Software

Legacy Software Assessment and Audit Best Practices

By Shravan Rajpurohit

August 13, 2024

Summary
Mainstream business software is vital for many companies. But, if it isn’t updated or audited often, it becomes a problem. Organizations must assess and audit their legacy software. These activities determine the status of their old applications and systems. These may include Legacy Application Modernization Services, replacement, or continued use with enhancements.

A Guide to Effective Audits

In today’s fast-changing IT world, core business apps are relics of the past. They keep key operations running but hinder the company’s growth. Legacy systems are valuable for their role in the company’s growth. Legacy software audit services provider companies assess a system’s strengths and weaknesses. This blog post will cover what to do in a legacy software audit, following which your organization can maintain its edge over rivals.

Statistics Behind the Rising Demand for IT System Modernization

In 2019, the U.S. government spent about 80% of its IT budget on outdated systems. It had only 20% left for modernizing its technology. The market for upgrading old IT systems is experiencing explosive expansion. Experts expect it to increase from $16 billion in 2022 to almost $30 billion by 2027. This growth is due to a need for better efficiency and customer satisfaction.

What are the Legacy Systems and Legacy Software Assessment?

A legacy system is an old software or hardware still in use. It is relevant for achieving the organization’s goals. However, these systems can be a long-term issue. They are often incompatible with modern technology, costly to maintain, and a security risk.

Legacy software assessment is the process of examining these systems. It defines their efficiency, security, and compliance with the organization’s goals. The Intellify says that this test helps organizations decide if to upgrade, replace, or modify their legacy systems. One must understand the legacy systems’ complexities. It is key to making good decisions about improving them.

Best Practices for Legacy System Audit and Modernization

It is important to understand the best practices when conducting a legacy software audit. Here’s an expanded look at these key practices:

1. Comprehensive Inventory

To start your audit, you should begin by compiling a list of all the legacy systems that are in use in your organization. This inventory should include not just the software and hardware. It must list all dependencies, including databases, middleware, and custom integrations. This makes it possible for you to have an overall view of the IT structure which is vital in assessing risks and possible improvements.

The Intellify recommends using automated tools to catalogue these systems. They will help find easily overlooked components. It constitutes the basis of your audit so that you can get a clear view of the extent of the systems that you are required to assess.

2. Performance Analysis

The next step after getting the inventory is to carry out a legacy software assessment. This means checking how much the software boosts the organization’s operations. These include speed, efficiency, user satisfaction, and the ability to expand the work. These metrics, when compared to today’s options, offer a glimpse into the areas in which your outdated platforms could use improvement.

Performance underlines that this analysis should be done not only in the present but also in the future needs. For instance, is the system capable of expanding its capacity to accommodate more work as your business expands? These metrics are key. You can find areas to improve or modernize for big gains.

3. Security Evaluation

Another key challenge with legacy systems is security. They’re old and may lack the latest security features and patches. The process of risk assessment is essential to define possible risks that might affect the organization and its data.

The security assessment of the software should consider its:

• architecture
• data encryption method
• access types
• any known vulnerabilities

Also, consider the compatibility of the system with the present-day security standards and legislation.

We also suggest penetration testing and vulnerability scans. They can find hidden flaws that enemies may exploit. Mitigating these security risks is crucial for the safety of your organization’s information and its image.

Read More: Legacy Software vs Modern Software: Compare & Choose

4. Compliance Check

In the context of regulation changes, you need to guarantee that your main systems meet the current rules and ordinances of the industry. Compliance check means checking the system against legal requirements, like GDPR and HIPAA. It includes any sector-specific rules. Failure to adhere to these laws attracts legal consequences.

Engage legal and compliance teams in this process. This will ensure that all relevant criteria are met. It helps avoid penalties. It also proves your company’s commitment to excellence.

5. Cost-Benefit Analysis

The most important factor in various types of Legacy System audits is cost. This is the cost of continuing to use the software or of upgrading. Next, we must compare the costs of using the old systems to the benefits of migrating to a new system. It should consider the costs of maintaining the system, the risks of downtime, and the impacts on employee productivity.

Also, it should weigh the potential for increased income from improved system efficiency. The Intellify notes that modernization often requires a big investment. It may pay off in lower costs, better efficiency, and more adaptability.

6. Stakeholder Involvement

Legacy software modernization affects other departments. So, we must engage stakeholders in the audit. This comprises IT staff, business managers, financial departments, and users of the systems in the organization. So, you involve these stakeholders. This ensures the audit considers all factors. It also makes the recommendations strategic for the organization.

To facilitate, We recommend holding workshops or focus groups. This will let stakeholders voice their opinions. It will also help gain support for the audit and modernization. This method helps make informed decisions. It ensures most staff support the decision.

7. Prioritization

Not all legacy systems need urgent attention. So, we must focus the audit on their business criticality, security, and upgrade options. Prioritize such systems. They are central to your business, have high-security risks, or could improve performance.

We suggest a prioritization matrix. It would rank a system by certain criteria. This would improve resource allocation and address critical problems. This approach addresses high-risk areas. It can yield quick wins and show auditors’ benefits to stakeholders.

8. Modernization Roadmap

The last of them is to create a detailed and feasible strategy for legacy software modernization based on the results of the audit. It should include checklists of the measures needed to modernize, replace, or sustain each legacy system. Also, include the costs, time frame, and resources required. We also recommend dividing the modernization process into phases. This will avoid a lot of mess in business operations.

