What is application modernization?

In our fast paced world one thing remains unchanged - technology evolves fast. In the last 20 years, the digital industry has experienced an explosion of new developments, which further urges companies to stay on top of modern trends. Modernization of applications remains one of the pressing issues on their agenda.
Application modernization is a process of updating outdated software. It usually involves adopting newer programming languages, frameworks, computing methodologies and more. Modernizing an app is pretty much the same as renovating a house of your grandma. Despite the building's fine condition, it definitely needs repair to ensure a safe and comfortable living environment. Similarly the modernization of applications is aimed at making the application more efficient and secure.
In this article we’ll cover common modernization patterns and some proven strategies that can be implemented on a small or large scale based on your needs. The information in this article will be especially helpful to enterprises and app owners who are seeking ways to modernize their apps efficiently and easily.

Why modernize legacy applications?

The issue of upgrading enterprise applications for internal use is particularly acute for many companies. Generally, applications are defined by their age, but we should not forget about the relationship it creates to the business. By default, applications help the business operate in the most efficient way, which creates a kind of symbiosis between the business and the application itself. It is possible, however, for the idyll in the family to be gradually replaced by toxic relationships. Over time legacy applications may require special expertise, increasing technical debt. Consequently, legacy applications require specialized skills for maintenance, development teams grow, and all this begins to cost a fortune.
Continuing to utilize legacy applications may be a necessity to business processes, and in such a case it is necessary to be prepared for all the risks and consequences which soon will cost a lot. Common difficulties typical for legacy apps are coming from noncompliance, failing to deliver new features and functionality demanded by employees. Basically, in such a situation companies have two scenarios to get a modern app: develop an application from scratch or modernize the legacy one. The first option can cost an arm and a leg, which makes IT leaders postpone this idea. Modernizing from an outdated technology to a modern one is often the most feasible decision a company can make.
Even though it will be a challenge to modernize, it is worthwhile to start making a modernization plan and preparing for the necessary changes as soon as possible.

Application modernization patterns

Basically there are 2 most popular application modernization patterns:

• From monolith to microservices. The replacement of outdated systems with more adaptable, lightweight, and networked services is one of the most popular methods of modernizing applications. Instead of working with large, unstable applications, organizations can replace them with a series of modular new applications — often united by one or more APIs.
  Workflows may be sped up, and flexibility can be increased, by tearing down large, monolithic services into smaller ones. These more flexible applications, referred to as composable applications, use microservices architecture to increase their portability and flexibility.

• From on-premises to the cloud. Since they are less likely to be incorporated into wider application environments, on-premises apps often have a limited feature set and less flexibility. Businesses may improve the flexibility and scalability of their infrastructure with cloud migration or replacing an app with a cloud-native alternative. Migrating legacy apps always requires in-depth analysis of the current application state and includes key challenges that depend on such factors as languages, APIs, frameworks, etc. Replacing might entail purchasing software-as-a-service (SaaS) products that are native to the cloud. Alternatively, it is also possible to migrate and host already-existing applications there.

Both patterns are impossible or extremely difficult to implement if your application uses outdated technologies such as COBOL, Delphi, Informix 4GL. In this case, the solution may be to switch to modern C#, Java, JavaScript, Python. The process of moving your application to a new technology stack may be greatly simplified if you automate the entire transition. A helping hand in this complicated journey may become a tool for automated application migration. An example of such a tool is NglFly Wizard, which is designed for automated migration of application source code to a new technology, including migration to the cloud. It easily implements conversion of legacy applications to modern programming languages. The tool is able to analyze data types, relationships between objects, and reserved words and even code structures that do not have any equivalents in a new technology. With such a clever approach, code adjustments are reduced to a minimum and automation levels are maximized. This tool helps our team to skyrocket the process of app modernization up to 2 times while realizing the full potential of your application in the modern technology and/or in the cloud.

What are the benefits of application modernization?

