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SMBs are frequently less equipped to embrace new technology than larger enterprises are. Their small size limits their ability to invest in cutting-edge machinery or hire skilled workers, complicating their journey to digital transformation. Especially, for the adoption of cloud technology.
This article discusses the reasons why small and medium businesses often lack opportunities to reengineer legacy systems by themselves, how these legacy systems hold them back, common legacy modernization strategies to choose from, and what TYMIQ offers to assist these businesses with modernization.
How outdated technologies hold SMBs back
Dynamic and extensive growth is essential for SMBs to outdo their competitors and take the dominant position in the market. It leads to new opportunity capture, an expansion of the customer base at breakneck speed and easy market takeover in comparison to different players. Brand awareness and inclusiveness, while at the same time, consolidating already earned positions, are yet another notable benefit of the extreme growth.
It is supposed that custom software can speed up any business towards its goals. So whether we talk about a collaboration tool for customer relationship management, project management software, user-derived diagnosis software, or any business intelligence tool, the right software has the power to make the industry run faster, smarter, and more productive. Therefore, legacy software has no place in this scenario.
Legacy applications miss out on scalability, performance, and flexibility that modern applications have. They are inconvenient and costly in operations, maintenance, and upgrades because of the absence of support from usually discontinued technology suppliers.
Not only do production costs burden SMBs with legacy apps, but their inability to respond to customers' needs as efficiently as competitors. When applications are retarder to growth and success, they must be modernized.
Obstacles that prevent small businesses from migrating to the cloud
Migration to the cloud is a tangled and resource-heavy process for a lot of SMBs, because these companies mainly depend upon in-house-developed applications and limited IT resources. From ensuring compatibility with legacy systems to the feasibility of scaling up applications in the cloud to limitations in human resources, these hurdles tend to hinder a smooth transition.
Let's take a look at the three primary obstacles standing in between small businesses and their legacy apps moving up to the cloud for more efficient performance and scalability:
First, many small companies rely on in-house applications customized to run on legacy infrastructural setups. Most often, it is on-premises data centers. These legacy applications were never designed to coexist in a cloud world, so they resisted migration.
Internal development can also present challenges since applications are often aimed at certain processes or functions. This sometimes leads to the provision of inflexible platforms that are difficult to scale, thus hindering the main advantages of using such systems in the cloud.
Another key obstacle for small businesses could be staff. Smaller organizations may not have the resources necessary to successfully migrate applications to the cloud. Little IT teams may not have the expertise in cloud technology, and migration might be a very tough challenge, especially concerning the critical applications, as the SMBs would be less resilient to downtime.
To overcome these obstacles, small and medium-sized businesses may appoint professionals to assist them in migrating their applications to the cloud. For instance, it is possible for SMB service providers, like TYMIQ, to help navigate or resolve these cloud migration difficulties.
As an example of a cloud migration project, review our case study where TYMIQ migrated a legacy procurement platform for suppliers of technical items to the cloud and, therefore, achieved a scalable, optimized solution.
Challenges of legacy modernization addressed by TYMIQ
Software modernization for SMBs faces quite a number of common challenges; amongst them are scalability and performance issues, obsolete technology, maintenance of legacy systems, security threats, and dynamically changing business requirements. This is where TYMIQ helps SMBs with customized solutions and dedicated development teams to combat the challenges thrown at them in this ever-competitive market.
Here are some of the key legacy modernization challenges addressed by TYMIQ:
- Poor scalability and performance
TYMIQ facilitates SMBs in addressing scalability and performance issues by modernizing their legacy applications and optimizing them for the cloud. By rebuilding architectures and utilizing cloud-native features, TYMIQ makes sure that applications perform efficiently under increased workloads.
- Outdated technology
TYMIQ offers assistance to small and medium businesses to allow them to migrate their services from outdated technologies to modern solutions that enhance functionality and performance. With up-to-date technology and development practices, TYMIQ aids SMBs in remaining competitive during this fast-paced business environment.
To see our software reengineering services in practice, read about TYMIQ’s project where our engineers migrated a legacy seaport operation system from .NET Web Forms to .NET Core.
