How To Approach Application Modernization

Application modernization is a process of updating older software for newer computing approaches to improve software delivery performance for a business. Do you want to choose an application modernization approach best suited to your need? Here are the five steps and options you have to modernize your application.

 How to Approach Application Modernization: A 5-Step Guide

As technology advances, consumers expect a more streamlined and personalized user experience. There is a need for application modernization to ensure a better user experience for customers. Also, app modernization empowers you to take advantage of new features offered by the latest technology. For instance, legacy apps may not support artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML).

There are different approaches that you can take when modernizing your application. Your business needs and application architecture will help you decide which path to take. Remember also that you do not have to do everything at once. You can start small and then scale up as needed. Here are the steps and options you have to modernize your application.

1. App Assessment

Your initial stage requires you to ascertain your business requirements and the application's current state. That will help you decide what to do and the best way to achieve it. Ask yourself the following questions:

- What are the goals of the application?

- What does the application do?

- Who is the target audience for the application?

- What are the main features of the application?

- What is the current state of the application?

- Are there any areas that need improvement?

The answers to these questions will guide you on what you must implement to meet business and customer needs. For instance, if the application is not mobile-friendly, you must consider making it responsive. You also have to decide if you want to keep the current features or add new ones as you modernize applications.

2. Create Your Plan

After assessing your application, you know what you must address to make it viable and efficient. At this point, you want to define the final state of the software you are developing. Make a side-by-side comparison of the current application and the final one you need. What features need to change? What other functionalities do you want to include?

Your plan will help you determine the costs, timeline, and other resources required for the project. Be realistic with the evaluation to avoid setbacks. It is best to work with a development team to help you assess and create a comprehensive plan for your application modernization. Also, the projects should have milestones to measure the progress, and you need to set deadlines.

3. Pick an Approach

What you want from your modernization goal is to have a responsive application with a fast loading time and can scale. Your approach must contain all the requirements you want to achieve. Here are some of the options you can consider:

• Refactoring: You can keep most of the application intact and rewrite some parts to incorporate the new features you want.

• Replatforming: Moving your app to another environment will improve application stability, performance, and security. It would be best if you had a new codebase when re-platforming to avoid integration issues.

• Encapsulating: You may not want to get rid of your legacy system app and want to keep it as is. In that case, you can build a new front-end interface that will interact with the legacy system. The container will make the app compatible with most modern systems while keeping the original codebase.

• Rebuild: You can also consider starting from scratch and re-architect the application. That will give you more control over how the application manifests and functions.

Ensure you can reach your goal with whatever approach you choose. Consider also your budget and timeline when deciding which way to go. However, remember that the most significant benefit of application modernization is not about the technology. It is about how you can use it to improve your business and better serve your customers.

4. Engage the Right Team

You may not have in-house developers to help you with the project. Engage the services of a reliable partner that will help you throughout the process. Ensure they have the necessary skills and experience in application modernization. Also, they should understand your business goals to come up with the best solution for you.

When picking a developer to work with, inquire about long-term support. You want a team that will be there for you, even after project completion. They should help you with maintenance and troubleshooting down the road.

5. Automate Processes

Apps used for capturing customer information should have an end-to-end automation process. That way, you do not have to enter the data manually into the system. Also, you do not need to manually approve user registration, service bookings, and other processes.

Automation can complete every application usage aspect as you focus on customer support, retention, and other essential business functions. Document verification is now possible with AI, and you can use it for fraud detection. Also, some CRM applications can automatically update customer profiles based on their interactions with the app. That eliminates errors and duplicate accounts.

Summary

Modernization is an effective way to improve your business application and make it more responsive to customer needs. A clear goal, a comprehensive plan, and an engaged team are essential to success. Automation can help you complete processes quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, it is about using technology to enhance your business and serve your customers better.