Also, we must identify the approach for ongoing review and updates. This is to ensure the modernization goals are met in the future. A good plan makes it easy to transform the current organizational structure, from old systems to better systems that are more secure.

Why You Should Conduct Legacy Software Assessment

The reasons for conducting the regular legacy software assessment can be enumerated as follows:

• It lets organizations assess the risks of using old systems. These include insecurity, non-compliance, and poor performance. The Intellify says these risks could cause big losses if not fixed soon.
• A legacy software audit service helps businesses align their IT with current and future goals. Thus, organizations can identify areas to modernize their systems. This will meet their goals, based on the identified weaknesses.
• Finally, the legacy system assessment services enable one to manage costs effectively. The integration of legacy systems is costly, primarily when the systems are old since they are more susceptible to problems. An audit gives organizations the true cost of maintaining their systems.

What Are the Challenges Associated with Legacy System Assessment?

There are some issues with legacy software assessment and audit:

• One of the issues is that legacy systems are inherently complicated to deal with. These systems are often part of business operations. So, to evaluate performance and find risks, we must interfere with business activities.
• The other problem is that there is inadequate record-keeping. Most legacy systems were designed years, if not decades, ago. They often have little documentation, which may be obsolete or partial. This makes it hard to see the system’s scope, its dependencies, and its vulnerabilities.
• We also note another issue which is the resistance to change. Those who rely on the old system may not cooperate in examining and improving it. They might fear changes or losing the old tools. To eliminate this resistance, we must find ways to communicate the audit’s and modernization’s benefits.
• Finally, the expense of undertaking a thorough legacy software audit may be a challenge to some organizations. Though costs are usually recovered, it’s not always easy to get funds for the audit and modernization.

8 Efficacious Steps Guide to Legacy System Assessment

The key steps that are required in a successful legacy software assessment are as follows.

1. Define Objectives: The goals of the assessment should also be stated very clearly. Do you want to increase productivity, increase safety, or cut expenses? Awareness of your goals will define all assessment activities that will follow.
2. Assemble a Team: A skilled dedicated team should conduct the assessment. It must include IT specialists, business analysts, and business stakeholders. This team should know the existing systems and the business environment in which the organization operates.
3. Inventory and Categorize: Make a complete list of the organization’s legacy systems. Group them by age, strategic importance, and current efficiency. This will assist in determining which systems should be audited first.
4. Conduct the Assessment: It should use automated tools and a careful review of each legacy system for performance, security, and compliance. Be more focused on the weak signals that may indicate poor efficiency of the system or indicate a security threat.
5. Analyze the Results: After the assessment is done, evaluate the results to see the patterns, gaps, and areas that need to be improved on. We advise you to develop an Analysis Report. It should present all findings and recommendations.
6. Develop a Modernization Plan: Use the assessment to implement a plan to modernize the legacy systems. Such a plan should contain timeframes, costs, and measures for modernizing or replacing the systems.
7. Report the assessment findings: Report the assessment findings and the proposed modernization strategy to all stakeholders. Ensure everyone understands the test’s importance and the benefits of the upgrade.
8. Implement and Monitor: Start to transition the legacy systems into the modern ones following the plan. Carefully oversee it. Ensure the modernization efforts are on track and effective.

Conclusion

Legacy software modernization is tough and risky. But the rewards are great. The Intellify specializes in this process, offering end-to-end solutions. We analyze your system, create a modernization plan, and focus on features. Then, we rebuild your software product with the latest tech and architecture.

You should keep up with the best practices for consistently managing your legacy systems as technology advances. By this, your organization will be able to sustain its competitive advantage and growth over time. No matter the reason, be it security, cost or performance, a detailed legacy software assessment and audit is the key to a better, more efficient tomorrow.

FAQs

1. What Is Legacy Software Assessment?
A legacy software assessment is a review process. It aims to find the performance, security, and need for the systems in today’s business world. This process enables organizations to determine whether to keep, improve, or replace their current legacy systems.

2. For What Reason Is A Legacy Software Audit Valuable?
A legacy software audit is also crucial. It helps to spot risks in outdated systems, like security and compliance issues. It also supports the identification of opportunities and the need for upgrades in the IT structure of an organization.

3. What Is The Right Frequency Of Assessing Legacy Systems?
We advise a legacy software assessment every two years. Do this unless the organization is undergoing major changes or new compliance demands.

4. What Are The Advantages Of Such Action As Modernization Of Legacy Systems?
Updating old systems can boost efficiency and protection. It can cut costs and better align IT with the organization’s goals. It also enables organizations to compete effectively in today’s world that is rapidly going online.

Found this post insightful? Don’t forget to share it with your network!

Written By,

Shravan Rajpurohit

Written By, Shravan Rajpurohit

Shravan Rajpurohit is the Co-Founder & CEO of The Intellify, a leading Custom Software Development company that empowers startups, product development teams, and Fortune 500 companies. With over 10 years of experience in marketing, sales, and customer success, Shravan has been driving digital innovation since 2018, leading a team of 50+ creative professionals. His mission is to bridge the gap between business ideas and reality through advanced tech solutions, aiming to make The Intellify a global leader. He focuses on delivering excellence, solving real-world problems, and pushing the limits of digital transformation.