A web app built with modern technologies is much more agile. It has abilities to perform multi-functionalities. Modernization is an important aspect of your transformation journey. It is beyond a mere generic improvement. It involves continuous evaluation and improving the portfolio of your app. This is meant for achieving tangible results within the business process. You need to adopt a thoughtful approach to undertake the app modernization.
What is Application Modernization Strategy?
Application modernization is the method of improving the existing app. It aims at boosting the CX factor and ROI. This process thoroughly evaluates the app's performance, considering factors like cost and the emerging technology it is built upon. You should also consider the cloud, microservice-based architectures, containers, serverless solutions, and Kubernetes. All these criteria will determine whether your web app needs to be migrated.
The key purpose of application modernization is to ensure that your app operates and yields a substantial ROI. Achieving this goal needs a robust decision-making approach. During this process, a web development company aligns its strategy with the latest technology trends. They also optimize the customer experience element to drive business success and growth.
Why is Application Modernization Important?
Although modern programming models and cloud technologies have been in the picture for the past few years, most enterprise-based apps still rely on traditional stacks. It reflects the inflexibility of the business.
However, not all apps require modernization. It may not be feasible or necessary. Applications that hold importance to business success should be modernized. Investing in modernization incurs profit in the long run. It may seem expensive and out of the budget today.
Embracing modernization leads to enhanced scalability, operational efficiency, and strengthened security. So, adapt to a cloud-based infrastructure and respond effectively to evolving customer demands.
Below mentioned are the top reasons to modernize your web app.
- Boost Operational Efficiency
Management gets more uniform when every application in your business operates on container platforms such as OpenShift or Kubernetes. Everything is managed in a container regardless of the programming languages, runtimes, or application stacks involved. While such a system simplifies operational tasks, it necessitates changes in the organizational structure and the company culture. However, ensure that it evolves.
- Look at the Bigger Picture
Over time, various people have developed and expanded many enterprise applications. In some scenarios, they may give rise to a lot of “technical debt”. Think of technical debt as a kind of clutter or mess in a house that keeps piling up over time. This mess can take up a lot of time and resources to clean up, making it difficult to add new furniture or renovate. A similar context is applicable when you perform website modernization. You eliminate irrelevant resources. Hence, you look at the future expansion of your web app.
- Improve Developer Productivity
Modern web apps have a structured and modular design. This makes it easier for developers to understand and maintain the code. Eventually, it reduces developers' time debugging complex codebases.
Moreover, every modern app is meant to be more scalable and efficient. This reduces the development time in terms of performance optimization and dealing with scalability issues.
- A More Stabilized Platform
When you modernize your web app or website, you actually make your platform stabilized. You optimize the platform on the ground of efficiency and speed. Also, you integrate a robust security system into your platform. In such a state, the team does not have to put in effort. Rather, they notify you of any mishaps and inform you of the underlying issues.
Thus, upgrading or modernizing your web app is needed.
- Reduce Overall Cost
Modernizing a web application can lead to significant long-term cost savings, despite the upfront costs of the transition. Older systems require continuous and costly maintenance to keep them running smoothly. By modernizing, you adopt more current technologies, which are typically less expensive.
Modern architectures (like cloud-based, microservices, and serverless architectures) enable easy scaling as per demand. This means you only pay for what you use. You can ask your software development company to scale down when resources are not needed.
Website Modernization Strategies to Look For
Application modernization is like fixing something old to make it as good as new. It takes effort and planning.
Just like fixing a house, you can break down the process of modernizing an application into smaller tasks. Each task you complete can make the application better, bit by bit.
To handle this, you may use a method known as agile practice. This is like doing one room at a time instead of fixing the entire house all at once. This way, you can manage the work better, keep things under control, and reduce the chance of anything going wrong.
Here are the ways you can follow for correct web modernization.
Refactoring and Replatforming
Refactoring is restructuring the existing codebase without changing its external behavior. Here, the hired software development company team improves your code and ensures it is easier to maintain. It makes future changes quicker and less risky.
Replatforming is about moving your web application to a more modern platform for better performance and more features. This might indicate migrating to a different server or updating to a newer version of your current technology stack. It also implies switching to a different technology stack altogether.
Improving your Web App Runtime
A runtime environment is where your software or application runs. It provides a platform for the code to execute and perform its intended functionality.
Here's a simple explanation: Think of the runtime as a stage where a play (your web application) is performed. If you update and improve the stage, the play can be performed more effectively. The actors (i.e., the code) can perform more tasks, the stagehands (i.e., system resources) can work more efficiently, and the audience (i.e., your users) can have a better experience.
Migrating to Microservices
With microservices, you can scale individual services based on demand rather than scaling the entire application. Since each service is independent, the software development company can update and deploy their respective services.
Moreover, each microservice is built with the technology stack that best suits its requirements.If a single microservice fails, it doesn't bring down the entire application. It's easier to isolate and fix problems.
To Conclude: Whether You Should Modernize Your Web App?
Modernizing your web application should definitely be considered, particularly when you look to stay competitive. It's similar to renovating an old but valuable house. It might require time, effort, and resources, but the outcome can be greatly beneficial.
Like any large project, app modernization will need a tailored plan because every app has unique needs. While it may seem like a big task, remember it's a worthwhile investment. The benefits you can gain, such as better performance and improved user experience, are significant.
