Why PeopleSoft Isn’t Legacy—It’s Leverage
Post 2 of 52
The word “legacy” has become a weapon in enterprise software sales. Consultants wield it to create urgency. Vendors use it to manufacture obsolescence. And somewhere in the middle, CIOs are being pressured to abandon functional, mission-critical systems based on fear rather than fact.
But here’s what nobody wants to tell you: the distinction between “legacy” and “modern” has almost nothing to do with when the software was written.
It has everything to do with how it’s architected, deployed, and operated today.
What “Legacy” Actually Means
Let’s be precise about terminology. A system is legacy when it exhibits these characteristics:
It can’t integrate. Modern systems expose APIs and connect seamlessly with other platforms. Legacy systems are data islands that require expensive middleware or manual processes to exchange information.
It can’t scale. Modern systems leverage cloud infrastructure to grow with demand. Legacy systems hit capacity walls that require months of procurement and provisioning to address.
It can’t evolve. Modern systems support rapid iteration, automated testing, and frequent releases. Legacy systems require change freezes, maintenance windows measured in hours, and risk tolerance that slows innovation to a crawl.
It can’t be maintained. Modern systems have active communities, current documentation, and available talent. Legacy systems depend on tribal knowledge and vendors who charge premium rates for basic support.
Notice what’s missing from this list? The year the codebase was created.