Book Image

Working with Legacy Systems

By : Robert Annett
Book Image

Working with Legacy Systems

By: Robert Annett

Overview of this book

The IT industry is constantly evolving with the introduction of new technologies. While it is important to keep up with advancements, maintaining legacy systems is equally necessary to ensure that the infrastructure of your organization functions to the best of its ability. Sound knowledge of techniques that can be used for maintaining legacy systems can help you avoid common pitfalls. The book begins with a quick overview of what a real legacy system looks like, how it works, and common issues that may be faced when trying to maintaining it. You'll then explore the architecture of a legacy system in detail and understand each of its components. As you progress, you'll discover a variety of techniques for analyzing a legacy system and how to apply them. Once you get to grips with the security constraints associated with legacy systems, you'll explore ways to secure them. Finally, you'll be able to easily make changes in legacy systems to enhance their performance. By the end of this book, you’ll have developed the skills and confidence to work with legacy systems and efficiently maintain them.
Table of Contents (7 chapters)

Leaving a Good Legacy


Why Bother Leaving a Good Legacy?

You may be asking yourself a question such as:

"If I spend time and money worrying about what happens in the distant future, might I reduce my chances of success in the short term?"

This is, of course, true. If a project fails in the short term, then it will never become a legacy system. Therefore, you need to be careful in balancing maintainability in the long term with success in the short term – but don't go to extremes at either end.

However, there are many good reasons to worry about leaving a good legacy:

  1. You may be in your current job a lot longer than you anticipate.

  2. You may be asked to return to this job/project for a new phase.

  3. We live in a small world (particularly if you work in a specific business sector within IT) and your reputation can suffer if you leave behind an unmaintainable mess.

  4. Making sure you create a quality system for the long term is also likely to make sure it is a quality system overall. Maintainable systems tend...