Understanding and Managing the Term Legacy System

1819 Words4 Pages

Introduction

The term legacy system has distinct meanings for different individuals. For numerous people, it describes archaic mainframe or dumb-terminal software programs from the 1970s and 1980s (Weber, 2006). To other individuals, it may infer the client/server applications from the 1990s or web applications from the late 1990s (Weber, 2006). The chief point is that each one of these distinct architectures presents different risks that must be thoroughly understood and properly managed (Weber, 2006).

The aim of this research is to assess security risks with legacy systems. Research has uncovered that in spite of the information technology (IT) industry's diligence to advance the model of operating systems (O/S) employed, a substantial number of people elect to continue using outdated O/S for many of their most crucial software applications (Lamb, 2008). Topics covered in this assignment include an evaluation of legacy information systems at the NYS Office of Mental Health, security risks posed with legacy systems and the lack of skilled workers for modernization projects, and a defense of why legacy systems do not pose a problem.

Risk Analysis

The assignment research revealed that legacy programs endure due to the risks and expenditures of changing them (Lamb, 2008). Legacy replacement strategies can flop, not only injuring the reliability of the IT unit, but also the livelihoods of management (Lamb, 2008). The efforts and expenses required in system testing and the possibility of a colossal end-user reskilling program can be enormous (Lamb, 2008). Funds for upgrades are challenging to acquire due to the fact IT budgets are split amongst preserving the status quo and delivering modern functionality (Lamb, 2008). ...

... middle of paper ...

...to leverage legacy applications may seem beneficial, but it is not. A single breach can result in the destruction of a business’s profits and reputation. For many legacy products, the vendors, many decide to no longer patch or keep up to date with known vulnerabilities. This can present high risks to the business who continue to use them. It is not always necessary to scrap or replace legacy applications. Transformation is a feasible option if the current applications are of good quality and a reasonable fit to business needs (Good, 2002). Organizations will have to weigh the benefits of maintaining a legacy O/S against security worries and the cost of protecting it by means other than patching (Lamb, 2008). Supporting a legacy operating system in an enterprise is as much about risk management as it is about traditional IT service management (Lamb, 2008).

Open Document