Legacy systems encompass more than just the bare metal servers and software used in your organization. It could also include the physical workflows, information routing paths, domain authorities, and resource responsibilities currently implemented.

The existing system architecture would undoubtedly impede growth in the modern technology economy. Legacy systems served the old development methodologies and operational processes well. However, the longer an organization maintains these systems and practices instead of adopting a DevOps strategy, the less efficient the teams will likely become.

Legacy Systems and Technical Debt

In legacy environments, the teams operate in silos and rarely share responsibilities. This could lead to increased technical debt over time, incurred either knowingly or unintentionally. If you don’t address the technical debt, eventually your backlog will increase, and an ever-greater amount of resources will be required to clear these tasks. Additionally, as the legacy system limits collaboration and cross-functional teamwork, rework becomes a daily activity for employees.

Clearly, for all but some completely insulated organizations or entities, legacy systems are no longer sustainable. Adopting a DevOps workflow can alleviate the dependency your organization has on the legacy environment. DevOps solves many issues that have long plagued the software development and system operation disciplines. The DevOps lifecycle relies primarily on an organizational culture that utilizes integration tools, allowing teams to take complete responsibility for development tasks and the system’s daily stability.

DevOps Solutions in a Legacy System

With DevOps tools, teams branch a portion of the code repository, update the branch with fixes or features, then merge the branch back to the master daily. The deployment model allows for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines that improve the code’s reliability and enables teams to release updates with confidence more frequently.

The underlying continuous development tools and automated workflows increase communication and collaboration within departments and teams. The tools also centralize data and reduce the need for physical paper processing while retaining oversight and control of the processes. DevOps solutions provide completely integrated environments that enable legacy migration projects with improved ROI.

DevOps Technologies that Enable Legacy Migration

Using technology such as containerization, microservices, or serverless code, organizations can migrate legacy applications to a DevOps lifecycle without making drastic changes to the code repositories. The tools that manage the branching and updates to the repositories also integrate with the workflow and project management solutions, improving oversight and collaboration. By overlaying the modern technology stack onto the legacy system, teams gain efficiency and productivity, improve system reliability, and reduce infrastructure overhead continuously.

The tools that can assist with legacy migrations include:

• Atlassian Confluence – Provides centralized information and knowledge management in a digital environment.
• GitLab – A complete, end-to-end CI/CD pipeline solution for every stage in the DevOps lifecycle.
• JFrog – A suite of products that enables DevOps acceleration using artifact management principles and universal distribution systems as well as automated security audits.

ReleaseTEAM’s Expertise in all of the above tools and processes will ensure your organization can leverage the benefits of DevOps for a greater ROI. The ability to merge legacy systems with new technology stacks will enable the organization to scale quickly without compromising system integrity.

ReleaseTEAM’s DevOps Consulting and Services

ReleaseTEAM provides a comprehensive set of DevOps consultancy services, including training, staff augmentation, tool licensing, and expert support. As a veteran agile software implementation firm, ReleaseTEAM has seen it all during the software development revolution.

To reduce your dependency on legacy systems and improve your process efficiency, reach out to one of ReleaseTEAM’s consultants on 866-887-0489 or info@releaseteam.com today.