5 Ways to Address Legacy Systems
Mobile market speed adds pressure to legacy IT plans.
Mobile service providers are at risk when their oldest legacy technology is suddenly exposed to the latest, most cutting-edge channels. Paul Hughes, Netcracker's Strategy Director, explains in his recent article in Wireless Week, "The Dangers of Legacy Systems", how customers' expectations for omnichannel experiences and high-speed mobile technology have added to service providers’ urgency to find successful ways to advance or phase out legacy systems.
Hughes offers five ways for service providers to address their legacy systems to avoid both current and future challenges:
1. Build a Cost-Benefit Analysis: Compare the cost of patching and maintaining against replacement across the system’s lifecycle.
2. Set Clear Expectations Internally: Both business and IT stakeholders should know how older systems will be managed and replaced.
3. Involve Both Business and IT in New System Selection: The divide between a service provider’s business and IT organizations can become one of the most dangerous obstacles to long-term success.
4. Try a Brand New Approach: Look to adopt technology in the cloud or via managed services. The cloud’s flexibility, coupled with a shift in responsibility to third-party vendors, helps service providers address current and future legacy risks.
5. Shift the Management and Upgrade Onus to Technology Providers: Tying all movements to SLAs helps guarantee business continuity, upgradability and longevity.