New Name for an Old Problem

Legacy systems guy (BairesDev photo)

"Technical Debt":

an accumulation of quick fixes and outdated systems never intended for their current use, all of which are badly in need of updating.

Technical debt manifests in myriad ways, from system failures and slower innovation, to security breaches...

This technical debt would require $1.52 trillion to fix, and costs the U.S. $2.41 trillion a year in cybersecurity and operational failures, failed development projects, and maintenance of outdated systems, according to a 2022 report by a software industry-funded nonprofit.

Let's face it: management is highly incentivized to come out with new products and features, not to spend resources on making old software more secure or efficient. If management is lucky, potential weaknesses will never become actual weaknesses and see the light of day.

There's never been a better time to start a business when the old competitors are burdened by legacy software and customers are stuck doing things the old way,