Srikumar Rao takes on the issue of legacy computer systems in the article, "Unwanted Legacy." In this piece, Rao discusses the problems that companies face when hardware becomes obsolete and companies move to upgrade. Unfortunately, this may mean a loss of data or compatibility problems with software. According to Rao, the large numbers of personal computers in the office environment has only exacerbated the problems because mainframes, once the computer of choice for the business world, have been replaced by many small machines which are networked together across departments and even across facilities. Because of this, according to Rao, companies must keep upgrades and portability in mind when designing computer networks in order to avoid facing severe problems in later years.
Rao's article is a good general piece on the issue of legacy computers, but it fails to offer concrete ideas on how companies can approach legacy systems. To the degree that Rao brings to light a problem with which some executives may not familiar, the article serves a valuable purpose. Rao also does a good job of making sure that the reader understands the magnitude of the problems which can develop in a large organization where there can be multiple networks which are not interconnected.
So long as the article is read from a general point of view, it is interesting and informative. Some MIS managers, for example, may find the article useful in bolstering their arguments to senior management for upgrades to legacy systems since the article explains in everyday language what the problems can be. However, for those readers who expect to come across ideas on how to deal with legacy systems, the article is disappointing.
In order to make the article stronger, Rao could have given more concrete examples from businesses who have encountered difficulty because they are supporting legacy hardware or software. For example, instead of indicating that di...