The importance of using application analysis to future proof legacy systems is a topic that is becoming ever more important, as development teams in particular are finding it harder to keep up with the pace of business needs as they have fewer resources and are losing tribal knowledge. As this challenge is growing, we thought it would be a good time to revisit the topic.
Many organizations including banks and financial services firms, retailers and government are grappling with legacy solutions that are outdated and expensive to maintain due to poor system design, quick fixes and changing compliance standards.
Managing systems and data to support business planning and analysis, ongoing IT maintenance and modernization is a continuous and time-consuming process. Analysts estimate that 30 per cent to 50 per cent of IT budgets are spent on Application Development and Maintenance (ADM). However, only 56 per cent of ADM projects are completed on time, with as little as 27 per cent considered a complete success.
To reduce the financial burden, many are considering moving their solutions to the Cloud but are restricted due to incomplete documentation for their existing application in order to chart a new strategic direction.
Mainframe operating systems such as OpenVMS and VME are typically very complex. In addition the first generation of developers have moved on which leaves firms increasingly vulnerable.
Whether organizations decide to remain on older systems, or seek to move the functionality to the Cloud, it is critical that they improve their understanding of these applications to enable them to effectively analyze, maintain and enhance their current systems to evaluate the inherent risks within their existing portfolio.
Integrated Application Portfolio Management (IAPM) solutions, such as our Application Analyser, provide comprehensive metrics to determine the state of an organization's current IT investment and perform gap analysis to more easily predict future requirements and the potential impact of change. The robust solution creates a searchable database of information relating to all legacy applications, boosting development and modernization planning productivity by up to 40 per cent through automating manual processes.
IAPM systems also assist developers to better understand language, source code and data structures, in addition to the relationships between connected technologies and platforms used to deliver applications. By creating a complete inventory and relationship map of every application element within their portfolio, organizations can regain control of their core business processes through improved knowledge.
IAPM solutions cut IT project costs by 25 per cent or more while significantly improving operational efficiency. By gaining increased visibility and understanding of their application portfolio at any time, organizations can transition to solutions that can be more easily supported by new IT staff and address potential security vulnerabilities that threaten their future existence.
Our on demand webinar discusses how you can ‘Rethink, adapt and increase your application management effectiveness’. The webinar will provide the opportunity for you to see a live demo of Application Analyser and will discuss how it can help improve productivity.
