India is on the brink of a technological revolution, with millions of dollars in investments flooding into the country for not only physical infrastructure but also digital tools. Just last year, CII-Colliers revealed that the country’s data centre industry will witness investments of over $10 billion in the next 3 years, solidifying India’s bid to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027. With technology at the center of India’s transformation initiatives, it is imperative that its base digital infrastructure undergoes transformation if the nation hopes to achieve its goals. However, in this quest to become a digital leader lies a huge challenge: legacy systems. This article delves into the necessity of modernizing these systems, the role of low-code platforms in this transformation, and the potential benefits and challenges that lie ahead.

The Challenge of Legacy Systems

Even today, in many organizations, legacy systems are still used to run daily processes and are a huge hurdle in the path of digital transformation. Legacy systems not only consume a significant portion of IT budgets but also make businesses incapable of adapting to fast-changing customer needs. Additionally, these systems are also vulnerable to cyberattacks as they rely on outdated protocols. This is a critical concern for many Indian businesses that operate in an increasingly connected world.

Legacy systems are expensive to maintain. According to Gartner, organizations spend up to 80% of their IT budgets on maintaining existing systems rather than on new development. These systems are often inefficient and require specialized skills to manage, leading to higher operational costs and reduced agility. Furthermore, the inability to integrate with modern technologies limits the potential for innovation and growth.

Security Vulnerabilities

Security is another major issue with legacy systems. They are built on outdated technologies that are not designed to withstand modern cyber threats. A study by IBM found that the average cost of a data breach in India was INR 14 crore in 2020, highlighting the financial impact of security vulnerabilities. Legacy systems often lack the necessary security features and updates, making them prime targets for cyberattacks.

Methods of Legacy Application Transformation

Depending on the need, several methods exist to transform legacy applications. For example, many organizations decide to do a complete rewrite, starting from scratch to build a new system using modern technologies and architectures. While this approach allows for a clean slate and eliminates outdated code and design, it comes with high costs and significant business disruption during the transition. Some organizations may also opt to migrate the application to a new platform or infrastructure while maintaining the existing code. While re-platforming can be less costly and time-consuming compared to a complete rewrite, there are challenges related to compatibility issues with the new platform and limited modernization of the old code.

A complete rewrite involves building a new system from scratch using modern technologies. This approach offers a fresh start, eliminating technical debt and incorporating current best practices. However, it is a costly and time-consuming process. The transition period can cause significant business disruption, and there is a risk of losing critical functionality during the migration.

Re-platforming involves moving an application to a new platform or infrastructure while maintaining the existing codebase. This method is less disruptive than a complete rewrite and can be more cost-effective. However, it may not fully address the issues associated with legacy code, and compatibility challenges can arise, limiting the extent of modernization.

There is another compelling method that has gained huge traction in recent times: low-code visual software development, which helps developers accelerate the software development process using a friendly and intuitive drag-and-drop process. The low-code development approach offers organizations the ability to modernize their core systems without the cost and risk of traditional development approaches.

Advantages of Low-Code Platforms

Low-code platforms offer several advantages that make them an attractive option for legacy application modernization. These platforms enable rapid development and deployment of applications, reduce the need for specialized coding skills, and provide built-in security and compliance features.

Low-code platforms accelerate the development process by allowing developers to create applications using visual interfaces and pre-built components. This approach significantly reduces the time required to develop and deploy new applications. According to Forrester, low-code platforms can speed up application development by up to 10 times compared to traditional methods.

Another big advantage of a low-code platform is its ability to abstract complex coding tasks into intuitive visual interfaces, which allows developers of varying skill levels to collaborate seamlessly. This democratization of software development not only accelerates time-to-market but also reduces the risk of errors and vulnerabilities commonly associated with manual coding. A study by Gartner predicts that by 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.

Low-code platforms incorporate built-in security features and compliance protocols, which ensure that applications developed on these platforms adhere to industry best practices and regulatory standards. This proactive approach to security helps mitigate risks and strengthens the overall resilience of applications in an increasingly risky digital environment.

