In a recent interview with TechTarget, Rick Oppedisano of Modern Systems Corp. discussed the process of updating a legacy system and priming old applications for future use in a non-traditional environment. It will vary for each company and require a different approach each time.
According to Oppedisano, one of the big problems most companies face during this type of project is knowing exactly how much to change and how quickly. Although some businesses might feel they have to restructure everything from the mainframe, this is just one option.
Instead, companies can test, do research and set achievable goals for the modernization's end result. This can also include comparing each legacy application and system within the company alongside each other for "full visibility" to see how they all work together.
"In a lot of cases, architects can get distracted," Oppedisano says. "Sometimes they get distracted because they want to maintain the legacy code to a degree that is unreasonable; they don't want to do enough change. In other cases, they want to do too much in the name of progress."
Also crucial to successful modernization is a successful assessment period, taken on before the beginning of the project itself. Test cases and a tight timeframe help to keep modernization within budget and prevent surprises from popping up later. Oppedisano adds that the "end game" for application updates should be reducing risks and learning more about the infrastructure at your business.
Restructuring mainframe access can be challenging at first, but as long as enterprises have a strong understanding of what they want, they increase their chances of keeping the process relatively painless. Simplified solutions to porting mainframe applications help to both speed up the process and let organizations take the approach to modernization that is most appropriate and feasible.