Digital transformation requires use of the latest technologies. However, as you probably already know, modernizing a mission-critical database and the applications that interact with it can be risky and expensive, often turning into a long disruptive journey. But I have good news! According to a recent Bloor Spotlight report, Actian’s Ingres NeXt strategy for modernizing Ingres and OpenROAD applications either avoids or proactively addresses these potential pain points.

Bloor Senior Analyst Daniel Howard comments:

“Ingres NeXt is worth paying attention to because it acknowledges both the massive need and desire for digital transformation and modernization as well as the difficulties and shortcomings of conventional approaches to them, then takes steps to provide the former while mitigating the latter.”

Let’s look at the top four obstacles that stand in the way of modernization.

It’s Risky

Less than half of modernization projects are successful. Complex dependencies among databases, applications, operating systems, hardware, data sources, and other structures increase the likelihood  that something will go wrong. In addition, organizations are likely to make poor decisions at some point since there are few modernization best practices to guide the way.

It’s Expensive

Modernization typically requires Capital Expenditure (CapEx) justification. Although modernization can potentially save money and increase revenue in the long run, it can be difficult to prove that this will significantly outweigh the costs of maintaining your legacy systems over time. It can also be challenging to get a modernization initiative approved as part of an innovation budget. Innovation budgets are often quite small. According to Deloitte’s analysis, the average IT department invests more than half of its technology budget on maintaining business operations and only 19% on building innovative new capabilities.

It’s a Long Journey

Modernization can involve replacing thousands of hours’ worth of custom-developed business logic. Code may be stable, but it is perceived as brittle if it cannot be changed without great pain. Missing documentation, third-party applications, and libraries that are often no longer available can add time and complexity to a modernization project. Plus, many developers are simply unaware of conversion tools for updating “green screen” ABF applications and creating web and mobile versions.

It’s Disruptive

Mission-critical databases and applications require near 100% availability, so modernization requires careful planning and execution. Plus, technical staff and business users will need to be retrained and upskilled to make the most of new technologies.

How exactly does Ingres NeXt avoid or address these pain points?

Read the Bloor Spotlight on the Ingres NeXt Database and Application Modernization program for the answer to that question. The report discusses how automated migration utilities, asset reuse, and a high degree of flexibility and customization—among other things—result in a solution that can streamline your organization’s path to a modern data infrastructure.

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