Enterprise application modernization provides multiple benefits for enterprises empowering them to unlock the true potential of their software assets and stay ahead in a competitive marketplace. The main benefits of application modernization include:

• Streamlined innovation. Over time, outdated applications for internal use lead to increasing costs of maintaining them in an operational state, which negatively affects a business as a whole. When companies are relieved of the burden of extensive legacy apps and infrastructure maintenance, they gain the freedom to dedicate more resources and time to fostering innovation. Newly modernized applications require less spendings on their development and maintenance.

• Security and reliability. Enhancing security stands as a paramount priority in the process of modernizing legacy platform infrastructure. Legacy systems often cannot properly operate with modern versions of operating systems and other applications, which makes them vulnerable to potential data breaches and malicious attacks, posing significant risks to organizations. The process of modernization, however, equips businesses with improved security measures and safeguards critical transactions from potential threats.

• Compatibility and agility. Legacy application modernization allows our clients to eliminate compatibility issues, ensure smooth data exchange, mitigate system conflicts, and foster interoperability with other systems and services. This seamless integration paves the way for streamlined operations and optimized performance. For example, web architecture increases accessibility, containers enable organizations to build tremendously scalable environments. This empowers businesses to promptly respond to market demands, meet evolving customer expectations, and stay ahead of competitors. The resulting agility not only helps organizations maintain a competitive edge but also fuels innovation, driving their continuous growth and success.

Application modernization strategies

In fact, once you’ve decided to modernize your application, it’s time to choose the perfect modernization strategy that fits your long-term motivations, and current state environment. Some of the most popular strategies for modernizing apps are:

1. Rehosting or Lift and Shift. This approach entails shifting applications to a more up-to-date infrastructure without making major modifications to the application itself, such as switching from on-premises servers to the cloud. There are several benefits that can be derived from this approach, including increased scalability, decreased maintenance, and cost savings. However, this application modernization strategy also has certain drawbacks. Since this strategy means basically a copy-paste process, keep in mind that all the drawbacks of your software will be successfully migrated to a new platform, which is hardly a way to considerably improve the efficiency.

2. Refactoring. This method involves the process of reorganizing and optimizing existing code. It allows to get rid of outdated code, reduce significant technical debt, and improve non-functional attributes such as performance, security, and usability. Furthermore, by refactoring, you can also adapt to changing requirements since cloud-native, and microservice architectures make it possible for applications to add new features or modify existing ones right away. However, this strategy is a half-measure in certain cases. If the source technology is not outdated, refactoring is a proper preventive measure. On the other hand, if the application is written in ancient COBOL, for example, such a measure is definitely insufficient and it is worth considering other modernization strategies.

3. Rearchitecting. In a situation when an application is not compatible with the mobile, web or cloud architecture, rearchitecting is an optimal way out. Most often rearchitecting involves dividing applications into smaller, more manageable pieces, so that they can be adjusted and developed individually. It can also involve migrating the application to a serverless architecture. Besides all the advantages of changing the architecture that include more flexibility, scalability and control, this strategy requires intelligent automation and analysis tools. Otherwise, rearchitecting will take a great deal of time, effort and will be more expensive than other alternatives.

4. Rebuilding. This strategy focuses on identifying the key legacy components that need to be modernized and built again without changing the application scope. It could be, for example, a specific feature or a set of elements driving the user experience. This process is relatively quick, however, it requires substantial time and budget, as well as considerable expertise.

5. Replace. This may be the simplest method for modernizing an application. Instead of rehosting, refactoring, rearchitecting, and rebuilding enterprises may just replace an application with a SaaS. When existing SaaS applications can provide you with all the necessary functionalities, replacement is an excellent option if you are looking to save costs related to software development. But replacement may pose a number of challenges including interruptions to business processes and limitations to future modernization initiatives.

