Finding the Path to IT modernization

Modernization is a particular challenge for IT entities, which have to face the legacy systems and applications, but modernizing IT will lead to more agile, efficient organizations better able to serve the public, often at a lower cost.

Blockages in the path of modernization/ Present system
1.       Legacy systems: Organizations can have compelling reasons for keeping a legacy system, such as - the system works satisfactorily and the owner sees no reason for changing it. Further, the costs of redesigning or replacing the system are difficult or time taking. For e.g. NASA's Space Shuttle program still uses a large amount of 1970s-era technology.
2.       IT infrastructure: Various organizations are always resistant to the innovations and does not accept the tech advancements readily. They clung to the old machines and do not welcome any hardware/software changes.
3.       Efficiency and transparency: Reluctant nature of companies to modernization is the roadblocks in efficiency and transparency.
4.       Open standards: The methodology and practice of working needs to be redefined as old practices always hamper the performance.
5.       Skilled workforce: Modernization needs skilled workforce who is capable of understanding technology. But, sadly our public sector lack such people who are tech savvy or even understand simple technology.


Solutions for Legacy Problem
IT organizations face some hard choices when going for modernization. Before choosing the modernization path, various analysts advise that IT managers need to take the important first step of understanding and assessing current IT assets.
Go on as before: Organizations may choose to not act, to continue monitoring and maintaining existing systems and infrastructure. There are costs to this choice but without adequately trained staff, doing nothing is becoming harder for facing competition.
Retire and replace the systems: This approach can be expensive. Turning to SOA can be a wise decision.
Modernization: This can take many forms, including using SOA to extend some of the legacy data via web services and re-hosting. But migration to new languages and new platforms must be undertaken deliberately and with experienced partners.
Application Portfolio Management: The premise of APM is that before prescribing remediation of a legacy system, customers need to know what they have currently. APM provides the ability to assess the complexity of assets. APM can be done in as lightweight a way as simply filling spreadsheets with code counts—or to seek help from vendors and partners.

Pathway for Modernization
By modernizing existing technology with the help of various applications provided by companies like Oracle can reduce costs, increase agility, eliminate reliance on legacy skill sets and satisfy compliance requirements while preserving business-specific data and functionality.
Re-hosting: firms can shift an application to another without disturbing the day-to-day business.
Re-architecting: organizations can use tools to reassemble the business-relevant code from legacy applications while eliminating technology-specific code.
Commercial Off -the –Shelf (COTS) Replacement: managers can replace a legacy application with a COTS application.
SOA Integration: firms can wrap the legacy applications, creating SOA services that function on a new platform but are implemented by the existing code.
Automated Migration: IT professionals can automate the migration to new technologies, as it does not change the application design.

Conclusion
Modernizing the IT infrastructure, by moving to open standards or using service-oriented architecture, will increase efficiency and transparency and as a result will transform the service delivery.