Legacy IT infrastructure dims sustainable future – study

A recent study conducted by Daisy Corporate Services (Daisy) has revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of IT leaders believe their organisation's legacy infrastructure is causing them a sustainability nightmare. With the spotlight on sustainable practices intensifying, this survey - which polled 250 senior IT decision-makers - unveiled that legacy hardware currently accounts for over a third (37%) of organisations' total power consumption.

Significantly, although a vast majority of IT leaders (86%) maintain that sustainability and energy efficiency are crucial to their operations and 84% claim that their organisations have IT efficiency targets in place, only about half (51%) of the respondents are "very confident" they will succeed in meeting these objectives.

Andy Bevan, Head of Propositions and Strategy Consulting at Daisy, commented on the findings, saying, "Sustainability is a vital component of any modern business, and IT departments have a growing role in helping the wider organisation achieve green targets. But legacy technology is a cause for concern amongst IT teams, with ageing equipment still contributing significantly to power consumption."

Bevan further explained that while organisations can leverage the sustainability features of their cloud providers, the challenges of migrating their legacy hardware pose a setback. He suggested, "Here is where modern hybrid cloud platforms can help bridge the gap between on-site infrastructure and cloud to deliver performance and sustainability benefits."

Legacy technology not only poses sustainability problems but also proves to be a significant cost centre. IT leaders confessed that nearly a third (29%) of their budgets are devoted to support, maintain, and manage inefficient legacy hardware. Concurrently, numerous IT leaders are being asked to reconsider their IT spending, with more than two-thirds (69%) of the survey participants describing the pressure to curb IT capital expenditure as "significant."

As a result, IT leaders are exploring different ways to optimise costs with 86% of those surveyed believing that moving to a consumption-based IT infrastructure model would benefit their organisations via increased flexibility and cost reduction. Furthermore, 82% of IT decision-makers see potential in the use of AIOps (Artificial Intelligence for Operations) to strengthen their operations in the future.

Commenting on this, Bevan added, "Driving efficiencies is a big part of businesses' survival strategies today, which is having a huge impact on IT teams. At a time when IT leaders are under pressure to reduce capital expenditure, many organisations are still incurring significant maintenance and support costs on their legacy hardware. Organisations can reduce ongoing costs and increase flexibility by moving to the cloud and a consumption-based pricing model, paying only for what they use. For cost-constrained IT departments this should be their nirvana."