Cloud technologies and application modernization has been around for almost 15 years now. Until recently, many businesses thought it wasn’t wise to move legacy applications to modern cloud platforms. This mindset has evolved and now most businesses look at application modernization not just as an option but as a necessity. With an increase in remote and hybrid working preferences, mobile applications for employees and customers have gained popularity. Prioritizing the digital technology evolution and shifting mission-critical apps for improved efficiency and performance is a must in today’s dynamic marketplace. In this blog, we will discuss what are the key benefits of application modernization and what is the right way of implementing it.
Legacy applications are usually based on monolithic architecture. This has its limitations as it is difficult to upgrade and expensive to scale. These characteristics are an impediment to keeping up with changing market demands and call for modernization of these applications. In monolithic architecture, all components of the application are built as one. This makes the architecture complex and difficult to change. As a result, there is a lot of wasted computing. On the other hand, the modern applications based on microservices architecture, are built with smaller components that can be deployed and upgraded independently.
Application modernization also supports innovation by bringing flexibility and agility to operations. Increased efficiency and productivity that accompany this change encourage innovation. Modern applications are also compatible with compliance requirements.
Application modernization promotes business continuity, as these apps are hosted on the cloud. Reduction of operational costs and decreased cost of recovery are also some of the key benefits of modern mobile applications.
Companies are able to maintain their competitive edge by revolutionizing customer experience, which contributes to long-term growth for the organization.
The foremost thing is to identify why you need application modernization. This is the first step that will govern the approach, technologies and timelines for the entire modernization undertaking. Going blindly into modernization may cost your company in revamping applications and adding functionalities that might not be necessary.
A clear modernization roadmap will help you navigate challenges and build superior applications. The roadmap essentially focuses on a DevOps approach that lets you decentralize decision-making and leverage the expertise of cross-functional teams. Transparency, communication, collaboration and awareness are key to the success of a modernization project. It is essential to have all stakeholders on board and resolve all concerns before deployment.
The Application Modernization strategy is based on 4 main pillars. These aspects ensure a resilient, scalable and secure applications.
Security
include DevSecOps to consider security from design phase
Strategic plans of prevent data Leakage
Focus on authentication for migration
Enable self service for security at scale
Scale
Scale microservices architecture quickly
Enable superior and reliable digital experiences
Governance
Establish authority of concerned teams to build, manage and optimize infrastructure
Provide a collaborative environment
Observability
Anticipating issues before they occur
Promoting quick diagnosis and recovery
A broad portfolio of technologies is needed to facilitate application modernization. The primary expertise is cloud. Private, hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are a critical part of modernization strategies. Your app modernization team should be able to handle latency, security and architecture related to the cloud. Till recently, only virtual machines were used for computing and testing. Now Containers and Kubernetes have enabled consistent, lightweight and reliable options that are increasingly being used for modernization in the cloud era.
Choosing the right partner for your application modernization is a key factor for successful transformations. App modernization is an important part of the overall automation and digital transformation journey for your organization. For many businesses, it is the foundation of greater automation projects that expand beyond IT operations and reach across the entire organization. App modernization partners should be able to work incrementally and enable you to scale at your pace.
At OpenTeQ, we work with you closely to understand your needs and provide services for creating strategies and roadmaps, building processes and capabilities and deploying modern applications for different business functionalities.