of this, the resulting workaround doesn’t exactly address the underlying cause of the issue.
How to address tech debt?
Reduce tech debt
First, efforts should be made to minimize technical debt within legacy code by restructuring and refactoring it to make it adaptable and better maintainable.
By migrating to the cloud
For cloud migration, modernize the apps so that they can perform optimally in the new architecture or take an effective hybrid cloud approach for cases where on-premise solutions are still needed.
Having a DevOps methodology
Having a DevOps methodology can expedite the process of high-quality software development with automation and integration of development and IT operations teams. Using this practice, enterprises can become more agile and proactive as they have clearer insights of how their software is behaving in real-world scenarios, as they roll out new features and upgrades.
Security
A prime reason for application modernization services is also to enforce security. To secure modernized apps, it is essential to factor in security at the very onset of the modernization process.
The process can start by conducting a comprehensive security risk assessment and identifying potential threats that might arise during the application modernization process. The next step can be clearly defining the security requirements, such as data protection, access controls, encryption, and regulatory compliance. The final step can be ensuring that the modernized applications comply with the regulations and stay up-to-date.
Future-proofing
An important aspect of application modernization services is maintaining momentum for the future. To future-proof the modernized applications, enterprises must lay a comprehensive roadmap with goals, methodologies and timelines that ensure the apps stay competitive. Developing application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow integration with various software and platforms, to using frameworks to streamline further development, and leveraging automation, AI and cloud computing, are some aspects of future proofing.
How do we help you in modernizing with our application modernization services?
Saxon AI offers comprehensive application modernization services that guide and support you through the process of successful legacy application modernization strategies. We have helped several businesses revitalize their legacy systems, whether on-premises or migrating to Azure Cloud. The key to success in this journey is having the right technology partner and taking a holistic approach.
