What we consider to be legacy software today was once the very best solution available. However, with time and the sheer pace of innovation in the tech world, what was once the latest and greatest software soon becomes outdated and increasingly not fit for purpose.
The risk presented by continuing to make use of legacy software, especially in today’s digital world, is a purely practical one. Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest concerns across industries. By keeping legacy software operating in a business, company, or government department, one is heightening both the security risk to that organisation, as well as the compliance risk, in terms of GDPR and POPIA.
The effects of legacy software
Particularly in government, while legacy software may still perform the function it was originally acquired for, it may not have evolved alongside the increasing demands that are placed on the public sector. This puts an additional burden on an already stressed system and can begin to affect service delivery in key departments, and ultimately impact delivery to the citizen.
The modernisation of any organisation, including the public sector, needs to be an ongoing mindset and not a once-off solution to be truly successful. The key to removing the burden created by legacy software is not to spend thousands of Rands replacing it all in one go. This approach is destined to fail, as it does not take into account the need for gentle change management or the need to thoroughly test the chosen solution.
Rather, it should start by assessing the current infrastructure environment to see where legacy software is falling short or not making the jobs and lives of officials easier. From there, the next step would be finding a solution that easily integrates with the current environment while speaking to any existing legacy software. This makes change management easier and doesn’t disrupt the ongoing work that needs to continue during the upgrade of systems.
Start small
In this process it’s critical to start small and prove the new solution before rolling out or ramping up across operations. Pick a module that will make a big impact in a small space so that the results can be measured, and the solution can be tested and proven.
Change management amongst users becomes much simpler once the solution has made a measurable impact and proven value. Workers speak to one another about how new software makes their jobs easier and buzz generated by positive word of mouth can help to create buy-in amongst end-users.
Furthermore, upgrading software allows a public sector organisation to update their security infrastructure at the same time, as newer solutions are more likely to be compliant with current legislative requirements.
All of Boxfusion’s Smartgov for Administration modules can easily integrate with existing software environments inside of the public sector, including PERSAL, BAS, LOGIS and SharePoint. Get in touch and let’s talk about how we can help upgrade your legacy systems.