Every business will have a range of software that it uses to carry out its operation. Its age and deployment will differ, with older software often being used in conjunction with more recently
introduced applications.
While moving to bespoke software solutions that better meet the needs of your business can seem like a considerable undertaking, it will usually deliver significant benefits.
Legacy software, that is software that your business has been using for a number of years, can have its advantages and disadvantages. If it still fully meets the requirements of the business, then it may still have a role to play. However, many businesses persist with older legacy software despite it having an increasing range of drawbacks.
Legacy software can slow you down
Legacy software was developed to meet older requirements using tools that may have since been superseded. As a result, legacy software rarely meets the requirements of modern businesses.
It may well be subject to more downtime and may require patches and updates to counter security and operational issues that develop. Often, the developers of the software have long since moved on to new products meaning that little attention is given to legacy software.
Legacy software is prone to more downtime and requires more maintenance when compared to tailored solutions. This can be both frustrating and time-consuming. Vendors understand that you are reliant on support to keep these systems running and the cost of accessing this support tends to increase over time. Eventually, vendors may phase out support, often with little advance notice, leaving users susceptible to breakdowns and a range of potential security issues.
Legacy software impedes creativity
Compared to bespoke software solutions, legacy software rarely provides the same degree of flexibility. Legacy software is often continued to be used because it fulfils a particular function, but as time passes, its ability to do more than just meet a basis function decreases. This means that your capacity to develop your services to meet present and future challenges is impeded.
Legacy software limits your use of data
The quality of the data you have at your disposal is increasingly key to the success of your business. Using a legacy system to gather and store data is likely to mean you’re using data inefficiently. This prohibits your ability to access data quickly and easily, particularly when compared to the efficiencies that bespoke software solutions can deliver.
You may be storing your data in a range of systems that cannot communicate with each other, meaning that you need to enter and access the same data multiple times.
How to modernise your legacy software
Opting for your own bespoke software solutions is an easy way to update your software to ensure it can better meet your current and future needs.
At InTeck, we can help you move beyond legacy software with our tailored software solutions. To find out more about how we work and what we can do for your business, call 0800 3685220 or email info@inteckltd.co.uk