Introduction to legacy systems

In the modern world, businesses are ever-ready to adopt the latest technologies to gain an edge in these competitive market. However, there are instances when companies rely on traditional systems despite the availability of newer systems.

These traditional systems are known as legacy systems and can be defined as – outdated software or hardware systems that are still in use despite the availability of newer technologies. Legacy systems can include software applications, computer hardware, databases, data formats, custom codes, etc.

However, though outdated, they are still used by companies for the following reasons…

Why are legacy systems still used?

• Businesses might find modernization unnecessary when the current system is functional. Unless the newer system promises a significant benefit, they might not see adopting it as worth the time and money.
• Legacy applications and systems are already well-integrated into a business’s infrastructure and replacing them with new ones can pose several challenges. For one, setting up the newer system will require a period of downtime. The timespan of downtime will depend on the complexity of the process and expertise of the business. This can further lead to poor user experience during the period.
• Smaller or growing businesses may not be able to afford modern technologies which are initially more expensive.
• Training the current workforce for the new technology or hiring experts can be an additional challenge.

Types of legacy applications

• End of Life (EOL): EOL legacy applications are those software that are no longer supported by the vendor. They no longer receive updates and can be difficult to integrate with newer technologies. Adobe Flash Player and Microsoft’s Windows 7 are a few examples of EOL applications.
• Unable to scale: These applications can no longer be scaled and hence, cannot support a company’s growing performance and database.
• No updates available: Although similar to EOL, these systems do not receive software updates from the vendor or the developer. In these cases, the business might have to switch to a new provider and processes for the same operations.

Risks of using legacy systems

• Although replacing legacy systems with modern systems can be expensive, it is more of a one-time investment. Since legacy technologies are no longer updated by the vendor, they will demand constant maintenance and monitoring. This can prove to be much more expensive in the long run.
• Moreover, using outdated systems can affect the overall performance of the application. This means more resources are consumed to maintain the same performance as before along with frequent crashes and bugs. Using older systems alongside newer systems can also pose compatibility issues.
• Older systems are also more vulnerable to cyber-attacks and security breaches as they are not updated with the latest security measures. This can put the company’s valuable database at risk.

Examples

• Windows XP, released in 2001, was a popular operating system of its time with a user-friendly interface. It was succeeded by Windows Vista and support for XP officially ended in 2014.
• NASA’s Orion spacecraft runs on IBM PowerPC 750X single-core processors that were launched around 2002. According to an article by Quartz, although these processors lack speed, they are highly reliable when it comes to space computing.
• Adobe Flash Player was a computer program for watching multimedia content on the web. It was released by Macromedia in 1996 but later acquired by Adobe in 2005. Support for Flash Player officially ended on 31st September 2020.

Conclusion

Switching to newer technologies is an easy way for companies to gain the upper hand against their competitors. However, adopting these modern systems spontaneously i.e. as soon as they come out, still might not be the best option. The business’s budget, the functionality of older systems, the expected amount of downtime, etc. are factors that need to be considered before making a switch. That said, unlike popular belief, relying on conventional systems can prove to be a much better option at least for that particular timespan.