Application modernization is the process of repurposing, refactoring or consolidation of current business application to align it better with your current business needs and competition of the market.
That said, modernization isn’t limited to legacy applications or obsolete software that are on the verge of expiry; it can take a modern and more futuristic approach in the form of next-gen applications or enhancing customer/business-centric applications/processes to AI/VR.
The application modernization services market size is estimated to grow from $6.87 Billion in 2017 to $16.67 Billion by 2022. The numbers show how it is a priority for many business owners.
Are you ready to go for it yet?
The Right Time To Consider Application Modernization
Whether you have a business that is either growing constantly or is stagnant, you will need software modernization at some point in time.
If you are ticking off any of the following factors, it’s time for you to opt for app modernization.
1. You Want To Cut Down Maintenance And Operational Costs
Legacy products often cost more because of maintenance due to hardware/infrastructure they run on, the need for better architecture, lack of reusability and technical debt.
By opting for application modernization through leveraging the latest tools and technology, you get improved efficiencies, reduced operational and maintenance costs.
2. You Want Easier Integrations
Your current legacy products are probably not built for modern integrations. Web-enabled APIs allow your product to integrate with other software service providers seamlessly. Most legacy products lack this API, making the business less preferable by potential customers.
Replatforming your existing legacy products and leveraging the open ecosystem can help you build new channel partners, speed up implementations and make the products cheaper for your customers.
3. You Want To Leverage Cloud
Enterprise application modernization isn’t just about the software but also hardware. Particularly so if your customers are pretty tired of maintaining legacy hardware and are raring to move into the cloud, even if your business app isn’t!
Having said that, the fact is that moving to the cloud isn’t a simple ‘lift and shift’ process. You must redesign the platform for complex multi-layered architecture to be able to take full advantage of cloud services such as scalability lower cost storage options and elastic infrastructure.
Now that you’ve realized that it is time for application modernization, you must also be aware of some of the myths related to this process that tend to put off many business owners from taking the next step.
Don’t Let Application Modernization Myths Stop You
Today multiple cloud and mobile technologies are rapidly changing the technology landscape. As a result, it is becoming increasingly challenging for IT leaders and developers to maintain the latest and up-to-date apps.
While many IT related businesses are keen on opting for enterprise application modernization, they are held back by some fears and myths. Here we’re busting some of them:
Myth 1: Modernization = Refreshing UI
A UI facelift that enables legacy applications for web or mobile access is a common modernization approach.
However, refreshing UI could be the first step towards application modernization but not the complete modernization itself.
The legacy application targets the deeper tech layer of an app to achieve meaningful modernization.
Myth 2: My Customers Are Not Complaining, So They Are Happy
Your legacy applications might be adequate to serve the current business needs of your customers. However, they are incapable of meeting future business needs, especially in a rapidly changing tech landscape.
So, even if your customers seem to be happy, it won’t be long before they start complaining.
Myth 3: Modernization Is Too Costly For Us
IT leaders considering software application modernization must take time to identify the top priorities for such a modernization project proactively so they can keep the processes financially viable and strategic.
Today we have a fast-changing digital environment and enterprises cannot let their applications stagnate if they wish to beat the competition and stay ahead. Especially when about 90% of consumers prefer taking their business elsewhere rather than associate with companies that use outdated technology.
With those myths out of our way, we are all set to proceed with the modernization.
Steps Involved in Application Modernization
Understand, Identify, & Assess
Begin with understanding the current application technology stack and perform analysis of the existing state architecture.
This is a critical assessment as you will have to identify and understand dependencies (data, interfaces), complexity and unused or missing code.
Also, try to understand the security and performance needs in your operations and infrastructure. This is the step where you’ll assess the impact on the end users so as to cut down any risks associated with implementing modernization.
Plan
Next make your modernization roadmap that includes estimates, technical approach, risk mitigation, governance, integration requirements, testing strategy, and security.
This is going to be an elaborate roadmap and you will derive a lot of information from it such as project plan, costing details and staffing requirements.
Implement
Your implementation will include key elements such as design, build, test and deploy. An agile framework is a must and you must start leveraging DevOps best practices for best results.
Furthermore, take data migration seriously and ensure that apart from designing new structures, you also have your existing data is transformed and cleansed during migration.
Go-Live
Going Live is by far the most exciting part of the journey and regardless of the approach, you choose it is a major milestone in your process.
Ensure the process related communication isn’t confined to a select few internally and reached out to the larger network that uses the system. Remember that end-user acceptance is the ultimate test for the success of your application modernization.
Maintain
Now you’re done with the latest phase of modernization and have gone live. The next obvious question is who will maintain the new application.
What kind of skills are you looking for and how long you will need the support after going live?
After you’ve found answers to these questions, the maintenance process begins in the earnest.
Knowledge transfer to the maintenance team should be an ongoing process and all the practices used during the post-modernization phase must be documented.
Finally, remember to decommission the legacy systems and save considerable costs as you now will completely remove old application and infrastructure.
Industries That Demand Application Modernization
Most industries today rely on technological advances such as business intelligence, analytics, and machine learning, to perform their business processes efficiently and deliver optimal results consistently.
However, not all of them use business applications for their day to day processes. Given the sensitive nature of data and concerns of cybersecurity, certain industries such as healthcare, banking, and financial services, IT, travel and hospitality, and even e-governance need application modernization at regular intervals.
Conclusion
In today’s competitive and dynamic business landscape, faster response to opportunities and challenges, amazing user experience and streamlines processes are absolute requirements for a business to run smoothly.
Legacy products and processes often are tedious, costly and unable to deliver on KPIs of modern business. Whereas, application modernization leverages the power of new IT architectures to make legacy applications’ functionalities more relevant and contemporary, and also improve agility, efficiency and customer experience.
The best part about modernization is that developers won’t need to reinvent the wheel; instead, with just minor retouching and minimal expenses, you will be ready to go.
Are you actively considering enterprise application modernization?
We are a leading legacy application modernization company in India and Australia, and assist our customers in business transformation by helping them switch from legacy to cloud, smoothly, quickly and efficiently. We have skilled and experienced engineers who help develop futuristic and cohesive strategies to create and execute customized application modernization roadmaps.
For more details, contact us today!