As a concept, we understand that legacy software is a web or local application with an extensive set of business rules, playing a key role for the company. With just this statement, those seeking to modernise legacy systems with a new technological stack already feel the weight of the challenge ahead. The process also brings forth many uncertainties.
The main questions include:
- Where to start?
- Which module is the most crucial?
- Is there a minimum set of modules that allows for replacing the legacy application?
- What is the best development stack to ensure that, in five years, it won’t become legacy software again?
Therefore, we have prepared this article to share our insights regarding the moment of modernisation, based on the work we have carried out in the projects we’ve developed.
What hinders the modernisation of legacy software
At times, we engage with companies in the software sector looking to modernise their legacy solutions. Thus, during the process of understanding the demand, we identify certain challenges.
In this context, we will share our perspective on aspects that make the modernisation of legacy software more challenging. All of this is based on the experiences gained from our projects. Follow along:
Investment
Despite the awareness that the investment can be substantial, many companies aim not to focus solely on this aspect and attempt to proceed with the project, either utilizing their in-house team or by hiring a software factory, such as Ubistart.com.
It is precisely at this juncture that investment becomes one of the main hurdles for modernisation. In the current scenario, we are witnessing a significant appreciation of IT professionals due to market scarcity.
Consequently, solutions that previously cost tens of thousands of dollars now escalate into the hundreds, easily reaching the million-dollar range.
In the case of legacy software, they often represent large applications with a considerable development timeline.
So, the subsequent question arises: Does this substantial financial movement justify itself for your company? Is modernising the software a crucial step that will yield a return on investment (ROI) for your business?
Well, if the answer to all these questions is affirmative, then it’s time to invest in the modernisation of your legacy software.
Time
As the popular saying goes: ‘If there’s a hurry, don’t even start.’ Dealing with large applications requires managing two teams simultaneously, all the while keeping the software operational as the new project unfolds.
Hence, if time is extremely limited (a few months), consider seeking an alternative solution. Perhaps a hybrid approach between applications, ready-made solutions, separating the business rules layer from the visual layer, could be a viable option.
Team Culture
This is an extremely delicate and often underestimated point. After all, you want to migrate to new technology to enable better maintenance, security, growth, and usability.
However, the team that was working on the legacy system may not be accustomed to the new development stacks.
You are left with two alternatives:
- Hiring: A complicated and more expensive path that can potentially create conflicts with the existing internal team.
- Training and qualifying the current team: Perhaps the better option, but it will inevitably bring some cultural shift and a learning curve, which, as a rule, is not low.
Even so, it is always beneficial to work preferably with in-house talents as they already understand the workflows and the company’s culture.
The Motivators
After addressing the major challenges, in our perception, we present the reasons that drive the decision to transition from legacy systems to a new development stack. They are:
Ease and Cost of Maintaining Legacy Software
If complications arise in continuing maintenance of the legacy environment due to constantly shifting business rules – fixing one side breaks another – or lack of documentation, it’s essential to pay attention. Additionally, if unexpected errors occur and things are getting lost, this might be a good time to consider modernising your company’s legacy software.
Security
We know that the latest development frameworks enable more scalable and secure systems. Moreover, security vulnerabilities often emerge in components, databases, and system environments. Therefore, if you realize that the technology used in your legacy software isn’t providing the necessary security and adhering to the development best practices required to safeguard the business, it’s time to modernize your system platforms.
Performance/Speed of Legacy Software
Currently, no one wants to ‘waste time,’ especially in the corporate world. After all, web solutions/platforms are meant to streamline processes, not make us wait for systems to perform actions.
Therefore, if you notice that the application is no longer responding at the speed and performance level your business demands, this can be a compelling reason to modernize your application.
Usability – UX/UI
Those who have worked in a large company know that older systems tend to be extensive and contain numerous functionalities, aiming to cover a multitude of processes but with low usability.
In many cases, developers themselves created the visual interfaces, focusing on resolving functional needs without placing due emphasis on usability issues.
This has become a significant driver for software development projects, as new companies (along with those undergoing digital transformation) are adopting best practices in UX/UI.
The goal is to create applications that are increasingly easy and instructive to use, even if they are only for internal use.
Legal Regulation
Another significant motivator for development projects aiming to modernize legacy systems is the mandatory and constant adaptation to new regulations and legislation.
After all, the weight of Brazilian state bureaucracy and its impact on business processes is well known.
Scalability, Integrations, and New Business Processes
Finally, we understand that, in addition to the above points, there are other situations to consider:
- If the legacy application ultimately does not support the increase in integrations with new external systems.
- In case of difficulty creating new functionalities to support the company’s processes.
- When the system lacks scalability (the number of users, modules, and processes tends to increase over time), this may be a good time for legacy modernization.
Conclusion on Legacy Software
Migrating from a legacy environment is and will never be an easy task. Therefore, in addition to the possibility of assisting in the complete modernization of legacy platforms, we also understand that some companies seek to evolve in a hybrid manner.
In this approach, existing business rules in the backend are leveraged, and only the frontend layers are modernized, for example. This accelerates the delivery of applications that solve real problems for end users.
In this context, if any of these tips resonate with you and you’d like to have a conversation, the channel is always open for a chat. Just reach out to us by clicking here!
