With new advances in technology happening constantly, the approach your enterprise has typically taken to mainframe modernization may no longer apply. Legacy applications are not only problematic because of the possible security risks associated with older software, but because the definition of what makes something "legacy" changes as time passes and systems age.
This is a subject we've discussed many times previously, and it's a persistent problem for mainframe users that rely on "swivel chairing" and other inefficient means of transitioning older data successfully. ZDNet contributor Joe McKendrick addresses legacy mainframe update issues, specifically the needs to save money as organizations attempt to keep pace with new changes, in a recent article.
What's more, it can be hard to find employees with knowledge of how to to interact with older systems, although IBM has attempted to counter concerns over an aging mainframe-experienced workforce with a special academic systems initiative targeting younger future employees.
Adrian Bridgwater discusses these same concerns in an article for Forbes about the need for proper planning around application modernization.
"Some applications will need to be brought forward kicking and screaming so that they are re-platformed for mobile (tablet and smartphone) use cases that were never envisaged at the outset," he said. "Skills are also a factor. As programming languages go, Java and C# are considerably more en vogue than COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language), which dates back to the fifties."
One way to counter the problems of ineffective or obsolete modernization trends is by pursuing solutions that are simple and compatible with new devices. Inventu's FlyNet Viewer makes a seamless addition to enterprise app management procedures regardless of the types of terminals and browsers you depend on.