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Software Modernisation: To Redevelop Or Remediate? That Is The Question

DIGITISATION IS A CONSTANT JOURNEY AND REQUIRES PROACTIVITY AND INNOVATION. ONE MAJOR CHALLENGE WITH ANY DIGITAL SOLUTION, IS THAT IT REQUIRES CONTINUOUS INVESTMENT AND MODERNISATION.

Software Modernisation is a topic facing every business, due to organisations having inherited legacy systems (some of them having been built as many as 40 years ago!). The Federal Budget release made a big feature of Software Modernisation, especially across the aged care, education, and veteran affairs sectors where significant spend was allocated. Being highlighted in such a prominent and accessible report, signifies the importance of Digital Transformation. In particular, the modernisation of legacy systems to keep pace with the ever-evolving world of technology.

What is a Legacy System?

A legacy system is simply an outdated application or solution, and chances are it has been used in your organisation for many years. Eventually, all systems become legacy systems unless they are continually modernised. Without a forward-thinking approach, legacy systems can hinder your business, reducing productivity, increasing operational risk, and forcing your ongoing IT costs to spiral out of control.

Why Modernise?

There are a huge number of benefits to modernisation, all of which enhance your business and overall brand. Strategically, adding innovative intellectual property will boost your competitive advantage and increase revenue. Tactically, modernising your systems will improve user experience for your customers and your workforce, ensuring higher levels of satisfaction, improved efficiencies, and increased performance and security which reduces risk. Although some of your existing systems may still perform their basic functions, you need to ask yourself:

  • Do your current systems reflect the evolution of your business and support your ongoing goals and strategic objectives?

  • Are you confident your existing solutions stand up against new, rigorous security protocols?

  • Are you looking to increase your competitive advantage and boost revenue by adding innovative, intellectual property to your organisation?

Depending on how you answer the above questions, it might be time to begin your modernisation journey and take the first step in revolutionising your business.

When to Modernise?

  • Innovation: systems that once offered you a competitive advantage are now outdated and lagging, putting your company at a competitive disadvantage. 

  • Scalability & Changing Business Requirements: your existing systems might no longer be fit-for-purpose, and not reflect the growth of your business. Perhaps you are unhappy with your current provider as they no longer meet your operational needs as you scale and grow your business. 

  • Security & Risk: outdated security processes put you at significant risk and a breach in security can have irreversible negative impacts on your brand. Perhaps you need a deeper understanding of your current security setup and the risks you are facing, so that you can put preventative steps in place.

  • High Costs: the costs of running and maintaining your existing systems might simply be too high. Various licensing fees, subscription fees, maintenance and upkeep costs all need to be considered, not to mention the cost of IT resources needed. Modernising your current solutions enables you to replace outdated technology with more suitable, cost-efficient, options. In fact, many of our clients are surprised by how much money can be saved through an effective modernisation project.

For over 27 years, Solentive has been providing recommendations and software modernisation services for organisations looking to increase performance. We know that the first critical step in the process is a software modernisation assessment, to identify problems within the existing solution and potential areas for improvement. We work closely with your stakeholders to truly understand your business goals and our experienced technical team dive into your system to get an understanding of how it works and what options for remediation are possible. From there, we marry your business goals to what is possible with your system and create a comprehensive recommendations and remediation strategy. There are usually two options available to you:

  • Remediation: inception and enhancement of the existing solution with additional functionality to meet your business goals. This will likely include integration recommendations to other business systems to reduce duplication and double handling.

  • Redevelopment: from our software modernisation assessment we sometimes discover the most cost-effective, efficient, and fastest way for you to see results is to redevelop the system. In the case of a redevelopment, our experts will provide guidance on whether to follow a pure custom software approach, utilise existing products or a combination of the two. (You can read about Custom vs Product in our blog here.)

There are many benefits to software modernisation as highlighted in this article but modernising simply for the purpose of doing so is not the right approach. There are various options and decisions to make along the way, to ensure you find the right solution for you, and Solentive can empower you to do that. Our Modernisation Assessment is the best place to start, as it will enable you to realise what areas of your existing solution can be remediated. We will complete a light review of your current system and present you with a document detailing:

  • Review of the existing code base, infrastructure & deployment processes 

  • Evaluation of the current architecture 

  • Identification & prioritisation of risks & issues 

  • Proposed updated architecture 

  • Recommendations including impact assessment, remediation options & priorities  

Software Modernisation will provide your organisation with a unique competitive advantage, while reducing costs and increasing revenue. In our experience, a Modernisation Assessment is the crucial first step needed to enable you to assess the options available to you with your legacy applications.

If you want to discuss your software modernisation project with one of our experts, please contact us here.

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