Lionfish Tech Advisors Report: Modernizing Legacy Software – A Cost Analysis 30-100x Greater Than Y2K
This Lionfish Tech Advisors Report, "Modernizing Legacy Software: A Cost Analysis 30-100x Greater Than Y2K," authored by Brad LaPorte, a Gartner veteran and cybersecurity industry expert, provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges and costs associated with modernizing legacy software systems. The report focuses on the monumental task of transitioning global legacy codebases, often written in memory-unsafe languages like C, C++, and COBOL, to memory-safe alternatives like Rust.
The report highlights the financial and technical implications of rewriting 500 billion to 1 trillion lines of code worldwide, with global costs projected at $17.25 trillion to $69 trillion—30-100 times the cost of Y2K preparations. It evaluates the feasibility of full migration to Rust versus cost-effective alternatives such as automated code hardening, runtime protections, and selective refactoring.
Key findings include:
- Critical Systems Priority: While only 5% of the codebase, critical systems are the most expensive to rewrite, costing up to $300 per line of code.
- Moderate Complexity Code: This category constitutes 50% of the codebase and drives the majority of costs.
- Code Hardening as an Alternative: Hardening existing codebases could save 80-90% of the costs of full migration while achieving comparable security and reliability outcomes.
The report provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and industry leaders, emphasizing a hybrid approach that combines selective migration with advanced code hardening techniques. By adopting this strategy, organizations can modernize their systems, improve cybersecurity, and reduce long-term maintenance costs without incurring the prohibitive expenses of a complete rewrite.
About Lionfish
Lionfish Tech Advisors bring hundreds of years of collective global IT Advisor experience together to help companies realize their full potential. Every member is a recognized thought leader who has conducted extensive market readiness and performance studies of companies small and large across the globe. Our advisors help vendors maximize profits, expand their customer base, secure competitive advantage, and foster investor relations. We are your Trusted IT Growth Partners.
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“Modernizing Legacy Software: A Cost Analysis 30-100x Greater Than Y2K”.
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