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9 min

Legacy Application Modernization: How To Future-Proof Your App

Every system eventually turns into a legacy system. As technologies and programming languages evolve, applications created long ago become outdated. They get expensive to maintain, accumulate lots of bugs, grow vulnerable to security threats, and become hard to integrate with newer technologies. That’s why every business should consider legacy application modernization at some point. Legacy application modernization is the process of updating and enhancing existing software applications that were developed with outdated technologies, languages, and frameworks. Its goal is to transform outdated software into modern, efficient, and flexible solutions that meet the current needs of a business. As a software product developer with over 12 years of experience, AnyforSoft wants to elaborate more on this topic and explain how to modernize legacy applications. This article will help you future-proof your app and ensure its successful digital transformation. You will learn: What legacy systems are. How systems become legacy. How to tell whether your app requires modernization. Why you should invest in legacy app modernization. What legacy application modernization approaches are there and which one you should choose. Let’s dive in! What are legacy apps and how systems become outdated Simply put, a legacy system (or application) is software developed with outdated technologies, programming languages, or frameworks. These applications are often older and have been in use for a significant period. They may be built on platforms that are no longer widely supported or lack compatibility with modern technologies. For example, Windows 7 is considered to be legacy software, as it is no longer supported by Microsoft. In general, any system that has reached its end of life, no longer receives updates and security patches, can’t be scaled, or relies on outdated architecture is a legacy system. How systems become legacy There are many scenarios of how a modern business application may turn into a legacy app. The first example is when the developers that built your product are no longer with the company and there is a lack of proper documentation. As a result, when new developers come, they have a hard time understanding how your application’s code works. That leads to issues with maintaining, upgrading, and scaling the application. Another example is when the software or framework your system relies on reaches its end of life. Say, you built a web app on Drupal 7. Then comes Drupal 7’s end of life, so the CMS no longer receives updates and security patches. That makes your application vulnerable to security threats, so you better go for legacy application modernization. And of course, we shouldn’t forget about technological advancement, As technology evolves, older systems become outdated and less efficient compared to newer alternatives. New programming languages, frameworks, and development methodologies emerge, offering improved capabilities and performance. If a system is not regularly updated to leverage these advancements and modernize business operations, it gradually becomes outdated and is considered a legacy system. How to tell when you need legacy application modernization: 5 red flags Now that you know what legacy systems are and how applications become outdated, the next question is, how to tell whether you need legacy system modernization? Well, here are five red flags: Maintaining your app requires too many resources. If you’ve noticed that your app takes too much time, money, and effort to maintain, that’s a clear sign that you need to modernize /*-->*/ /*-->*/ /*-->*/ legacy systems. Integrating new features into your app is hard or impossible. The best thing about modern technologies is that they integrate with each other seamlessly. Most third-party tools and services have built-in support for all popular programming languages and frameworks, making the integration process fast and easy. In the case of legacy applications, however, integrations require lots of custom code. So if new features are too hard or impossible to integrate, modernize your legacy software as soon as possible. The app blocks your business growth. If your software no longer satisfies your business needs and requirements, if it hinders your business operations and stops you from growing, then it’s time for legacy application transformation. Your application is no longer secure. Since legacy systems are old and created with outdated technologies, programming languages, and frameworks, they’re susceptible to cyberattacks, malware, and other security threats. If you’ve noticed that your application no longer meets security standards, you better invest in legacy modernization before it is compromised. Your app damages the user experience. A business that wants to provide the best user experience should be quick to respond to user needs and demands. That means that whenever your customers require new features or technologies, you should be able to introduce them as quickly as possible. Obviously, legacy systems lack organizational agility and can’t swiftly adapt to changes, which damages user experience and customer satisfaction.