There’s Gold in Them Legacy Applications

by Mark Benvegnu
There’s Gold in Them Legacy Applications

“Data-based gold that extends your capabilities, allows you to see new trends and patterns, and enables processes that are not possible when your data is stuck in a legacy system.”

The Value of Legacy Applications

Many businesses depend on legacy software applications such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) CRM (Customer Relationship Management), accounting software like QuickBooks or vertical applications designed to manage the operations of a company in a particular industry.

These legacy applications have increased productivity, enabled new operational capabilities and improved efficiency in older ones. They represent a real technology leap that has benefited organizations of all sizes and types. Perhaps most importantly, they enabled the creation of a massive trove of data with immeasurable value—but there’s a catch.

A Massive Trove of Data

Most legacy applications were originally designed using decades-old technology, built on proprietary architectures and delivered under restrictive licensing models that limit access to data and/or dictate data flows and workflows. Legacy applications are often designed to be all-inclusive and one-size-fits-all—businesses are expected to adapt to the legacy application rather than the other way around. And on-going development for many legacy applications slowed or stopped completely, thereby limiting the implementation of new capabilities in your business.

While many businesses have years of data stored in legacy applications, it can be hard to access and used to full advantage when trapped in these applications.  This data is not mapped to current business workflows like eCommerce—it’s limited to usage within the application itself and businesses may be hampered in creating new capabilities by the shortcomings of their legacy application.

Gold Buried in Legacy Applications

The good news is that with the right approach, this data can be accessed and used in ways that can drive new processes, new business models–even new industries. With modern techniques and technologies, as well as guidance by an expert in developing web-based complementary applications and utilizing APIs, you can deploy data to where it will do you the most good.

You can use this data to your advantage and unearth the gold buried in your legacy applications. By employing the right technologies, many of which were not yet invented when your legacy application was created, you can deliver and/or aggregate data in ways that legacy developers never imagined.

Data-based gold that extends your capabilities, allows you to see new trends and patterns, and enables processes that are not possible when your data is stuck in a legacy system.

Mining the Gold of Legacy Data

The untapped value of this gold–the data your business has stored in legacy applications– represents a key asset that can drive your business to new levels of success.  Among the technologies that can be employed are the following:

  • Data Synchronizations to sync your data with third-party applications that currently don’t talk to each other. Save time, money and headaches by entering data in only one place!
  • ETLs (Extract-Transform-Load) Routines
  • Complementary Applications and Middleware extend your software capabilities by adding or improving new functions and features.
  • API or SQL integrations between legacy applications and:
    • eCommerce systems
    • Order processing applications
    • Content Management Systems
    • More…
  • Data Migrations to migrate your data to a new platform or “seed” a new system with data from your legacy systems.

Pell Software has years of experience with all of these techniques and technologies and have put them to work enabling business as they unearth the gold in their legacy applications.  We’ve worked directly with a wide variety of legacy applications including QuickBooks Enterprise, SAGE, Newzware, and more- and more. We welcome the opportunity to evaluate your environment and discuss your aspirations.  We’re ready to help you put your data to work to build your business.

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