5 Ways to Lower Technical Debt Through Modernisation

Technical debt is like a shadow that looms over many businesses, slowing progress and hindering innovation. The debt accumulates when teams opt for workarounds or shortcuts in the product development process, leading to costly modifications and complexities in the future. 

While the average organization loses 23-42% of its development time dealing with technical debt, CIOs across enterprises report 10-20% of their technical budget diverted to fixing technical debt issues.

Legacy modernisation is a practical solution to this challenge. 

Companies prioritizing IT infrastructure modernisation efforts have seen a significant reduction in technical debt, leading to improved productivity and profitability. By updating systems and processes, businesses can reduce technical debt, streamline operations, and enhance agility.

So, how does modernisation address the problem of technical debt?

In this blog, we will discuss five practical strategies you can adopt for legacy modernization to reduce technical debt and steer your company toward success. But first, let’s address the basics: Why do companies face technical debt? 

What Causes Technical Debt?

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Technical debt refers to the accumulated challenges in technology infrastructure that companies must address during development, akin to a “tax” paid to mitigate technical complexities. According to McKinsey, technical debt makes up nearly 40 percent of IT balance sheets. Surveys indicate that 30% of CIOs divert 20% percent of their technical budget meant for new product development to resolve technical debt-related issues. 

Understanding the consequences of technical debt is crucial for app development teams. Here are key indicators of technical debt and its impact:

• Legacy code and technologies: Outdated technologies or languages affect integration with modern systems, increasing security risks and lowering performance.
• Lack of documentation: Inadequate or outdated documentation impedes new developers. It results in potential errors and inefficiencies.
• Frequent outages or performance issues: Regular crashes signal underlying codebase problems, possibly due to technical debt.
• Complex and unmaintainable code: Overly complex code or difficulty in maintenance suggests significant technical debt accumulation.
• Security vulnerabilities: Unresolved vulnerabilities pose serious risks, especially in sensitive apps like those related to finance.
• Poor scalability: Challenges in scaling indicate architectural issues stemming from technical debt.
• Inconsistent coding standards: The absence of coding standards leads to a disorganized codebase and complicates maintenance.
• Delayed updates and feature releases: Consistent delays indicate struggles with a complex, debt-laden codebase.

Five Strategies to Reduce Technical Debt With Legacy Modernisation

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Identify technical debt through system architecture analysis

It’s beneficial to adopt a structured and systematic approach to identify and reduce technical debt through system architecture analysis at regular intervals. 

Start by conducting a comprehensive review of your system architecture. Focus on identifying outdated components, inefficient code, and areas where modern practices haven’t been applied. Tools like static code analyzers can be beneficial in automating part of this process and spotting areas of concern that might not be immediately visible.

Once you’ve identified the areas affected by technical debt, prioritize them based on the impact on your system’s performance and the complexity of the remediation required. 

Remember, not all technical debt is created equal; some might be quick fixes, while others could require more reworking or complete replacement.

Invest in IT infrastructure modernisation

IT infrastructure modernisation involves upgrading and enhancing the underlying hardware and software components that support the entire IT environment, including servers, storage, networks, and operating systems. 

Upgrading your IT backbone using digital engineering services and IT infrastructure modernisation strategies can significantly reduce system complexities. Organizations can eliminate outdated technologies that are costly to maintain and replace them with more efficient, less expensive options. 

Due to the absence of a reliable platform, a hospitality company faced challenges with property access, security, and guest satisfaction. By introducing an IoT platform integrated with SmartThings cloud and compatible with systems like Cloudbeds, Stayflexi, and Schlage, the company unified its digital infrastructure for better management. 

This solution enhanced stakeholder collaboration while improving security and usability across multiple locations. Additionally, the development of a cross-platform mobile app streamlined property management and heightened security through innovative Lock code modules, resulting in better reservation handling and increased guest satisfaction.

Leverage application modernisation services

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Leveraging application modernisation services can significantly reduce technical debt by upgrading outdated software systems and infrastructure. These services help identify and address areas of technical debt, such as legacy code, obsolete technologies, and inefficient processes. 

