Glossary · IT & systems
Legacy system
Older software that still runs but is starting to stand in the way of your progress.
A legacy system is older software that is still running but is starting to hold your organisation back. Often it does its job faithfully for years, until the world around it changes and the system can no longer keep up.
The awkward thing about legacy is that it is usually not broken. It still works, so replacing it feels like a cost without an immediate problem. Meanwhile it is hard to connect to new systems, nobody can find spare parts or know-how any more, and the risk grows that it will fail one day after all.
The question is not whether you will ever replace a legacy system, but when and how. Too early is a waste of a working system; too late turns a planned migrationMoving from one system to another without losing your data. into an emergency.
