Organizations that find it hard to let go of older systems can create big problems for customers.
While working on a piece about the talent crunch in cybersecurity, I was a tad surprised when legacy systems popped up as a common challenge that IT administrators struggle with today.
I expected organizations would have figured out by now that IT sprawl is costly and their adoption of new technology in search of operational efficiencies is unlikely to be fruitful if their migration plan does not include phasing out legacy systems.
More importantly, with resources already scarce, clinging on to legacy infrastructure increases the workload for cybersecurity teams that have to safeguard newly acquired systems while still dealing with old tools that may no longer be supported by the manufacturer.
So, why is it so hard to let go of the old and move on with the new? Are we die-hard tech hoarders?
A recent botched transition to a new transport e-payment platform in Singapore might offer some answers.
On Jan. 9, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that two legacy stored value cards, EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay, would no longer be used to pay for public transport fares starting from June. The move is part of the country’s transition to the SimplyGo system that LTA said had commenced in 2019.
Apart from its use as payment for public bus and train fares, the contactless EZ-Link cards are also accepted as a payment option at various locations island-wide, including convenience stores, fast-food outlets, and taxis.
In its statement, LTA said most commuters would not be affected by the transition because they already are using SimplyGo EZ-Link or contactless bank cards. «Commuters using concession cards, such as seniors, students, Workfare Transport Concession Scheme cardholders, and persons with disabilities, will also not be affected,» said the transport authority, which noted that two in three adult-fare transactions on public transport are made using either SimplyGo EZ-Link or bank cards.
The transport authority probably wasn’t expecting the public outcry that swiftly followed.
