The present state of information technology (IT) is frequently growing in ways that we can hardly keep up with. In today’s business climate, terms like “operational modernization,” “cloud transformation,” and “DevOps” are common parlance. Despite this, most IT departments fall short of users’ expectations in the current digital age because their legacy systems need to catch up with the rapid changes brought on by the digital revolution. 

Though organizations are willing to modernize their applications, approximately 93% of IT leaders need help modernizing their applications. 

So, with the intent of helping organizations trying to modernize their applications. In this blog, let’s discuss the following: 

  • What is application modernization  
  • Types of application modernization 
  • Benefits of modernizing your application 
  • And challenges you face while modernizing your application 

Application Modernization 

In a nutshell, Application Modernization is altering legacy applications with new architectures, features, and infrastructure. For example, you can consider it as updating or upgrading legacy business applications that no longer meet your needs with the latest features. 

Why modernize your legacy applications? 

If we go back in time, all the applications are primarily monolithic, and the monolithic applications have two most significant drawbacks that make it desirable to modernize those legacy applications. Those drawbacks are: 

  • Legacy applications are challenging to upgrade according to the growing IT environment. 
  • Scaling up or scaling down the legacy applications according to our needs is very difficult as well as very expensive. 

It is challenging to upgrade monolithic legacy applications due to their architecture, such as the complexity and integration challenges that arise if application components are shipped together. They are also challenging and expensive to scale for the same reasons. 

When an application is modernized to have more of a micro-services architecture, the components become more manageable in size, have fewer connections between them, can be deployed and scaled independently of one another, and can be high performing. Although it presents its own unique set of obstacles, this strategy is where a significant portion of modernization’s fundamental value can be found. 

Types of Application Modernization

Application refactoring 

Refactoring is the process of restructuring an existing application to improve its design or architecture. This can improve performance, make the application more maintainable, or make it more scalable. But it can be hard to figure out what changes to make and ensure they keep things from breaking already working. 

Application porting 

Porting is moving an application to a new platform, usually to take advantage of new features or improve performance. This can be a challenge if the application is not designed to be portable or if it relies on features that are not available on the new platform. 

Application rewriting 

Rewriting is the process of completely rewriting an application from scratch. This is usually done to improve performance or use new technologies that were unavailable when the original application was written. Rewriting an application can be a very difficult task, and you may need to hire specialized consultants to help you. 

Application modernization can be a great way to improve the performance or scalability of an existing application. But it’s important to think carefully about the type of modernization that will work best for your application and to plan for any problems that might come up. 

Benefits of Application Modernization  

Technical deficit 

The old system has problems like bugs, high application maintenance costs, and the impotence to grow. Because of this, businesses have to spend 10% to 20% of their budget on developing new products to fix problems caused by tech debt. 

With the modernization approach, you don’t have to replace your current systems. So, you can spend a little money for working effectively with the legacy code running and make your app stronger and healthier. 

Enhances user experience 

We can determine a company’s success by how well they provide the user experience. If they do not provide the best user experience, their company or business cannot stand out in the competitive market. Also, it is harder for them to give the best user experience if they use an old application with a single-piece architecture. 

On the other hand, once you update your current applications, you can use the public cloud environment to give your customers better service. 

Increased revenue 

Almost every business has some application or software that they use to run their day-to-day operations. In many cases, these applications are outdated and no longer serve the needs of the business as efficiently as they once did. As a result, the business may lose out on revenue that could be generated if the application were modernized. 

There are several reasons why an application can lead to increased revenue. Modern applications are often more user-friendly and easier to use, which can lead to increased productivity from employees. Newer applications may offer features that older ones do not. Finally, updating an application can show customers that a business is keeping up with the times and is invested in providing the best experience. 

Investing in modernizing applications can be a great way to generate more revenue for a business. Businesses can improve efficiency, add new features, and show customers they care about giving them the best experience possible. 

Improved security 

Legacy apps might have known or unknown security flaws due to their age and use of antiquated technologies. Because of the old security methods used to make these apps, attackers could use these holes to get into networks. 

On the other hand, modernized programs constantly receive security updates and bug patches to protect against new threats. So, for businesses to ensure their data is safe, they need to use this software.  

Application Modernization Challenges

Application modernization is changing an existing application to improve its performance or make it more compatible with new technologies. This can be daunting, especially for large organizations with legacy applications. Here are some of the biggest challenges you may face when modernizing your applications:

1. Complexity

Complexity is one of your biggest challenges when modernizing your applications. Many legacy applications are highly complex, with intricate codebases that are difficult to understand and modify. This can make it challenging to make the necessary changes to improve performance or add new features.

2. Dependencies

Another big challenge is dependencies. Many legacy applications depend on other applications or components that are no longer supported or available. This can make it difficult or impossible to modernize your applications without breaking them.

3. Lack of documentation

Another common challenge is the need for more documentation. Because legacy applications are often so old, the people who created them may no longer be around, and documentation may be non-existent or outdated. This can make it difficult to understand how an application works or what changes need to be made.

4. Lack of skills

Another challenge you may face is the need for more skills. Many legacy applications were created using technologies that are no longer common or supported. Finding people with the necessary skills to maintain and improve your applications can take time and effort.

5. Cost

Last, the cost is always a factor when considering application modernization. Many organizations need more time to invest in modernization because of the cost, which can be significant. But not updating can cost even more in terms of lost productivity, customers, and money.

Application modernization can be daunting, but it’s essential for keeping your applications up-to-date and compatible with new technologies. Knowing your problems, you can be better prepared to solve them and make sure your modernization project goes well. 

Application Modernization: A Journey Towards Change and Success

Modernization lets software teams change their most important programs to work better with increasingly distributed computing architectures. This is better than asking them to rewrite their most important programs from scratch completely.

Our experts modernize your application in four simple steps:

1. Application Reengineering, where our experts produce more value by reengineering programs to meet modern user-centric features, changing line-of-business needs, and agile infrastructure.

2. Application Refactorization, where they simplify the application’s source code without altering its intended functions or behaviours to boost its performance, similarity, and reliability.

3. Cloud Replatforming, where they decrease OpEx, eliminate CapEx, and allow dynamic on-demand scalability to meet the peak demands of your customers.

4. Monolithic architecture to Microservices architecture, for decades, conventional infrastructure and software design have generated monolithic applications, leaving enterprises with a solution portfolio that cannot meet business digitalization needs. We gradually split the monolith into loosely connected, independently consumable services.

Want to learn more? Our experts are here to help you build a strategic roadmap to modernization thereby fuelling your digital transformation efforts.