Focus Issue on Legacy Information Systems and Business Process Change: A Business Perspective of Legacy Information Systems

Abstract

Legacy information systems evolved incrementally in response to changes in business strategy and information technology. Organizations are now being forced to change much more radically and quickly than previously and this change places new demands on information systems. Legacy information systems are usually considered from a technical perspective, addressing issues such as age, complexity, maintainability, design and technology. We wish to demonstrate that the business dimension to legacy information systems, represented by the organisation structure, business processes and procedures that are bound up in the design and operation of the existing IT systems, is also significant. This paper identifies the important role of legacy information systems in the formation of new strategies. We show that the move away from a stable to an unstable business environment accelerates the rate of change. Furthermore, the gap between what the legacy information systems can deliver and the strategic vision of the organization widens when the legacy information systems are unable to adapt to meet the new requirements. An analysis of fifteen case studies provides evidence that legacy information systems include business and technical dimensions and that the systems can present problems when there is a misalignment between the strategic vision of the business, the IT legacy and the old business model embodied in the legacy.

IS Integration and Business Performance: The Mediation Effect of Organizational Absorptive Capacity in SMEs

“…The greater the integration of a company's IS, the faster the overall planning and control cycles (Gattiker and Goodhue, 2004). In contrast, a traditional hierarchical structure (equipped with legacy systems) cannot make use of cross-functional information, due to its inability to understand the benefits of interfunctional cooperation in terms of process performance (Kelly et al, 1999).…”

Modelagem de Regras de Negócios Integrada ao Projeto de Software Orientado a Processos de Negócios

“…No entanto, a dimensão das regras para organizações de negócios constitui um contexto dinâmico e mutável, devendo ser adaptada em decorrência de necessidades identificadas através de variáveis externas e decisões internas gerenciais (Hwang, 2003;Ross, 2004;Kelly et al, 1999;Marshall, 2000). Isto implica na compreensão do contexto do ambiente, visando a integração de sua perspectiva de evolução como uma etapa decisiva em projetos de software para organizações de negócios.…”

“…Tal fato implica no uso cada vez mais freqüente da Tecnologia da Informação -TI como um tipo de recurso estratégico para o suporte eficaz e eficiente na tomada de decisões. No entanto, o desenvolvimento e/ou composição de tais recursos envolve um aspecto amplo, onde a definição de parâmetros, processos e características específicas a cada ambiente modelado demanda um alinhamento estreito entre TI e a área de negócios (Abu-Hanna & Jansweijer, 1994;Kelly et al, 1999;Marshall, 2000).…”

“…Decorrente do exposto verifica-se a relevância do aperfeiçoamento contínuo das metodologias existentes para que o desenvolvimento e especificação de Sistemas de Informação contemplem o compartilhamento e gestão do conhecimento em ambientes de negócios, através da integração e consistência de dados, processos e conhecimento de negócios em uma visão unificada da empresa em todas as suas extensões (Kelly et. al, 1999;Marshall, 2000).…”

School Level Information System (IS) Discontinuance Intention: A Case Study on Information System (IS) Discontinuance of Surigao State College of Technology SSCT

“…School administrator's salience of inadequate attention to the discontinuance of obsolete information system (IS) because of the risk to the whole school operation will have an impact on the system complexity, system change, and resources [5]. Some research that says the intention of discontinuance of information systems (IS) was personal views such as dissatisfaction of the user [6], the shift of one's interest [6], status quo [7] and ease of usefulness [8]. This paper…”