Application Modernisation Can Unlock Your True Business Potential
Digital transformation is pivotal in the current world of continuous change. Technology is the cornerstone of productivity and efficiency, making Application Modernisation more critical than ever.
Outdated systems are notorious for their clunkiness, inflexibility, and security vulnerabilities. It’s time to embrace the solution – Application Modernisation. Discover how our expert services in Application Modernisation can propel your business into a future where efficiency and security are paramount.
What is Application Modernisation?
Application modernisation services involve updating and transforming legacy systems to meet the needs of today’s business environment. By enhancing older applications with new features and capabilities, your organisation can stay aligned with the evolving technology landscape.
Instead of replacing an entire system, modernisation extends the lifespan of your existing infrastructure, enabling smoother operations and helping your business thrive in the digital age.
Since our inception, Antares has witnessed the evolution of countless systems, and as technology continues to advance, this cycle will persist. New innovations will inevitably replace outdated solutions.
We’ve worked with clients across Australia, including helping Standards Australia modernise their systems. Our efforts have delivered enhanced capabilities that have improved productivity, speed, and efficiency.
Our proven approach to application modernisation takes a comprehensive view of your processes, from start to finish. The result is a custom solution that revitalises your technology and strengthens your competitive position.
Approaches to Application Modernisation
When considering application modernisation, it’s essential to assess your goals and existing infrastructure before choosing the most suitable method. Here are some key approaches:
- Encapsulation: Encapsulation is a fast and low-risk option for modernising legacy systems. It leaves the source code untouched while connecting it to a new interface that allows external access to microservices via APIs. This approach modernises the application’s front end without altering the back-end code or infrastructure.
- Rehosting: Rehosting, also known as “lift and shift,” involves migrating the existing system to a new physical, virtual, or cloud environment. It’s a quick, low-risk approach as it requires no changes to the system’s source code or functionality. Rehosting is straightforward, improving performance while preserving the familiar interface and features.
- Re-Platforming: Similar to rehosting, re-platforming includes optimising parts of the system before redeployment to the cloud or another infrastructure. Some minor code adjustments and component modifications are made to better suit the new platform. Though more complex than rehosting, it still retains much of the system’s original structure and functionality.
- Refactoring: If your organisation is happy with the current functionality but needs to modernise the underlying framework, refactoring may be the best approach. This method restructures the code without affecting external functionality, allowing you to reduce technical debt and improve performance and efficiency.
- Re-Architecting: Re-architecting offers the chance to maximise the capabilities of modern architectures. This involves altering the source code to migrate the system to a new architecture, unlocking scalability and reliability. While more complex, this approach allows organisations to leverage enhanced system features.
- Rebuilding: At the higher end of modernisation, rebuilding involves rewriting and redesigning the entire application. Like demolishing a house and starting fresh, this approach provides the opportunity to build an application using cutting-edge technology. Although a significant undertaking, it delivers the greatest benefits in terms of performance, security, and functionality.
- Replacing: Replacing involves discarding the legacy system and adopting a completely new one with similar functionalities. This option is usually a last resort, but it offers the advantage of greater cost savings, faster deployment, and access to the latest features and innovations.
What are Legacy Systems?
Technology systems and infrastructure become progressively outdated as time passes. Whilst legacy systems can still be used, they pose a variety of issues for organisations, such as increasingly slow performance and heightened risk of security breaches. So, what are legacy systems and why do organisations continue to use them, despite the risks?
In simple terms, legacy systems are any form of software, hardware, application, process or technology that is obsolete, but still in use. These systems commonly still operate and perform the tasks they were designed for, however they do not receive any further support or software updates, which often compromises their security and stability.
As legacy systems operate with outdated code, they are incompatible with the language used in new solutions, which prohibits your organisation and customers from enjoying modern and advanced
As technology improves at an escalating pace, old infrastructures and legacy systems are incapable of meeting your changing business needs – no matter if you’re a small, medium, or a global organisation. In this increasingly digitised world, every company needs to be technology-centered, and if you do not stop transforming, you’re inevitably left behind.
Factors that Determine a System as Legacy
- Age: Whilst this isn’t the deciding factor for your system being considered legacy, an application that has been in operation for over 10 year does need to be reviewed to ensure it is still being supported and is productive. It may be outdated and obsolete.
- Performance: Legacy applications are often slow, time-consuming, and inefficient to use. If your employees are spending a considerable amount of their time using the system to perform their required tasks, then this might be a sign you need to modernise.
- Support: Systems that no longer receive updates and support either internally or from a vendor are at high risk of security breaches and data loss. Software updates provide the latest security patches and features that enable an optimised and stable application. If your vendor has terminated support for your systems, then it is time for you to modernise to meet your organisation’s needs.
- Compatibility: Outdated systems are unable to integrate and interact with modern technologies to enable streamlined business processes. If you’re wanting to implement a new CRM system or live chat feature and are unable to do so, then you’re unfortunately already falling behind your competitors. New tools and capabilities are key to driving value and retaining customers. Modern technologies should seamlessly integrate for efficient operations.
Why Modernise Legacy Systems?
Whilst human nature is often resistant to change, legacy systems are the complete opposite. They need modernisation and updates to stay at the top of their game. Even a 1-year-old application can be outdated. Legacy system modernisation can help your organisation improve agility, giving you the ability to respond faster to external changes and remain competitive. Below is a summary of benefits you will gain from modernising your systems:
- Cost savings: A major portion of an organisation’s IT budget is often allocated to the maintenance of existing IT infrastructure and systems. Keeping these systems running can incur astronomical costs that could be higher than investing in new technology. As these systems are outdated, finding people with the skill to maintain and manage them is often costly and time-consuming. By upgrading, organisations will reduce expensive upkeeping and support costs.
- Increased productivity: Over time, legacy systems operate more and more slowly and staff must spend extra time when using them to complete their tasks. This not only impacts productivity but is also a frustrating experience that can lead to staff dissatisfaction, potentially increasing churn. With modern system’s heightened performance, employees can efficiently conduct tasks, freeing up their time to focus on more important duties.
- Easy integrations: Integrations with third party APIs are essential in the modern landscape for providing a seamless experience to customers and staff. Modernised applications can easily integrate with other technologies and software to provide enhanced capabilities to meet the expectations of both your customers and important stakeholders. The aleX platform’s provisioning engine is a great example of how system integration is an essential ingredient for a successful technology stack.
- Enhanced compliance: When it comes to meeting required regulations, non-compliance can result in hefty fines and fees. Heavily regulated industries that deal with sensitive information, such as finance, require technology systems to be supported as outdated technology is highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and security breaches. By modernising legacy applications, your organisation is well equipped to comply with relevant policies and standards.
- Improved agility: Competition in the current landscape is intense. Technology is a key driver that enables organisations to maintain their competitive edge. Modern applications have the flexibility and scalability to respond to changes in the business environment that legacy applications do not. Legacy systems are notorious for their inability to adapt to and accommodate business needs; a major obstacle in business agility.
- Improved Security: When technology systems no longer receive updates, they become less resistant to cyber-attacks and malware. Whilst it’s impossible to be 100% protected from security breaches, newer technologies can better withstand attacks as they receive frequent software patches and the latest protection measures. Our managed security services stops threats before they can harm your business. We reduce your security workload and provide a single solution for the detection of risks and proactive protection.
