The client had multiple legacy applications, deployed over the years. Its business needs had grown with time and the applications were falling short of required service levels. The client faced the following challenges:

• Lack of integration: Most of the integration with upstream and downstream systems was manual, resulting in common data getting obsolete quickly.
• The client was finding it difficult and expensive to hire and retain resources to maintain the legacy apps.
• The legacy system was prone to security breaches and couldn’t be deployed on the enterprise-level stack.
• The existing system supported only single-user applications, and it wasn’t possible to roll them out to multiple users.

After a comprehensive analysis, we rationalized, classified and distributed the client’s applications portfolio in four areas: 1) upgrade and continue to maintain; 2) rewrite to modernize; 3) consolidate overlapping applications using a framework approach; and, 4) retire. The idea was to deliver maximum value at the lowest cost possible and ensure the system complied with security standards. Here’s what we did for the client:

• Upgraded the technology stack for the application(s) to lower maintenance costs, improve efficiency and meet growing business needs.
• Used an in-house technology modernization framework to reduce development and maintenance costs.
• Consolidated applications that were doing similar tasks and had similar features and modernized them.
• Retired applications, whose features were available through other applications.

The success of our solution was based on our ability to quickly gather complete information about the existing applications. To do that, we used a questionnaire that we have developed and refined over the years that helps us gather information in a structured and comprehensive manner about the architecture, user base, maintenance methodology, etc.

• With the legacy modernization and application consolidation process, we reduced the client’s application portfolio from 45 applications to less than 10.
• Reduced the resources required for maintenance from six to two.
• The framework-based approach accelerated time-to-market, a critical differentiator for the client.