Capterra Glossary
Legacy Application Or System
A legacy system (or legacy application) is an information system that uses outdated technologies and processes. A team in an organization might still rely on this system to facilitate day-to-day tasks but can't fulfill its objectives because of technological limitations. For example, SMBs might use an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that doesn't interact with updated analytics tools. As a result, decision-makers can't generate valuable data insights about business processes. A legacy system can provide teams with various challenges:
The system might put data security at risk.
It might be expensive to operate because managers have to continuously fix issues with the system.
It might be difficult for employees to use.
It isn't compatible with newer software.
What Small and Midsize Businesses Need to Know About Legacy Application Or System
An SMB might need to upgrade from a legacy system (or invest in a new system) to improve productivity across its organization. This process, called digital transformation, allows an enterprise to gain more value from its technology.
Related Terms
- Synchronous
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Intranet
- Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Managed Service Provider (MSP)
- Haptics
- WAN (Wide-Area Network)
- Service-oriented Architecture (SOA)
- Augmented Reality (AR)
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Service-Level Agreement (SLA)
- Scalability
- Data Center
- Authorization
- Multitenancy