Ageing IT systems need help. But because modernisation initially costs time, energy and money, many decision-makers recognise the need to act, but are surprisingly creative when it comes to glossing over the facts. IT service provider Avision reveals that behind the sugarcoating lies a failure to provide digital assistance.
Most companies have long been aware that their legacy software will not meet the requirements of the coming years. Technically, this is rarely a secret, and organisationally, it is usually not a secret either. And yet, surprisingly little is often done about it. Instead of making clear decisions, experience from the and the hope is spread that the problem will somehow resolve itself. This is also dangerous because legacy systems rarely explode spectacularly overnight, but slowly but steadily become more expensive, cumbersome and risky. Avision has collected the five most common spurious arguments from practice that slow down active countermeasures.
‘It still works.’
Yes, for now. At first glance, a system that is running often still appears to be stable. But simply functioning has nothing to do with scalability, security and future viability. If there are more users on the system than it can handle, backups have not been tested for years and new legal requirements can only be implemented with a lot of luck or not at all, then the system is no longer really running – it is somehow keeping its head above water. At the latest when an audit is passed only because no one has looked closely, action must be taken. But that is only possible if the system is still alive at all.
‘There is no business case.’
Modernisation often feels like pure money spending without any visible added value; after all, companies are not selling anything new afterwards. However, it is often overlooked that legacy systems make even the smallest change extremely complex, unnecessarily increase the cost of infrastructure and pose security risks that, in the event of an emergency, can cost many times more than the cost of modernisation. The business case rarely lies in the modernisation itself, but in the costs that would continue to accrue without it.
‘It’s so old, no one would hack it anymore.’
Old systems are inconspicuous and, as a result, are often dismissed as uninteresting to attackers. Added to this are arguments such as firewalls, internal networks or a lack of appeal to attackers. This is fatal, because the reality is different: outdated software often means unpatched vulnerabilities, missing updates and dependencies that no one can keep track of anymore. Each factor is a potential gateway for cybercriminals. Security comes from maintainability and transparency – and that’s exactly what neglected legacy systems lack.
‘No one can do that.’
When crucial expertise is concentrated in one or two people, every change becomes a risk. The absence of a single person can be enough to bring systems, processes or projects to a standstill. This problem is often ‘solved’ by leaving everything as it is. It has always worked well so far. The problem is that the longer nothing happens, the more difficult it becomes to build up knowledge or purchase it externally. At some point, a change in the law or a failure will force action – but then under maximum pressure and stress for everyone involved.
‘Never change a running system.’
This phrase sounds like experience and serenity, but it is usually an expression of fear of costs, complexity and the huge amount of work involved. While long-standing employees have learned to live with the idiosyncrasies of the system, new colleagues fail to do so or quickly move on. At the same time, the competition is pulling ahead. A system may still be running today – but without innovation, it will only be lagging behind tomorrow.
‘When it comes to maintenance and modernisation, software is not much different from areas such as road construction or real estate,’ explains Nadine Riederer, Managing Director of Avision. ‘If urgent measures are always put on the back burner and investments are avoided, at some point nothing will work anymore – and then it will become really expensive. There are many excuses, but they cost a lot of time and ultimately money as well.’
This press release is also available at www.pr-com.de/de/avision.
Press contact
Avision GmbH
Christina Karl
Marketing
Bajuwarenring 14
D-82041 Oberhaching
Phone +49-89-623037-967
christina.karl@avision-it.de
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Melissa Gemmrich
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D-80336 München
Phone +49-89-59997-759
melissa.gemmrich@pr-com.de