- Legacy system maintenance
With expert knowledge in maintaining legacy systems, TYMIQ reduces the load on SMBs' IT teams. Through our support and maintenance services, we prevent any legacy system from becoming an insecure, unreliable, or inefficient.
As an example, check out the case on how TYMIQ maintained and modernized a mission-critical legacy system for an air traffic control (ATC) company.
- Security issues
TYMIQ deals with security issues of legacy apps by using an effective set of security measures and best practices in software development. Through rigorous security assessments and implementation of industry-standard security protocols, TYMIQ helps SMBs to secure their applications and data against cyber threats.
- Changing business demands
TYMIQ helps SMBs adjust to changing demands by offering flexible and scalable solutions. With our agile development processes, we ensure that SMBs can quickly adapt to market changes and customer requirements.
Legacy application modernization approaches: which and when to use
The reengineering process is complex and requires a thorough understanding of business objectives, workflows, and constraints. A study of existing infrastructure reveals the risks and the potential, which allows for the selection of the most suitable modernization approach. Actually, there are six proven strategies designed to cater to specific business needs and challenges:
- ‘Adapt’ strategies
- Replatforming (‘lift and reshape’): Migrating applications to a new platform with optimizations to prepare for a new environment.
- Rehosting ( ‘lift and shift’): Migration of the applications to another environment, without changing the codebase for minimal downtime The primary goal is to migrate quickly under tight deadlines and with minimal resources.
- ‘Improve’ strategies
- Refactoring: Making code changes to improve structure, readability, and maintainability. Typically, refactoring is used to identify and eliminate idle features, streamlining maintenance.
- Rearchitecting: Changing the app's architecture to address scalability, performance, or other critical issues. It goes beyond refactoring, as you restructure the entire system to align with modern design principles.
- ‘Transform’ strategies
- Rebuilding: Redesigning apps from scratch to leverage modern development tools and practices.
- Replacing: Introducing new software or custom-built solutions, to meet the business requirements with zero downtime.
Whether to adapt, improve, or transform your legacy software depends on your current opportunities and goals. You may also prefer a combination of strategies. To learn more about indicators of modernization necessity, six modernization strategies, and best practices, read our dedicated blog post.
Why we should be considered for digital transformation of small and medium businesses?
Small and medium enterprises experience particular challenges in the improvement of legacy software. Maximum budget constraints, complex systems, and, indeed, very lean resources make such an effort daunting. That's where TYMIQ comes in. Here are some reasons why small and medium companies should consider us for their software modernization needs:
- Expertise in complicated cases
We excel in handling the complex. Be it outdated technology, or complicated systems, or intricate business processes, our team has the expertise to tackle even the most challenging projects.
- Affordable pricing and MVP approach
We understand the budget constraints of small and medium companies. That's why a minimum viable product (MVP) approach is the cornerstone of our methodology, which means you can start trading small and scale whenever you want.
- Individualized approach
We customize solutions for clients, irrespective of their size, at all stages from providing initial consultation up to the delivery of projects. We take the time to work on unique needs and customize approaches according to them.
- Proven results
More than twenty years of experience in software delivery have brought us success on many projects. The team is fired up to work for results that are better than expected, and on time and within budget.
- Risk reduction
Aware of the risks accompanying such projects, we do adopt an elaborate risk management approach, so that the transition may be seamless and successful.
- Trustworthy partnerships
We attach much value to establishing firm connections between our teams and those of our clients. Our principles are to build such long-term relations based on trust, transparency, and mutual understanding, as it would guarantee effective outcomes for all.
- Passive investment in time and resources
Being a small company ourselves, we know the value of passive investments. So we will invest our time and resources into your company to make it succeed without putting any extra burden on your team.
- Agile development process
TYMIQ recognizes that SMBs have their own decision-making process and has aligned our agile development process with the SMB nature. In terms of a dedicated team of 2-4 experts, we guarantee personalized attention to all the intricate details that streamline decision-making, directly impacting the bottom line of SMBs.
In closing, our specialists are always open to give a free in-depth consultation on your IT challenge or intended project. Simply drop us a line at contact@tymiq.com, and we will get back to you to discuss all the available solutions.
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