Question

Legacy systems are any software or old information systems that are critical to the business.
These systems may be based on outdated technologies that are still operating within an
organisation. According to the study, the financial services industry is one of the biggest
spenders on IT, but the majority of this spend is on maintenance activities required to keep
legacy systems operational. By some estimates, 75% of the IT budgets of banks and insurance
companies are consumed maintaining existing systems.
Maintaining legacy systems can be time, labour, and money consuming. This is because legacy
applications are typically monolithic, which means they are single-tier software applications
with all parts of the application built into one platform. In contrast, modern applications are
often broken down into loosely coupled individual services called microservices. Some of the
remedial plans include reengineering of the legacy platform, addressing architectural style and
consumption constraints, source code conversion, operating system and hardware replacement,
and outsourcing data centre management.
Running legacy systems may not be sufficient to meet the needs of the current dynamic
business market. Therefore, modernisation legacy systems seem necessary. Modernisation
legacy application is the process of transforming an application built with outdated technology
into a modern application with the latest technology. In the process of modernisation legacy
systems, the organisation should have a well-thought-out plan detailing how the organisation
should begin transforming legacy application to modern applications. The organisation should
also determine what its goals are for accomplishing the modernisation of legacy applications.
In addition, the organisation must ensure that its IT departments have the skills base to perform
legacy application modernisation.

Q!. As an Information Systems specialist, what factors would influence your consideration
when modernising a legacy information system? Justify your answers. (Note: your
answer shall not exceed TWO (2) pages.) 20 marks

Q2. Explain how does information systems affect traditional companies' business process.
Use examples to express your answer. 12 marks

Q3.In some industries, the adoption of information systems and technology has remained
unchanged over the past few decades. Nevertheless, managers and business
professionals today foresee information systems as a tool to stay competitive. Use an
example to discuss how do the implementation of information systems can help a
company to achieve competitive advantage. 20 marks

Q4. The pandemic has changed the way businesses of all kinds are conducted. Many
companies have decided to adopt cloud computing as their IT solutions. You are
required to assess FIVE (5) drivers for adopting cloud computing. 20 marks

Q5. The impact of pandemic not only affected the IT staff workload but also has restricted
the in-house information system development team. As an information system CIO,
what is the alternative to in-house development? Discuss THREE (3) benefits of your
suggestion and FIVE (5) possible reasons for it. 18 marks

Q6. Determine the approaches that are available to ease the implementation of a new
information systems. Suggest the best approach suitable to implement an information
system for the financial service department. Justify your answer. 10 marks

Answer 1

Hi, As you didn't mention which question to solve so I'm solving only first one.

And for rest please repost

And if you need further help do comment and if you like is please rate.

1)

What, exactly, constitutes “legacy” systems depends on the business. Most companies have a mix of new software tools and old systems to run them on. Others update their applications piece by piece. And still others are using both old software and old systems.

Legacy systems are typically understood as ‘old’ – a piece of software that would fit in in the early 2000s, not 2019 (or, better yet, 2020). But legacy software or a legacy system is not always defined solely according to its age.

For a functional definition, legacy can refer to any piece of software, incumbent technology or entire system that blocks or slows down an organization’s ability to grow, shift and adapt in the face of changing market dynamics.

If the system has a lack of IT support or is unable to support the needs of an organization, then it is a legacy system. If a piece of software cannot be integrated with new processes or systems, then it is legacy software. Legacy technology will see problems related to:

• Maintenance
• Support
• Improvement
• Integration
• User experience

With business dynamics changing constantly, it can be difficult to get your software capabilities to keep up. But in an increasingly digital world, it’s often your software and systems that can make or break your ability to adapt, grow and remain competitive.

Why Do You Need Software Modernization?

Modernizing legacy software is about more than update. It’s about bringing your entire enterprise up to speed with the digital environment.

According to Logicalis, more than 4 out of 10 Chief Information Officers considered “complex legacy technology” a significant barrier to true digital transformation. At the same time, the majority said they were focused on digital transformation and over half had plans to either replace or adapt existing systems to overcome the obstacle. A large number of CIOs, in other words, recognize the need for legacy transformation and are beginning to take steps toward legacy system modernization.

The need to address this barrier is becoming increasingly urgent as the enterprise environment in most industries is quickly turning digital-first. Consider the insight from one Deloitte partner below:

“Now organizations are increasingly digital. They are also changing very rapidly, and these legacy systems can lack the flexibility and scalability to keep up—especially given today’s tech-savvy end consumers. They are often handcuffing the business with what we call legacy technical debt. It’s a real problem. Modern concepts like microservices, the cloud, and mobile computing are simply beyond many legacy technologies.”

~ Haissam Issa, Deloitte Consulting LLP

If you don’t need software modernization now (and you probably do), you will certainly need it in the near future. Let’s dive deeper into what the research says about legacy systems and modernization – and a few specific reasons why you should consider it.

