The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the adoption of enterprise application modernization. With remote work becoming the new normal, businesses are recognizing the importance of modernizing their legacy systems to enable seamless, efficient, and secure operations. This shift has led to an increased reliance on cloud-based solutions, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies. As a result, enterprise application modernization is witnessing significant growth, proving to be not just beneficial, but essential in the current scenario.
Understanding Enterprise Application Modernization
Before delving into the intricacies of enterprise application modernization, it’s crucial to comprehend what this term encapsulates and why it’s central to business transformation in the digital age.
Application Modernization Definition
Application modernization refers to the process of updating and upgrading legacy software applications with modern technologies and practices, thereby enhancing their performance, scalability, and alignment with current business needs. This process may involve a complete overhaul or partial updates, depending on the existing application’s state. It’s not merely a technical exercise, but a strategic move to align the technology architecture with the evolving business landscape.
Key Benefits Of Application Modernization
Now that we’ve established a broad understanding of what application modernization entails, let’s explore the key benefits it provides to businesses in more detail.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Modernized applications are more streamlined and automated, reducing manual efforts and increasing productivity.
- Improved Scalability: Modernization allows for easy scaling of applications to accommodate growth and fluctuating business demands.
- Reduced Operational Costs: By leveraging cloud technologies, businesses can significantly cut down on their infrastructure and maintenance costs.
- Increased Agility: Modernized applications facilitate agile development practices, enabling faster deployment of new features and adjustments.
- Better Customer Experience: With improved performance, usability, and accessibility, application modernization can dramatically enhance the end-user experience.
- Improved Security: Modern applications are built with the latest security measures, ensuring data protection and regulatory compliance.
When Do You Need Application Modernization? The Importance Of Enterprise Application Modernization
While it’s evident that application modernization offers a myriad of benefits, understanding the right time to initiate this transformation is equally vital in leveraging these advantages effectively.
How To Determine If Your Application Needs Modernization?
1/ Costs
Recognizing the need for application modernization in your organization can be determined by evaluating several key metrics and factors. The first and most prevalent sign is the increasing cost of maintaining your current systems. If your legacy systems are consuming a substantial portion of your IT budget, it may be an indication that your applications are outdated and inefficient. High maintenance costs not only strain the budget but also divert resources that could be better invested in innovation and growth.
2/ Performance
Another telling metric is the system performance and downtime. Frequent system outages, slow application performance, and increased time for troubleshooting are all indications of an aging system. These issues not only disrupt daily operations but also impact the overall productivity and efficiency of the organization. If your system struggles to keep up with the demands of your business operations or fails to provide the necessary agility, it is a clear sign that you need to consider application modernization.
3/ UX
User experience is another critical factor to gauge the need for application modernization. If your applications are not user-friendly and fail to provide a seamless experience to your customers or employees, it can lead to customer dissatisfaction and reduced employee productivity. In the age of digital transformation, where user experience is paramount, having outdated applications with poor user interfaces can be detrimental to your business reputation and growth.
4/ Scalability
Finally, if your current applications are not scalable or adaptable to emerging technologies, it’s a strong indication for application modernization. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, your applications should have the flexibility to accommodate new technologies such as machine learning, AI, cloud computing, etc. Inability to integrate new technologies can hinder your business from staying competitive and meeting evolving market demands. Therefore, if your current applications lack scalability or flexibility, it’s time to consider application modernization.
Why Is Enterprise Application Modernization Important?
Enterprise application modernization is vital for several reasons, two of which stand out due to their importance in the contemporary business landscape:
Maintaining Competitive Edge: In an era where technology is rapidly evolving, businesses that fail to modernize their applications risk falling behind their competition. Modern applications can make use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advancements to deliver superior service and functionality. They can also adapt more quickly to changes in the business environment, allowing companies to keep pace with market trends and maintain a competitive edge.
Enhancing Business Agility: Agile businesses are capable of responding quickly and effectively to changes in their environment. Application modernization enhances business agility by enabling faster and more efficient processes, reducing time-to-market for new products and services. It also allows businesses to take advantage of new opportunities and face challenges more effectively, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
According to a study conducted by Avanade, businesses that choose to modernize their IT infrastructure in today’s digital era can anticipate a revenue boost of approximately 14%. Furthermore, updating and improving IT systems and strategies can lead to a reduction in business operational costs of more than 13%.
How Do Businesses Modernize Their Enterprise Applications?
There are several common approaches that businesses can adopt for enterprise application modernization:
- Rehosting: Also known as ‘lift and shift’, this involves moving applications from one environment to another, typically from an on-premises data center to a cloud environment, without making any changes to the application’s code.
- Replatforming: Replatforming involves making few application changes, just enough to adapt to a new platform. It allows businesses to take advantage of the new platform’s features and capabilities without a complete overhaul of the application.
- Refactoring: This involves restructuring existing code without changing its external behavior. The primary objective is to improve the application’s non-functional attributes making it more efficient, readable, and maintainable.
- Rearchitecting: Rearchitecting is the process of altering the application’s architecture while keeping its functionality intact. It’s often used when the existing platform hinders the application’s ability to meet business requirements.
- Rebuilding: A complete rewrite of an application using modern technologies. This approach involves discarding the current codebase and redeveloping the application on a new, modern architecture.
- Replacing: When an application can no longer meet a company’s needs even with modification, replacing it with a new application that meets the necessary requirements is an option. It might involve adopting commercially available software that can be customized to fit the business needs.
The chosen approach depends on the specific needs of the business, the state of the original application, and the desired future state.
How Can Eastgate Software Support Your Enterprise Application Modernization Journey?
AtEastgate Software, we possess extensive experience in the domain of application modernization, having assisted numerous organizations from diverse sectors in effectively revamping their legacy systems. Our seasoned team of professionals is adept at identifying and implementing the most suitable modernization strategy, tailored to the unique requirements and goals of each business. We not only focus on enhancing functionality and performance but also ensure the modernized systems are secure, user-friendly, and capable of meeting future business needs.
If you’re looking for a reliable partner to assist you in modernizing your applications, contact us today for a free consultation. Our team of professionals will be happy to discuss the best approach and create a plan to help you achieve your objectives.
