Moving Away from Legacy Systems with Microsoft Technology

With old infrastructure and outdated systems, we’re still regularly seeing public sector organisations battling with their legacy technology.

In 2011, the government introduced their new ‘Cloud-First’ policy with the aim of accelerating the implementation and deployment of public cloud computing services in the public sector. Despite this policy being launched, many public sector organisations are yet to progress with moving their data away from old systems.

In a recent research study by Hewlett Packard, it was found that up to 70% of public sector organisations’ infrastructure and 73% of data remains on-premises, with around 25% of respondents stating that over 50% of their infrastructure is legacy. Within the same research study, it was also reported that over 78% of respondents still have third-party services and solutions that are not fit for public cloud migration.

For these organisations, and many others, moving to the cloud is still proving to be a challenge. Here, we highlight some key reasons why public sector organisations should make the decision to adopt the latest technology and a new way of working.

What are the main challenges and how can Microsoft technology help?

Public sector organisations face a multitude of challenges when dealing with legacy technology. Introducing new, innovative technology works to eliminate these challenges, as well as provide a whole host of other amazing benefits.

Security risks

Legacy technology often has known vulnerabilities that can be exploited by cybercriminals and since these systems are no longer supported by vendors, there are no security patches or regular updates available to address them.

Microsoft provides a range of security solutions that can help protect public sector organisations from cyber threats. These solutions include antivirus software, firewalls and intrusion detection systems, as well as advanced security features such as multifactor authentication, data encryption, and threat detection, all of which work towards mitigating any security risks.

Scalability

Older technology can often struggle to handle increasing demands or new functionalities, which in turn can limit an organisation's ability to adapt and grow. The existing technology your organisation uses may not integrate with newer technologies you’re looking to introduce, which can slow down processes and create inefficiencies.

Microsoft Azure, a cloud computing platform, provides scalability and flexibility, allowing organisations to scale up or down as needed, and other tools, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform, can help streamline processes and improve efficiency. The connected Microsoft infrastructure also makes it easier for organisations to share data and collaborate with other departments, as well as other companies – helping save time, money and resource.

Integration

As mentioned above, legacy technology isn’t always compatible with newer systems and applications, attempting to integrate new software with old systems can be both time-consuming and expensive, with no guarantee of success. Struggling to integrate new technology can often lead to siloed data and inefficient workflows – as well as an inability to compete with your market competitors.

Microsoft's technology includes powerful integration tools that can help public sector organisations connect legacy systems with modern applications, allowing them to streamline their data sharing and improve collaboration. The Microsoft 365 suite, such as SharePoint, Teams and the Power Platform, are all tools that allow seamless collaboration, document sharing and workflow automation, which in turn helps public sector organisations streamline operations and improve employee productivity.

Maintenance and support

As technology ages, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide support and updates to systems, due to parts and expertise becoming scarce, as well as vendors focussing on newer innovations. This can leave users without critical security patches, new functionality or stable software – not to mention increased expenses due to this. As the software remains on older releases, it can also start to slow down, impacting performance and ultimately affecting the end users’ experience.

Microsoft technology, such as Dynamics 365, offers two major releases throughout the year, which update the software with new functionality alongside enhancements to existing functionality. The preview mode, which is available earlier than the major release date, allows users to experience and explore the upcoming functionality ahead of its release, offering the chance for users to get familiar with the new functions and make sure the existing functionality isn’t impacted. As well as the major releases, there are also ad-hoc minor releases which correct existing known issues and ensure any potential risks are eliminated. Microsoft handles all the support and maintenance of their systems, which they complete remotely on the cloud system, meaning there’s no longer a need to monitor system capacity or available updates – saving time and ensuring complete protection.

For public sector organisations, remaining on legacy technology isn’t sustainable long term; eventually, there will be an unavoidable requirement for new functionality and updates.

Microsoft technology allows public sector organisations to overcome the challenges of being on a legacy system by providing scalable, secure and integrated solutions. By leveraging the various Microsoft tools, from security (Azure) to SharePoint (Document Management), Teams (Telephony) and Dynamics 365 (intelligent business applications), organisations can have more control over their data and its management, integrations and processing, as well as how their systems are used.