Maybe it’s time to think in new ways about legacy systems. Typically, the legacy label is applied to systems based on outdated technology or architecture and so needs to be replaced as a matter of course. But maybe there’s an element of legacy thinking in that mindset. Ann Dunkin, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, thinks so.
Dunkin, who has served in IT leadership positions in both the public and private sectors for more than two decades, argues that not every legacy system needs to be modernized.
For example, much is made of the fact that some government agencies have legacy applications written in COBOL, a programming language dating back to the 1950s. It’s true that universities no longer teach COBOL, but guess what, “you can teach a developer COBOL,” Dunkin said.
That’s not to say that agencies should be content with outdated technology, but they also shouldn’t assume that that every legacy application has outlived its value, she said.
A Four-Pronged Approach
Rather than assuming that every legacy system must be modernized (as if that were possible), Dunkin suggests considering four options.
Hold steady. The first option — the most counterintuitive — is to leave a legacy application in place. This is a viable option with specialized applications that, while outdated, are stable and perform as required.
For example, DOE manages numerous legacy applications that support such specialized operations as manufacturing nuclear weapons or managing the operational technology built into the electrical grid. Those systems, for which there is no viable commercial alternative, might be outdated but they do the job.
“If you think about the grid, there’s a lot of legacy [technology], but in some cases there’s just no reason to modernize it, or not for 20 or 30 more years,” she said. “We just need to protect that stuff and make sure it’s safe and secure.”
Modernize little by little. In other cases, the limitations of a legacy system can cause problems. For example, an agency looking to improve the performance of a public-facing application might find the outdated system architecture makes it difficult to incorporate new functionality or to integrate with other, more modern systems.
Often, an agency can address those pain points by upgrading specific components of an application over time and as needed, rather than resorting to a full-scale overhaul, Dunkin said. “Hopefully, after you’ve made all those service improvements around the edges, and you’ve done these different integrations, and you’ve changed these modules — by the time you have [gotten] to [modernizing] to the kernel of [the] thing, you’ll have a lot less to do.”
Go to the cloud. On the other hand, in the case of an enterprise application providing common business capabilities, an agency might be able to save itself a lot of time and trouble by switching to a commercial cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering, Dunkin said. In the case of DOE, “maybe 90% of our enterprise applications probably should end up being SaaS,” she said.
In spring 2024, DOE began work on shifting human resources functions to a cloud-based platform from Workday. It’s a significant undertaking because DOE falls under the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act, which outlines strict standards and practices around financial management that must be reflected in the HR system. The HR department is taking the lead but working closely with the CIO and finance offices.
As the work has progressed, other parts of DOE that manage their own HR systems have expressed interest in taking part, Dunkin said. “Whenever I get someone in DOE voluntarily saying, ‘Well, we think we want to come do that with you,’ I think that’s a big win.”
Go low-code. At DOE and other agencies, lowcode/ no-code is becoming the go-to option for many software requirements. Low-code platforms, which provide visual interfaces with drag-and-drop functionality, enable users with minimal coding knowledge to design programs and processes very quickly.
The low-code approach played a big role in helping DOE meet a recent congressional mandate. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a program through which manufacturers that invest in different types of advanced energy projects can apply for a tax credit through DOE. That meant DOE needed to create a system to receive and manage those applications, and they needed to do it quickly.
“We’ve been able to be pretty responsive in building these low-code applications to support these various tax programs,” Dunkin said.
Slowly But Surely
All that said, Dunkin recognizes that it will take time for many people to start thinking in new ways about modernization, especially in a major department like DOE. From software development and procurement to agency leadership, everyone needs to come around to understanding the value of these approaches and to recognize there’s no new risk, Dunkin said.
It’s human nature: Some people just want to keep doing things in the old way, she said, “and that will probably take a long time to eradicate.”
This article appeared in our guide, “Agencies Draw a New Modernization Blueprint.” To learn more about how agencies are updating legacy systems, download it here: