Why does it require an end of life announcement for considering a migration? “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It’s an excuse for inaction…”―Gen. Colin PowellOne of the more enduring of memories from my childhood has to do with a Philips reel-to-reel tape recorder. My father’s pride and joy, this was the high-fidelity beast that brought to life the heavy bass of The Ventures guitars as well as the subtleties of Begum Akhtar’s thumris, in a way that audio cassettes never could.Compiling mixtapes was as much a part of my growing up as was learning to dissemble the recorder’s drive mechanism, since its multiple belts tended to melt given Delhi’s scorching summers. In the 70s and 80s it was possible to get replacements for melted belts, the occasionally blown vacuum tubes, and spool tapes. Later, friends and relatives heading overseas were pushed into carting back the essential supplies.Of course, a time came when the last set of belts gave up the ghost and the spools turned no more. We found a use for the recorder even then—its amplifier was going strong over 20 years after purchase. It also colored our views on all audio equipment that we encountered for a long while. It’s quite a bit like the legacy apps and infra that I come across in enterprises all across India. These are systems that were blueprinted and rolled out through an investment of time, effort and not-too-easy-to-come-by funds.You and your teams put these into place, so I understand that it can’t be easy to let go. These systems are often all about a high order of ‘business-IT alignment’, so I do appreciate that lines of business are reluctant to swap them for a newer, shinier piece of technology.But, do we really see the true cost of maintaining such apps and systems? Or, the expense of ensuring that we have the people who know about the bells and whistles, as well as about the place that gathers the crud?Enterprise IT is a work in progress, so why then does it so often require technology providers to announce an end of life for IT teams to consider a migration? And, sometimes not even then.When I see the enterprise IT’s ‘love’ for legacy I’m reminded of that tape player that still inhabits my parents home over three decades later. It’s sentiment that keeps it there. What’s your reason? Related content feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence case study Deoleo doubles down on sustainability through digital transformation The Spanish multinational olive oil processing company is immersed in a digital transformation journey to achieve operational efficiency and contribute to the company's sustainability strategy. By Nuria Cordon Jun 02, 2023 6 mins CIO Supply Chain Digital Transformation brandpost Resilient data backup and recovery is critical to enterprise success As global data volumes rise, business must prioritize their resiliency strategies. By Neal Weinberg Jun 01, 2023 4 mins Security brandpost Democratizing HPC with multicloud to accelerate engineering innovations Cloud for HPC is facilitating broader access to high performance computing and accelerating innovations and opportunities for all types of organizations. By Tanya O'Hara Jun 01, 2023 6 mins Multi Cloud Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe