Legacy Systems and SOA

Legacy Modernization

Legacy modernization is a significant aspect of an enterprise's adoption of SOA. Any enterprise with an IT presence during the past few decades is bound to have legacy applications that assist in running its business. Legacy systems can exist at the infrastructure level, as well as at the operational level; for instance, an IBM CICS® mainframe running an enterprise human resources system. Legacy systems can also exist as either outdated or poorly written software applications that run on specific infrastructure components and operational environments.

When an enterprise takes the initiative to modernize its IT infrastructure and align it with business requirements, the IT team must take a closer look at existing legacy systems before building a business case for the transition to an SOA-based portfolio. Such analyses are frequently performed in silos, meaning specific isolated business domains are chosen for impromptu legacy modernization.

Legacy Modernization – Staffing Strategy

You have the long sought approval and hard earned budgeted capital to modernize or replace an existing legacy system for your organization. Now comes the hard part! Where is the best place to start? How will you continue to maintain the legacy system as you rewrite it? How will you train existing staff in the new technology during the transition?

Using a stepped approach to transitioning existing full-time staff into the new technology along with a compliment of hand-picked consulting resources may go far in gaining maximum ROI on your legacy modernization effort. The formula QAT has seen work incorporates a combination of existing staff, legacy consultants, and new technology consultants. Partner with a company that is able to provide you with both quality consultants that have the skills required to maintain the existing legacy system and the new technology you will be moving to.

Business Process Orchestration Simplified

• Define enterprise wide business processes and execute them on the fly.
• Full Version control of Work Flows with synchronization features that allow the seamless retirement of one version and the activation of the next.
• Through component integration, A Work Flow can initiate printing of documents, read/write data to external databases, execute an external application or flow to a window in another application.
• Identifies users that worked each Work Flow Step with step initiation dates and step completed dates.

See QAT Flow in action by calling 1.800.799.8545 or visiting us at qat.com.