Modernisation challenges hinder IT team productivity

Rocket Software has published the findings from its survey, IT Modernisation Without Disruption. Rocket Software commissioned Forrester Consulting in this survey of over 300 global decision makers, including CIOs, VPs and Directors, responsible for modernising their company’s IT environment to explore strategies and the value external partners provided.

Key survey findings include:

Modernisation challenges are disruptive to businesses, with one-third (33%) of respondents reporting that these roadblocks led to reduced productivity

Successful IT modernisation strategies are tied to both stronger technological and business outcomes, which is why many C-suite executives (42%) are championing these efforts, recognising their transformative potential

For businesses, modernisation is not just about staying relevant; it’s essential for staying agile and competitive. The key to successful transformation is how an organisation strategically aligns their technology to their business and the context it operates in, whether that be healthcare, financial services, manufacturing or retail. Though it can be daunting, businesses are not backing down. Sixty-nine (69%) percent of respondents believe IT modernisation is crucial for achieving their business goals over the next 12 months.

However, these modernisation journeys are not without roadblocks. Modernisation challenges include costly and time-consuming application re-write projects, with over half of respondents (51%) attempting at least six re-write projects as part of their cloud migration strategy due to multiple failures. Rewriting applications can be a costly mistake for businesses, as it often leads to extended timelines, operational disruptions, and frequently fails to deliver the expected outcomes. Challenges also include concerns over security (41%), talent shortages/skills gap (38%), and inadequate tools (30%). These challenges are negatively impacting business – 38% said modernisation challenges have hurt their ability to recruit new talent, 35% stated that these challenges reduce their ability to compete, and 44% said that these obstacles have led to delayed timelines. However, the survey found that organisations who work with external partners (e.g., hyperscalers, managed service providers, trusted software vendors, system integrators, or external consultants) to supplement internal shortcomings reduce these modernisation challenges.

“Modernisation is an imperative for achieving both business and technology goals, yet it comes with a range of challenges,” said Phil Buckellew, President, Infrastructure Modernisation Business Unit, at Rocket Software. “At Rocket Software, we are committed to supporting enterprises through this complex process, ensuring that modernisation is seamless and effective. We recognise that modernisation goes beyond technology upgrades - it involves a strategic transformation of an organisation’s entire operation. Our focus is on enhancing efficiency, improving customer experiences, and driving competitive innovation. The key to a successful modernisation journey is partnering with a team that not only understands the intricacies of the process but also provides the solutions, expertise and personalised support to meet you at every stage of your journey.”

Additional survey findings include:

Modernisation is a continuous journey

The survey found that priorities differ for organisations at different points in their modernisation journeys. Fifty one (51%) percent of respondents who have been on their IT modernising journey for more than one year selected “improved ability to take advantage of cloud-native, scalable applications” as a top desired outcome, compared to only 37% of those who are just starting out. Experienced IT modernisation decision makers were also more likely to select “competitive parity or advantage” as a top outcome compared to beginners. These insights demonstrate how those with greater maturity are making IT modernisation a more strategic advantage for their business.

Every journey needs good company

All respondents confirmed that they rely on a partner for their transformation journey. The right partnership can make IT modernisation faster, less disruptive, and more aligned with business and IT goals. The capabilities respondents are looking for partners to offer include:

Code and data modernisation (83%)

DevOps continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) (79%)

Open-source compliance (78%)

The destination makes it worth the trip

Businesses are not modernising for the sake of it. They’re embarking on this journey to advance strategic business and tech initiatives to ultimately improve efficiency, optimise resources and reduce risks. The top outcomes that decision makers want to gain from modernisation include:

Improved ability to leverage the power of application integration (50%)

Improved ability to take advantage of cloud-native, scalable applications (48%)

Improved DevOps pipelines (i.e., better quality and faster velocity) (44%)

Decision makers are evaluating the success of their modernisation programmes on:

Improved operational efficiency (51%)

Improved customer experience (45%)

Reduced security, risk, and compliance issues (43%)

Increased employee productivity (41%)

Increased business and technology agility (40%)