No Time Like Right Now
Modernising legacy applications is a huge task, and it has both risks and rewards. It's easy to rely on what seem like stable systems and hope they'll sustain the business through rough economic times. But these systems are the technical avatar of a company's business strategy, and if they aren't updated, the business will begin tripping over its own virtual feet. Times are tough, but breaking a few proverbial eggs now could put your company 10 steps ahead of the competition. And that's priceless.
SIDEBAR: Modern Maths
How PMI figured the ROI of legacy migration.
Here are some numbers from the PMI Group's 1996 cost-benefit study that started it on its path to legacy migration.
Benefits
Avoiding service-related revenue reduction $US27.8 million.
Winning back lost business allocations $US9.1 million.
Gain in market share $US20.4 million.
TOTAL GROSS BENEFITS $US57.3 million.
Expenses
Duplicate processing expenses $US14 million.
Estimated cost of project $US20 million.
TOTAL COST $US34 million.
NET BENEFIT TO COMPANY $US23.3 million.
SOURCE: PMI GROUP CIO DAN ROBERTS
SIDEBAR: Your Modernisation & Migration Toolkit
What your partners and competitors are using to rebuild or replace their legacy applications right now.
This list was derived from interviews with information executives involved in large-scale legacy modernisation or migration efforts.
Jacada
Product: Interface Server, Integrator and BPM.
Selling point: The Interface Server provides a universal interface layer between new and existing applications. The Integrator and BPM integrate legacy systems with CRM and e-business applications.
Customers: Boeing, Delta Airlines, Volvo.
URL:www.jacada.com
MicroFocus
Product: EnterpriseLink with Component Generator.
Selling point: Users can mine legacy applications for business rules, integrate with new applications or put a new Web front end on their legacy applications.
Customers: New York City Board of Education, Ramada Express Hotels, ABC-TV (US).
Relativity Technologies
Product: RescueWare.
Selling point: The tool identifies, isolates and repackages data and business processes wrapped up in old code.
Customers: Charles Schwab, National City, UBS PaineWebber.
Product: Various (BlueZone, TRansidiom, TTT, WinJa).
Selling point: The software suite allows users to do one or all of the following: put a Web front end on their legacy applications using a Web emulator or by building a user interface; turn mainframe applications into Java or XML components; Translate applications into other languages.
Customers: Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau, RLI, US Secret Service.
SEEC
Product: Mosaic Studio.
Selling point: The tool mines legacy applications for business rules and uses the information to create component-based programs in Enterprise JavaBeans or XML.
Customers: Canada Life International, Nationwide Insurance, Temple University.
URLwww.seec.com
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