The Deloitte Study on Legacy Systems and Modernization

Research from Deloitte revealed just how important it is for modern companies to update their software systems – and why enterprises are choosing to do so in droves. The study looked at the primary business drivers behind legacy system modernization, key factors in deciding on a solution and what approaches IT leaders are employing to modernize systems.

The conclusion? That the modernization journey can be a “long and challenging endeavor” but the enterprises that were studies are beginning to see the fruit of their efforts.

The report indicated that two-thirds of companies sought to update legacy solutions to remain technologically relevant: “Legacy solutions lack flexibility and carry a significant technology debt due to dated languages, databases, architectures, and a limited supply of aging baby-boomer programmers.”

While relevancy was a major factor, the highest business driver behind legacy system modernization was slightly more concrete. The goal of many IT leaders in modernization was to more efficiently achieve product strategy and objectives. Almost 9 out of 10 respondents to the Deloitte study were “looking to bring products to market rapidly while simultaneously modifying product attributes as they refine the offering.” In other words, they engage in legacy system modernization because it keeps them competitive.

In the same vein, one in five respondents indicated that product speed to market was the single most influential business driver behind legacy modernization.

“Initiate a modernization program so the business strategies and objectives align with and drive the direction of planned initiatives. Modernization programs are not exclusively technology based activities.”

~ Legacy systems and modernization: Core systems strategy | Deloitte

The Deloitte study makes two things clear. First, legacy system modernization (or replatforming) is almost certainly worth the effort from both a business and technology standpoint. Second, the modernization process is a major endeavor. So you’d better be clear on why you want to modernize and how you want to go about it.

5 Reasons to Consider Legacy System Modernization

A legacy software update is not necessarily an all or nothing event. But your organization or enterprise most likely needs some kind of update to stay efficient, profitable and up the task of meeting customer and stakeholder expectations.

Consider the following reasons to look legacy modernization:

• Maintain (or create) a competitive advantage by building out a lightweight solution when compared to your competitors.
• Experience better performance, more reliable processes and reduced risks with a better functioning system and containerized applications.
• See more satisfied customers and happier employees by meeting UX and performance standards.
• Get ready to scale in the future by transforming your IT stack into an agile and innovative platform for future change.
• Keep your IT infrastructure secure from external threats (and internal security breaches).
• Introduce simpler integration with the host of new enterprise software, from accounting software to CRMs used by thousands of businesses.
• Improve your bottom line by addressing the financial inefficiencies of legacy software.
• Realize growth opportunities, exceed customer expectations and reach new customers by staying ahead of the enterprise software curve.
• Legacy software typically is not user-friendly, difficult to work with and with the clumsy interface, especially the one that was built back in the early nineties. It does not cover the latest UI standards or device specifics. You will need to train your new employees to work with old-school software. This is not reasonable. To become familiar with such systems and start using them as fast as possible will take too much time for your target audience.

As stated in a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, hiring an employee in a company with 0-500 people costs an average of $7,645. Another study by the Society for Human Resource Management states that the average cost to hire an employee is $4,425. According to Glassdoor, the average company in the United States spends about $4,000 and 24 days to hire a new employee. This is an example of how much it will cost you keeping and managing your legacy systems if you add a couple of specialists just for maintenance of older systems.

Five Questions for Your Software Modernization Plan

Here we outline the five most important questions to ask internally as you get started toward legacy system modernization.

What is working well in our legacy software?

This goes back to the needs analysis we outlined briefly above. Software doesn’t age well, but not necessarily everything needs to be replaced. Or maybe it does. You won’t truly know until you address what is working well and what is not in your legacy software. An honest assessment of your legacy systems should be the foundation of any modernization efforts.

Which legacy system modernization approach do we want to take?

With at least five different options for legacy system modernization — including everything from a full rebuild and replacement to piecemeal updates as you go — you’ll want to be clear on which approach will best address your business needs. You may not fully know the answer to this until engaging with a technology partner, but you can started on your assessment to have a good idea of what you want before beginning the conversation.

What are our goals in the enterprise software modernization process?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: legacy system modernization is not just an IT endeavor. It is a business endeavor. Any updates you make to your enterprise software should be informed by your business needs and your business goals. Your IT stack is there to define your business, after all, and not (usually) the other way around.

How will we accomplish these goals through modernization?

Of course, your IT stack should work to accomplish your business goals. In order to do that, you need to tie your modernization efforts — every step of the way — to what you defined in the question above. Lay out the key components of a new enterprise IT stack that will give you the flexibility and competitiveness you need to accomplish those goals. This will lay out the big picture ahead of getting into the nitty gritty.

What are our next steps for software modernization?

First you focused on business capabilities, then business goals, then the broad strokes of what modernization will do on both ends. This is where you get into that nitty gritty, defining specific next steps for your legacy system modernization process. If you are rebuilding just parts of the enterprise system, lay out a roadmap for how you plan to take apart the IT stack piece by piece. If you are rebuilding and replacing, lay out a timeline for development, testing, deployment and quality assurance. Again, this will likely be in conjunction with your technology partner.