Tip of the Week: Modernizing Your Legacy Systems

Updating your technology is one business task that needs to happen if you want to optimize your operations. Some companies, however, still rely on legacy systems that could be holding them back from peak performance. It’s difficult to update legacy systems without comprehensive IT knowledge and proficiency, which is why you have us!

Defining Legacy Systems

When discussing legacy systems, it’s important to remember that the definition extends beyond “old.” Legacy refers to the fact that the technology is holding your company back, preventing it from growing or adapting to new circumstances. In many cases, the software is incompatible with the rest of your infrastructure and often does more harm than good by remaining on your infrastructure.

Sometimes the legacy system might even lack appropriate support and maintenance, something which impacts your ability to add it to new systems or improve your user experience.

All of this said, legacy systems are critical for many companies, so the updates are no less necessary for these organizations. This is why legacy systems need to be modernized, which is the act of replacing them with a solution that offers a better value proposition.

How Should You Approach Your Legacy System Modernization?

Legacy systems modernization requires that you follow these simple practices:

• Consider more than just your system: How will your employees and processes be impacted by this change to your infrastructure? Be sure to keep them in the loop to optimize your modernization’s chances of being successful. Be sure to spend some time with your employees to discuss the challenges they might need help addressing throughout the process, as well as what might need to be done moving forward.
• Take your time: There’s no need to jump on the modernization train for ALL of your technology all at once. If you don’t focus on specific parts of your infrastructure one at a time, you risk spreading yourself too thin. Plus, it’s easier to tackle one thing at a time so as not to disrupt all of your processes.
• Identify and address issues with technology: Be sure to consider the many issues your business faces, then implement technology to address them. Business technology solutions are so advanced these days that there is a solution for just about any issue your organization could face.
• Think about simplicity and agility: Finally, it’s critical that you plan your process out so that there is a level of flexibility packed into it. It could save you a considerable amount of time and resources moving forward.

It’s inevitable that your technology will “age out,” so to speak, but you don’t have to helplessly stand by while it happens. Get in touch with Washington Works today to determine what you need to do to resolve your company’s legacy technology challenges.