Wikipedia defines 'legacy systems' as existing systems which continue to be used because the organization does not want to replace or redesign them.

Many people use this term to refer to "antiquated" systems. However, we at Amdex take the alternate point of view that legacy systems are simply systems that are both installed and working properly. Whether it's Alpha, VAX or HP's PA Risc 9000 series, these systems and their related O/S have been keeping business running smoothly with their robust hardware architecture and bullet-proof operating systems for years.

Despite the problems associated to 'legacy' systems, organizations can have compelling reasons for keeping them in production:

• The cost of redesigning the system or application is to high for its' expected lifecycle.
• The system requires close to 100% availability, so it can't be able to be taken out of service.
• The way the system works is not well understood, and the designers of the system have long since left the organization.
• The system works well enough that the 'owners' see no reason to change it, or in other words, re-learning a new system would be prohibitive in terms of lost time and money.

With IT analysts estimating that the cost to replace business logic is about five times that of reuse, managers are increasingly asking or being asked, "Why are we spending so much money on new technology with so little to show for it?" Ideally businesses would never have to rewrite most core business logic. After all, debits must equal credits Ñ they always have, and they always will. Businesses and governments are also recoiling at well-publicized system failures and security breaches that all too commonly arrive with new software Ñ failures which are utterly catastrophic in many cases.

These 'legacy systems' are engineering accomplishments of yesterday and work-horses of tomorrow. Reflecting this trend, the industry has coined 2 new terms, 'Legacy Modernization' and 'Legacy Transformation', meaning reusing existing core business logic by providing new user interfaces and access.

While the manufacturer may have relegated these systems to 'planned obsolescence', we continue to provide add-on's, upgrades and parts to keep pace with your growing user demand. Access to the needed hardware, through Amdex, combined with technologies like 'legacy modernization' and 'legacy transformation', has given a new lease on life to some of the most reliable systems ever built.

Browse our web catalog or call one of our legacy experts to find out how Amdex is 'Making IT Easy' for you to support your legacy systems.