Companies deeply invested in digital programs often face a critical juncture: is it time to upgrade existing mobile appsand web interfaces? Modernizing legacy systemsisn't just about technological advancement; it's about laying a stronger foundation for future digital endeavors. Red Hawk Technologies understands this challenge and offers a unique business model to help mid-market companies navigate this crucial decision and achieve digital transformation with confidence.
Converting a legacy system into a modern infrastructure can significantly reduce IT costs, improve organizational flexibility, and boost sales, collaboration, and consistency. Reliance on legacy systems is increasingly becoming the Achilles' heel in any digital transformation journey.
Business leaders frequently grapple with the decision to modernize. The hard truth is, even if a legacy system appears to be "working," it's inherently limited in its ability to evolve. It struggles to connect with or support cutting-edge technologies and concepts like edge computing or intelligent automation, effectively putting a ceiling on innovation. While the technology industry abounds with advice, many approaches focus solely on the technology itself, often overlooking the core concerns for the business. At Red Hawk, our focus is always on value creation and delivering positive business outcomes for our clients.
"If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It": Knowing When It's Time for Change in Legacy Systems
It's no wonder mid-market businesses and large enterprises hesitate when deciding whether to embrace or abandon their legacy systems. A common fear among IT directors and business leaders is that implementing new systems might not match the previous system's performance and functionality. This mindset, often dubbed the dangerous "If it's not broke, don't fix it" mentality, overlooks the compounding technical debt and missed opportunities.
The crucial lesson here is the importance of proactive investment in modernizing legacy applications. By making small, incremental updates, you can prevent technical debtfrom piling up to a crisis point. Red Hawk’s Development as a Managed Service Contract (MSC) model is designed specifically to provide the financial and operational stability needed for this continuous investment in digital transformation. We provide bundled development with ongoing enhancements, maintenance, and tech support services, all for a fixed monthly fee, which removes the unpredictability of traditional time and materials (T&M) contracts and enables long-term value creation.
While you should never wait for technology to fail before making improvements, it's equally important to proceed with careful consideration, not rushed decisions. The key is to focus on what matters most: your business.
3 Key Questions to Guide Your Legacy System Modernization Strategy
According to a report from Dell, over 70% of software used by Fortune 5000 companies was developed more than 20 years ago. These legacy systems, while often indispensable, can paradoxically hold businesses back. Beyond being difficult to manage and maintain, they can lead to security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, hinder organizational efficiency, and even result in lost business opportunities. Most of these impediments stem from outdated technology, architecture, or functionality that simply no longer fit modern business requirements. So, how can you ensure new systems address these issues and genuinely add business value?
When contemplating modernizing legacy systems, ask yourself these three critical questions. Red Hawk Technologies is uniquely positioned to help you answer them and chart a clear path forward:
1. Does our legacy system pose a significant barrier to the company’s overall digital transformation?
Red Hawk's "AI Opportunity Decision Matrix" and "DIY Tech Innovation Workshop" are valuable tools to help you identify these barriers and explore your vision for new applications, clarifying risks and rewards. Our discovery engagements can further produce detailed project plans to accurately forecast your development requirements.
2. How will business continuity and reliability be impacted if we modernize our systems?
Our award-winning Development as a Managed Service business model minimizes financial and operational risk during modernization. We provide a fractional team of experts who become Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for your custom software solutions, ensuring ongoing support and maintenance. Our robust operating system drives collaboration and prevents key person risks, offering the stability you need.
3. Can we maximize our potential in the next three to five years using our current legacy apps?
Red Hawk specializes in custom software solutions that help you increase productivity, discover new revenue streams, and cut costs, ensuring you don't just keep up, but outpace your competition. Our code evaluation services also assess the health of your existing apps to guide future improvements.
The answers to these questions are crucial for aligning your modernization strategy with the operational needs and long-term goals of your business.
The Clear Benefits of Modernizing Your Legacy Systems (and How Red Hawk Helps You Achieve Them)
Now that we've highlighted the importance of a business-centric approach, let’s explore the undeniable benefits of modernizing your legacy systems, powered by Red Hawk Technologies.
- Reduced Costs: Maintaining outdated legacy systemsis not just inefficient; it's extremely costly. Red Hawk helps you dramatically cut costs by transitioning to modern, cloud-based solutions, reducing expenses associated with data center utilities, hardware depreciation, and specialized maintenance. Our MSC model allows businesses to shift from large capital expenditures to predictable operational expenses, providing budget stability and a clear cost-of-ownership forecast over 36 months. Our projects often result in significant cost savings, like Ohio State University saving costs by eliminating traditional printing and mailing of viewbooks or Nichefire reducing costs by no longer paying for idle resources in Google Cloud.
- Enhanced Productivity and Performance: Modernizing your legacy applications with Red Hawk is a direct pathway to supercharging overall business productivity and performance. We help organizations streamline workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and empower teams with faster access to critical information by shifting to modern, integrated platforms and custom applications. This has translated into tangible results for our clients:
- AdvancePierre Foods achieved a 20% increase in saleswithin the first 90 days by streamlining sales with workflow automation.
- Champion Window experienced 15x faster load timesand increased conversion rates by consolidating systems and improving their appointment app.
- Best Upon Request reduced the timeinternal team members spend on administrative tasks by 50%through seamless integration of mobile applications.
- Unity Financial saw a 500% increased rate of speed for processingjoin conversions by replacing a legacy Access application with Powershell.
Our focus on value-first features and ongoing support ensures clients accomplish more, discover new revenue streams, and cut costs.
- Better Security: Security is arguably one of the most critical drivers for modernizing legacy systems. Outdated systems are inherently more vulnerable due to lack of ongoing vendor support, security patches, and compatibility with modern protocols. Red Hawk provides robust, layered security measures and helps maintain compliance with evolving regulatory standards by integrating modern architectures and cloud security best practices. We also partner with CAST Highlight to provide Software Composition Analysis (SCA), which allows us to quickly identify emerging security risks and technical debt, helping clients focus resources on high-value work and build a more resilient digital foundation.
Is Modernizing Legacy Systems in Your Future?
Trying to decide between loving your legacy system or leaving it? At Red Hawk Technologies, our unique business model, Development as a Managed Service, provides the financial and operational stability you need to invest in digital transformation, starting with your legacy apps and systems. We believe in transparent communication and a "no surprises" partnership, ensuring clarity down to 15-minute increments on project activities.
In today’s market, it’s critical to tap into every advantage. The right technology can transform the way you operate and relate to customers and clients. Our award-winning experts have "walked the walk" and are recognized as top application management & support, API development, software development, app development, and AI companies by Clutch.
Contact us todayto experience our unique approach to custom software and application development to lift your business to new heights.
Clarify and Define YourBig Idea
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- Explore your vision for a new web or mobile app
- Define your goals and audience
- Outline logistics and required technology
- Move toward next steps in making your idea a reality
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