Modernising applications makes work easier, faster, and more secure. It also allows businesses to grow and change easily with market trends. Moving to the cloud saves money and makes your systems more flexible.

Valley Proteins faced issues with its old, desktop-based, poorly designed CRM system, which hindered real-time lead tracking and report generation. 

The solution provided by Byteridge involved creating a new, scalable, web-based system with a Restful API, accessible via iPad, for their sales team to input and access data in real-time. This upgrade significantly improved their ability to track sales metrics and make informed decisions.

Streamline Development with Incremental Refactoring

Refactoring stands as a pivotal technique in software development, enhancing the fundamental structure of code without altering its external behavior. By systematically addressing code issues, companies can ensure the long-term health of their software, minimizing the accumulation of technical debt.

This process fosters cleaner, more manageable codebases, facilitating smoother collaboration and accelerating development cycles. Whether it’s empowering new developers to embrace clean coding principles or enabling seasoned veterans to undertake comprehensive clean-up projects, refactoring plays a crucial role in optimizing the software development process.

As part of IT infrastructure modernisation efforts, developers employ various refactoring methods tailored to their expertise levels. While novices focus on cultivating clean coding habits from the outset, experienced developers and team leaders spearhead larger-scale clean-up initiatives, leveraging advanced techniques to untangle complex codebases effectively.

By embracing incremental refactoring as a cornerstone of modernisation efforts, businesses can streamline their development processes, foster innovation, and ensure the longevity of their software solutions.

Adopt new-age legacy modernisation solutions

Shifting to modern systems can drastically overhaul and improve your business’s operations. Sticking with old, hard-to-change and pricey-to-maintain systems piles up technical debt, blocking growth and innovation. However, transitioning towards legacy modernisation facilitates productivity and unlocks opportunities for innovation. 

The cloud is at the heart of this transformation, a game-changer that lifts the heavy load of tech maintenance off companies’ backs. This shift allows businesses to cut costs by paying only for what they use, including services that simplify building digital products and streamlining operations. 

Further, incorporating AI into the mix can proactively help identify and fix issues, keep operations smooth, and prevent the accumulation of future problems. This approach does more than just streamline operations – it improves user experience, making digital product engineering services and application modernisation services more efficient and reliable.

Conclusion

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, application modernisation stands as a cornerstone for achieving sustained success. By addressing technical debt, which arises from the inertia of outdated technology hindering progress, businesses pave the way for innovation and growth. Yet, navigating the complexities of technical debt resolution can be daunting, as legacy systems often present intricate challenges to modernisation efforts.

However, businesses can triumph over these challenges by reframing technical debt as a strategic business issue. This entails adopting a systematic approach to updating systems incrementally, leveraging cutting-edge technologies, and assembling the right team equipped with the expertise to execute modernisation initiatives effectively.

Custom software development services emerge as indispensable allies in this journey toward modernisation. Through tailored application development and digital product engineering services, organizations gain the agility to adapt swiftly to market dynamics while staying attuned to customer needs. Moreover, these services enable businesses to manage legacy systems efficiently, thus minimizing technical debt and fostering a culture of innovation.

Enter Byteridge: Your Partner in Innovation

At Byteridge, we excel in crafting bespoke software solutions that propel business innovation and efficiency. With a holistic approach encompassing product conceptualization, software development, verification, and user experience definition, we empower organizations to streamline operations and unlock their full potential. Through strategic planning and integration of cutting-edge technology, we are committed to driving transformative change and positioning businesses for sustained success in the digital age.

Custom software development services emerge as indispensable allies in this journey toward modernisation. Through tailored application development and digital product engineering services, organizations gain the agility to adapt swiftly to market dynamics while staying attuned to customer needs. Moreover, these services enable businesses to manage legacy systems efficiently, thus minimizing technical debt and fostering a culture of innovation.

Enter Byteridge: Your Partner in Innovation

At Byteridge, we excel in crafting bespoke software solutions that propel business innovation and efficiency. With a holistic approach encompassing product conceptualization, software development, verification, and user experience definition, we empower organizations to streamline operations and unlock their full potential. Through strategic planning and integration of cutting-edge technology, we are committed to driving transformative change and positioning businesses for sustained success in the digital age.