GenAI's Role in Modernizing Legacy Systems

They've always been there, which is why the fear of modernizing the famous and reliable legacy system is ever-present in any company embarking on a path of digital transformation. Modernizing these schemes, which have played an essential role in the development and growth of organizations in the past, is crucial to maintaining competitiveness and flexibility to stay in the market.

Technology advances, and so does software. Therefore, developers continuously update their products to improve their functionalities and security. However, sometimes it is impossible to apply those updates to the existing system, making a new installation necessary. End of Life (EOL) is a term that refers to the expiration of a software product, meaning it no longer receives maintenance and official support from its developer.

The need to modernize legacy systems and perform a legacy system migration is significant, but technology advances alongside demands. The dilemma is simple: they cannot be discarded, as these systems house a vast amount of data accumulated throughout the company's history, but they need to be updated. In this context, GenAI emerges as a significant support for modernizing systems, interpreting code, and filling the knowledge gap for younger developers.

What is a Legacy System?

Legacy systems are often associated with old, obsolete technologies that are generally expensive to maintain. They present weaknesses such as:

• Lack of Agility: Legacy systems are usually inflexible and not prepared to cope with the rapid changes associated with new business needs.

• Complexity in Integrations: In the current context of technological innovation, solutions fully oriented to APIs and Services are demanded, something these systems cannot handle.

• Maintenance Costs: Maintaining legacy systems can be costly and consume time and resources that could be allocated to innovation.

• Cyber Threats: The vulnerability of old systems, with numerous layers of updates, is often higher because managing them becomes exceedingly complicated. More modern architectures have stronger authentication and security solutions against potential cyber-attacks.

• Delayed GenAI Adoption: GenAI can create significant challenges and opportunities, but a suitable data infrastructure and systems that act as enablers are crucial.

Best Options for Modernizing Legacy Systems

It is imperative to face legacy system modernization. Thousands of companies worldwide have understood that adapting and being flexible is what will lead them to their immortality. A clear example is Windows, which, starting from October 14, 2025, will no longer offer updates for Windows 10. Everything concludes eventually, even for Windows 10 EOL.

So, how can a company face the monster of modernization? According to analysts, there are seven ways to modernize legacy systems. Those are many options to evaluate and classify. But when it comes to modernization, there are only three options. Choosing which path to take depends on several factors such as time, risk, and cost.

Migrate the Legacy System

If your business needs to transform key processes urgently and its legacy software is not flexible enough to support the desired changes, or if your legacy application no longer provides the appropriate user experience, legacy migration may be the best option for your needs. It might also be worthwhile to adopt this approach if your legacy applications work well, but the infrastructure beneath them is outdated.

Legacy system migration can improve performance and adaptability, providing a more reliable version of known systems while offering the flexibility and scalability of modern infrastructure. This can enable your organization to make the most of its legacy software and strategically accelerate the digitalization process.

What is GenAI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a field of computing that focuses on creating intelligent systems capable of reasoning, learning, and acting autonomously using algorithms and deep learning models. GenAI, or generative artificial intelligence, is a branch of AI that focuses on developing algorithms and models capable of creating new and original content, such as images, text, music, and more. Instead of analyzing existing data, GenAI aims to generate unique content. It can create media, learning methods, or processes in response to natural language requests without specific programming.

GenAI represents a step forward towards creativity and originality, as machines can produce innovative content independently, opening possibilities in fields like art, design, and multimedia content generation.

The Role of GenAI

That said, GenAI can be advantageous for navigating the testing phase of legacy migration. Its ability to test multiple scenarios reduces the time developers spend testing scenarios. The integration of GenAI allows for simultaneous testing, providing real-time support and suggestions to optimize migration processes.

By enhancing developers' capabilities with real-time information and clear identification of issues, GenAI improves the accuracy and efficiency of the migration process, ensuring a smoother transition to new systems.

Legacy systems last far beyond their logical expiration date because, in their early days, they were very effective and well-built. This led to more and more systems and processes connecting to or relying on them over time. But today, that has become obsolete. Even if a legacy system still works, it cannot evolve. It cannot connect to work or support new technologies or concepts like edge computing or intelligent automation.

Legacy modernization is avoided because it is difficult and expensive. But the reality is that if it is not done, the costs will be even higher in the long run. Generative artificial intelligence offers a wide range of benefits that positively impact legacy system modernization processes, innovation, and efficiency.

End of Life exists; we cannot avoid it, but that doesn't mean it has to be the end of your company. Embracing technological advancements and understanding that it is a priority to adopt them to evolve is the first step to ensure your company doesn't fall into oblivion.