When Should You Upgrade Your Legacy System?

When Should You Upgrade Your Legacy System?

Modernising a legacy system can be difficult. When your organisation has relied on the same software for an extended period of time, there will likely be roadblocks to making a change. If you are unsure whether the time is right for legacy modernisation, we can help.

In most cases your system is robust and functionally rich but the age of lack of support for the technology is starting to leave you exposed to a number of risk factors and if that's the case then it's wort considering an upgrade.

The following are a fewsigns that it is time for your business to upgrade your legacy system:

1 - High operation and maintenance costs: It is likely, when you take a close look at the numbers, that the current cost of maintaining your legacy system exceeds the long-term costs involved with modernisation. If this is the case, it’s time to update. Though it may be more expensive at the outset, you’ll find that the overall benefits lower expenses as you move forward. When your system functions with greater efficiency, higher revenue is possible and maintenance is much less extensive. Diminishing numbers of people working with older technology will also start to increase maintenance costs and expose you to the risk of skills gaps.

2 - Poor user experience: Is your system hard to use? Does it run slowly? When a system has poor user experience, productivity suffers. When you identify an update strategy that makes sense for your business and its specific needs, your team will accomplish more on a given day. And when they aren’t struggling with an outdated system, you may find that morale improves as well. It's all the case that we are exposed to technology and software in all aspect of life now so users and customers are expecting a certain quality of experience when using software that quite frankly quite a lot of older systems just don't deliver.

3 - Changing business processes: If your legacy system was selected years ago, it is likely that your business has changed since its implementation. These changes, whether they have to do with business processes, employees or workflow, mean that your application may no longer meet your needs or be the best fit for the business as it is today. You need a system that coincides with your current processes.

4 - Lack of integration: When you introduce new applications into your existing system, you will need close integration between the new and the old. However, if your current team can’t make this happen within the framework of your legacy system, modernization could be the only solution. When complete integration is achieved, your users can access all the data they need in one place. However, it’s a good idea to make upgrade plans before such issues arise.

5 - Mobility is out of reach: Mobility is a key component in modern business success. Mobile access is “becoming a huge factor in overall competitiveness, and legacy systems that don’t allow for it will leave you in the same low-efficiency, high-cost environment you’re trying to eliminate.” Another benefit to mobility is that your employees can access your system from anywhere, completing more tasks more often.

If any of these things ring true with your current situation then it's probably worth contacting us for a chat and we may be able to suggest a route to help you upgrade, wether that be a full upgrade or a hybrid solution.