Low-Code in Action

Companies utilizing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems understand the value of tailoring their core applications to suit specific business needs, but these customizations can be expensive and upgrades are normally complex. High-performance low-code platforms offer a way to modernize traditional ERP platforms by enabling cloud-based innovation alongside legacy systems, gradually phasing out old applications as new components come online. These platforms also allow for extending legacy ERP applications with modern web and mobile interfaces without costly, specialized development.

In-house enterprise systems often face challenges in adding new features over time. Low-code platforms can be used to create new solutions and get over the hurdle of a software product vendor’s support discontinuation. For example, a company might use a low-code platform to develop a new customer portal that integrates with their existing CRM system, providing a seamless user experience and enhancing customer engagement.

Revolutionizing Digital Infrastructure with Low-Code

High-performance low-code development platforms offer a streamlined approach to modernizing legacy systems, reducing technical debt, and improving data accessibility. With the advantage of pre-built connectors, web services, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that seamlessly harmonize data sources, low-code platforms empower organizations to easily navigate the complexities of legacy modernization.

Technical debt refers to the implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer. Low-code platforms help reduce technical debt by enabling the development of scalable and maintainable applications that can evolve with changing business needs. This reduces the long-term costs associated with maintaining and updating legacy systems.

Data accessibility is a critical factor in today’s data-driven world. Low-code platforms provide tools and features that make it easier to integrate and harmonize data from multiple sources. This enables organizations to gain better insights and make informed decisions, driving business growth and innovation.

Low-code platforms offer pre-built connectors and APIs that facilitate seamless integration with existing systems and third-party applications. This streamlined integration capability reduces the complexity and time required to modernize legacy systems, allowing organizations to quickly adapt to changing market demands and customer needs.

Overcoming Challenges with Low-Code Platforms

While low-code platforms offer numerous benefits, there are also challenges that organizations must address to successfully leverage these platforms for legacy application modernization.

One of the challenges with low-code platforms is ensuring scalability. As organizations grow and their needs evolve, the applications developed on low-code platforms must be able to scale accordingly. It is essential to choose a low-code platform that supports scalability and can handle increased workloads without compromising performance.

Another challenge is managing change within the organization. Adopting low-code platforms requires a shift in mindset and processes. Organizations must invest in training and change management initiatives to ensure that employees are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively use low-code platforms.

While low-code platforms offer rapid development and deployment capabilities, there may be limitations in terms of customization. Organizations with highly specific and complex requirements may need to balance the use of low-code platforms with traditional development approaches to ensure that all needs are met.

The Future of Low-Code Platforms in Legacy Modernization

As the demand for digital transformation continues to grow, low-code platforms are poised to play a critical role in the modernization of legacy systems. The flexibility, speed, and cost-effectiveness of low-code development make it an attractive option for organizations looking to stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT) are expected to further enhance the capabilities of low-code platforms. These technologies can be integrated with low-code platforms to create more intelligent and responsive applications, driving innovation and improving business outcomes.

The use cases for low-code platforms are expanding beyond traditional application development. Organizations are exploring new ways to leverage low-code platforms for process automation, data analytics, and customer engagement. This expansion of use cases is expected to drive further adoption and investment in low-code platforms.

Conclusion

In conclusion, high-performance low-code development platforms offer a streamlined approach to modernizing legacy systems, reducing technical debt, and improving data accessibility. With the advantage of pre-built connectors, web services, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that seamlessly harmonize data sources, low-code platforms empower organizations to easily navigate the complexities of legacy modernization. Embracing low-code platforms is not just for catching up with the latest technology trends; it’s imperative to unlock a gateway to innovation and accelerate business growth. As India continues its journey towards becoming a digital leader, the adoption of low-code platforms will play a crucial role in transforming the nation’s digital infrastructure and driving economic growth.