Kainos: Keep upgrading, an incremental approach to transforming Legacy IT #techUKDigitalPS

Legacy systems have been identified as a major barrier to digital change and one of the public sector’s greatest challenges. With over 50% of IT spend being used to maintain Legacy Tech, they really are a key issue for the Public Sector.

Diminishing user experience, a lack of accessibility and engagement, cybersecurity failings, and difficulties surfacing and using accurate data are just some of the legacy IT challenges the government has been working for years to address - but with little traction.

The time is now:

We have reached a critical juncture were upgrading Legacy tech really is an urgent necessity. As technology advances, organisations must update old IT systems to remove obsolesce and enhance the citizen experience.

But this transition isn't always easy. The latest thinking focuses on minimising disruption during the process, leveraging existing investments and evolving the architecture to unlock new opportunities.

So, why is there resistance to upgrading legacy tech?

Complexity: Public sector organisations often have complex legacy systems that have been developed over many years. These systems may be difficult to understand and untangle, making it challenging to update or replace them.

Interdependencies: Many legacy systems are interconnected and interdependent, which can make it difficult to update or replace one system without impacting others.

Cost: Replacing legacy systems can be expensive, and public sector organisations may not have the budget to undertake such a large-scale project.

Contracts: Legacy systems are probably outsourced and subject to repeated renewals under outdated contracts that do not deliver value for money or flexibility

Culture: Internal users may be resistant to change, particularly if they have been using the same systems for many years.

Data migration: Moving data from legacy systems to new systems can be time-consuming and complex, particularly if the data is in different formats or stored in different locations.

Security: Legacy systems may not be secure enough to meet modern security standards and updating them can be challenging and costly.

Regulatory compliance: Public sector organisations need to comply with a range of regulations and standards, which can make it difficult to update legacy systems without risking compliance issues.

Also, the latest thing you’ve just updated will itself be considered Legacy in five years. We need to start thinking about legacy transformation differently. Is there an incremental approach to legacy transformation that works, and how should we approach it?

An Incremental approach

An incremental approach to transforming legacy IT enables services to still be delivered while the transformation takes place. Small changes and incremental wins are the building blocks necessary for a successful transition.

The goal of our incremental legacy transformation approach is to make continuous improvements to systems and processes over time, while minimising disruption to the business and ensuring that user needs are being met.

This incremental, user centred approach allows us to identify opportunities for innovation and truly enable digital transformation that focuses on the business benefits, reducing overall costs whilst realising value early and often.  

By thinking about business change and taking this incremental approach to realise value early and often we’ve been able to stop assuming that every element of the old legacy service needs throwing out and replacing. The same way upcycling can breathe new life into old furniture and clothes, upcycling in the context of technical transformation can help organisations take advantage of existing technology investments and transform them into something better and more modern.

Organisations must think about upgrading now or be left behind.

To read more on our approach and how we can help public sector organisations with legacy transformation read our Legacy Transformation eBook and sign up for a bespoke workshop.

This article was written by Suzanne Angell, Head of Digital Advisory at Kainos. Suzanne is passionate about user-led design and delivery of transformational Government services. Expert in supporting the public sector to design and deliver Agile service change projects and programmes, grow in house capabilities, implement multi-tenanted supply chains and utilise COTS products. Read more...

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