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Continual Modernization Programs Are Key to IT Success

Modernization projects using an incremental and continuous improvement model achieve superior results when compared to other project-based approaches including the ripping and replacing of core business applications, according to the CHAOS2020 Report from Micro Focus and Standish Group.


The report indicates that this infinite flow method to modernizing core business applications has a number of benefits in regards to return of value, customer satisfaction, sustainable innovation and longer application lifespans.

"As we see in our latest research with Standish Group, a continuous and multi-phased modernization methodology delivers incremental value and reduces risk when compared to the alternatives of rewriting or replacing," said Neil Fowler, GM of Application Modernization and Connectivity at Micro Focus. "With application modernization typically being an important first step in an enterprise's larger digital transformation journey, an incremental flow-based model provides a methodology capable of matching the flexibility of today's business climate while ensuring continuous transformative activity."

Multi-decade Standish Group research of over 50,000 participants shows that an infinite flow model ensures ongoing modernization activity, while narrowing the gap between project management and delivery teams. This research is consistent with Micro Focus' own findings where 92 percent of core applications are strategic and 70 percent see modernization as their preferred option.

Key findings of the Endless Modernization research include:

Modernization Projects Yield Significantly Higher Success Rates

Companies replacing a software application and starting from scratch had a 26 percent success and 20 percent failure ratio as opposed to a 71 percent success and 1 percent failure ratio for teams choosing to modernize an existing application rather than fully replacing it.

Rip and Replace Projects Struggle

Only 27 percent of companies choosing a rip and replace strategy saw a high return, with 41 percent reporting a low or very low return on their investment. In comparison, a flow-based modernization methodology returned twice the value on average than other types of software development approaches.

Modernization is a Preferred Path over Ripping and Replacing

45 percent of enterprises ripping and replacing their application software were ultimately disappointed or not satisfied by their results as opposed to 55 percent of organizations choosing modernization responding as satisfied.

Incremental Flow-Based Modernization Approaches Have Numerous Benefits

Rather than running one large modernization project, research shows that enterprises incorporating a series of smaller, microservices or microprojects achieved much better outcomes.

"The demand is for more value, higher customer satisfaction, and lower costs," said Jim Johnson, founder, The Standish Group. "It is our opinion — based on our extensive research and observation of role models — that the move to infinite flow satisfies all three of these demands."

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Continual Modernization Programs Are Key to IT Success

Modernization projects using an incremental and continuous improvement model achieve superior results when compared to other project-based approaches including the ripping and replacing of core business applications, according to the CHAOS2020 Report from Micro Focus and Standish Group.


The report indicates that this infinite flow method to modernizing core business applications has a number of benefits in regards to return of value, customer satisfaction, sustainable innovation and longer application lifespans.

"As we see in our latest research with Standish Group, a continuous and multi-phased modernization methodology delivers incremental value and reduces risk when compared to the alternatives of rewriting or replacing," said Neil Fowler, GM of Application Modernization and Connectivity at Micro Focus. "With application modernization typically being an important first step in an enterprise's larger digital transformation journey, an incremental flow-based model provides a methodology capable of matching the flexibility of today's business climate while ensuring continuous transformative activity."

Multi-decade Standish Group research of over 50,000 participants shows that an infinite flow model ensures ongoing modernization activity, while narrowing the gap between project management and delivery teams. This research is consistent with Micro Focus' own findings where 92 percent of core applications are strategic and 70 percent see modernization as their preferred option.

Key findings of the Endless Modernization research include:

Modernization Projects Yield Significantly Higher Success Rates

Companies replacing a software application and starting from scratch had a 26 percent success and 20 percent failure ratio as opposed to a 71 percent success and 1 percent failure ratio for teams choosing to modernize an existing application rather than fully replacing it.

Rip and Replace Projects Struggle

Only 27 percent of companies choosing a rip and replace strategy saw a high return, with 41 percent reporting a low or very low return on their investment. In comparison, a flow-based modernization methodology returned twice the value on average than other types of software development approaches.

Modernization is a Preferred Path over Ripping and Replacing

45 percent of enterprises ripping and replacing their application software were ultimately disappointed or not satisfied by their results as opposed to 55 percent of organizations choosing modernization responding as satisfied.

Incremental Flow-Based Modernization Approaches Have Numerous Benefits

Rather than running one large modernization project, research shows that enterprises incorporating a series of smaller, microservices or microprojects achieved much better outcomes.

"The demand is for more value, higher customer satisfaction, and lower costs," said Jim Johnson, founder, The Standish Group. "It is our opinion — based on our extensive research and observation of role models — that the move to infinite flow satisfies all three of these demands."

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AI is the catalyst for significant investment in data teams as enterprises require higher-quality data to power their AI applications, according to the State of Analytics Engineering Report from dbt Labs ...

Misaligned architecture can lead to business consequences, with 93% of respondents reporting negative outcomes such as service disruptions, high operational costs and security challenges ...

A Gartner analyst recently suggested that GenAI tools could create 25% time savings for network operational teams. Where might these time savings come from? How are GenAI tools helping NetOps teams today, and what other tasks might they take on in the future as models continue improving? In general, these savings come from automating or streamlining manual NetOps tasks ...

IT and line-of-business teams are increasingly aligned in their efforts to close the data gap and drive greater collaboration to alleviate IT bottlenecks and offload growing demands on IT teams, according to The 2025 Automation Benchmark Report: Insights from IT Leaders on Enterprise Automation & the Future of AI-Driven Businesses from Jitterbit ...

A large majority (86%) of data management and AI decision makers cite protecting data privacy as a top concern, with 76% of respondents citing ROI on data privacy and AI initiatives across their organization, according to a new Harris Poll from Collibra ...

According to Gartner, Inc. the following six trends will shape the future of cloud over the next four years, ultimately resulting in new ways of working that are digital in nature and transformative in impact ...

2020 was the equivalent of a wedding with a top-shelf open bar. As businesses scrambled to adjust to remote work, digital transformation accelerated at breakneck speed. New software categories emerged overnight. Tech stacks ballooned with all sorts of SaaS apps solving ALL the problems — often with little oversight or long-term integration planning, and yes frequently a lot of duplicated functionality ... But now the music's faded. The lights are on. Everyone from the CIO to the CFO is checking the bill. Welcome to the Great SaaS Hangover ...

Regardless of OpenShift being a scalable and flexible software, it can be a pain to monitor since complete visibility into the underlying operations is not guaranteed ... To effectively monitor an OpenShift environment, IT administrators should focus on these five key elements and their associated metrics ...

An overwhelming majority of IT leaders (95%) believe the upcoming wave of AI-powered digital transformation is set to be the most impactful and intensive seen thus far, according to The Science of Productivity: AI, Adoption, And Employee Experience, a new report from Nexthink ...

Overall outage frequency and the general level of reported severity continue to decline, according to the Outage Analysis 2025 from Uptime Institute. However, cyber security incidents are on the rise and often have severe, lasting impacts ...