When weighing up all pros and cons of each strategy, it is essential to remember that some of them may sometimes require additional optimization of the application to ensure stable, secure and efficient results of the modernization project. If you need to transform your application and add new features to it, in such a situation it may be worth contacting a service company for professional application modernization services. In the case of an application written in outdated Delphi, for example, it is absolutely worthwhile to seek out a skilled team with in-depth migration expertise, solutions, and methodologies that can ensure a seamless transition.

Application modernization steps

The process of modernizing corporate apps can be broadly defined by three steps.

• Infrastructure Audit. The very first step in the app modernization process is to assess your existing IT infrastructure, including all of the following:
  • Current hardware and software in use at your organization
  • Any existing integration issues between apps
  • Platform compatibility problems you’re experiencing
  • All outdated features that simply would not work as expected.

The roadmap prepared based on such an analysis, should be able to cover what’s working and what needs to be improved. Without a clear sense of the challenges you face, it’s impossible to create an efficient modernization strategy.

• Design a modernization plan. Designing an optimal modernization plan entails a thorough examination of your requirements, defining the desired outcomes, and making decisions on resource allocation within the constraints of your budget and timeline. This thoughtful approach enables effective planning and execution of modernization initiatives, ensuring efficient utilization of available resources while maximizing the overall impact on the application landscape.
• Implementation. This stage implies bringing the chosen modernization approach to life and keeping up with the created roadmap. At this point it’s also important to keep an eye on the KPIs in order to meet the expectations of the organization and the objectives determined at the design stage.

Key technologies for application modernization

• Cloud. While public cloud is a critical part of any modernization strategy, private cloud, hybrid cloud and multicloud strategies are also critically important for security, latency and architectural considerations. For any number of reasons, an organization might not be ready to go straight from the data center to the public cloud. That is no show-stopper as the other cloud models can help solve the workload issues in full compliance with the corporate security policies.
• Containers and Kubernetes. Containers and Kubernetes have become significant players in the cloud computing landscape, not only challenging the dominance of virtual machines (VMs) but also playing a pivotal role in hybrid cloud and application modernization strategies. Containerization allows applications to run consistently across various environments, including desktops, cloud platforms, and on-premises infrastructure. It empowers organizations to navigate their cloud journey with ease, enabling seamless portability and efficient utilization of resources. Furthermore, Kubernetes, an orchestration platform for containers, provides advanced management and scaling capabilities. It simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications, ensuring scalability, resilience, and efficient resource allocation.

Automated App Modernization

It goes without saying that one of the most valuable assets every business has is time. With the right time management in place, businesses can maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Even the most appropriate modernization strategy can be time-consuming if implemented manually. That’s the time when machines come to help. There are various tools available that automate this complicated process. Such modernization approach implies several benefits:

1. Automation saves time. Automated tools majorly facilitate the conversion, reducing the manual work to the minimum. With the help of a smart migration core they can automatically analyze data types, and complex code structures which greatly simplifies the developers’ work.
2. Cost Optimization. Automated application modernization can result in cost savings for organizations. By reducing manual effort, automating repetitive tasks, and minimizing errors, companies can minimize the overall modernization expenses.
3. Risk Mitigation. Generally, modernization of large enterprise applications brings a number of risks that hold back companies from the legacy modernization project. A big project increases the likelihood that something will go wrong which would result in additional costs and delays. But automation eliminates the risks associated with the human factor, and also makes the project timeframe more acceptable. Automation allows to detect and address most of the issues early in the modernization process and mitigate risks associated with data breaches, system failures, or non-compliance.

To conclude, application modernization is a hackneyed subject today. And for a good reason. All systems have to be compatible with the latest software and a wide variety of tools to ensure operational capacity and adaptability. And let’s not forget about security. With new security threats emerging daily, applications should be updated with the latest security measures and monitored carefully. That is why no one would argue if we claim that app modernization is a ‘must’ today.

If you plan your app modernization journey, consider utilizing automated tools, like the one provided by Ispirer. An application modernization process can become simpler and quicker handled by professionals utilizing automation and following best practices.