TECHNOLOGY funded , and straight away it breaches all the Lean and Agile principles .”
While a complete remodel of business systems might be the only way to become truly agile , Barnett says caution should be exercised . “ Decommissioning tech is extremely expensive ,” he explains . “ Show me a business case with a net present value ( NPV ) that is in the black , and I will tell you the financial model is wrong . There are some useful tools like virtualisation that enable you to create an abstraction layer from your customers so you can minimise the impact
of change , but there is a risk that it becomes a sticky plaster solution .”
Demise of legacy systems Despite the speed at which the digital transformation has occurred , most experts agree that legacy systems will be in place for quite some time . Expense in replacing and restructuring business systems , it seems , needs to be carried out gradually – and ironically , in an agile and flexible manner . “ I can ’ t speak for every other fintech business in the land as I don ’ t know where they are on their journey ,” says
Steve Strickland-Wright , CTO of
Fluent Money Group , a mortgage loan brokerage based in the UK . “ But there is a real challenge around decommissioning legacy systems versus reaching strategic goals . There are also still FTSE businesses running on 1990s mainframe computers , and there is a risk associated with updating those systems . They can ’ t break away as the businesses are built on them .”
It beggars the question , how much risk is involved in removing traditional platforms and does the risk of change stand in the way of growth ? Jones believes this could certainly be the case , but the pressure to remain competitive will eventually see Lean and Agile solutions fully implemented .
“ Some of these systems have become so large , so fundamental , that they ’ re incredibly hard for the brand to shift away from . However , if those brands don ’ t work hard to replace their legacy systems , then they too will become a legacy . Harsh ? Maybe , but it ' s true .”
Lytovchenko agrees , adding that it will be decades before traditional business platforms are ousted completely .“ It [ traditional platform technology ] could be that some are around for another 15 years .”
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