You probably don’t believe the title of this blog, and you’re not alone if you don’t. Most people don’t believe that a fresh install of legacy apps on new servers is even possible. More likely than not, install scripts are missing, developers are gone, application owners have left, and new owners don’t understand their applications. Changing to new servers and a new operating system will somehow break applications. “Legacy applications can be some of the hardest and most frustrating applications to support in any corporate environment.” A fresh install is just not possible.
At VirtaMove, we’ve heard one thousand excuses why old apps won’t run on new servers. But they’re just that – excuses. We don’t need install scripts, developers, or app owners to learn and re-install apps. Day in and day out, we successfully automate the installation of Windows 2000, WS2003, and WS2008 applications on new virtual machines and servers running WS2008, WS2012, and WS2016. Every day, VirtaMove helps customers run legacy applications on new servers. Every day, successful installations trump the one thousand excuses.
An automated, fresh install of legacy apps on a modern server may seem like magic, but the benefits are real:
- A fresh install of apps on a new server and modern operating system closes known security exposures on old WS2000 and WS2003 servers.
- Moving beyond WS2003 eliminates WannaCry, NotPetya, and Vault 7 malware risks. New hardware closes Spectre and Meltdown security holes. Your apps will run on a supported OS and your IT audit and compliance teams will be happy.
- Running on new hardware improves performance. New servers run faster. You’ll get more work done with your existing apps.
- Fresh installs allow applications to be split and installed on separate servers or apps can be consolidated and installed on a single server. It’s a chance to reconfigure where apps run.
- Some application software components, such as IIS and SQL, can be upgraded on-the-fly for new servers. New software components run faster, are more secure, and provide advanced features.
- A fresh install of apps on a modern, standard operating system reduces application clutter, cleans up log files, eliminates unnecessary apps and lets you run on modern datacenter VMs or the cloud. It also reduces OS patch management and lets you manage servers with advanced DevOps tools.
- Once moved, the life cycle of legacy apps can be extended. New development over time can address extended functional requirements. You’re not forced into costly app redevelopment simply because you want to run an app on modern servers.
The automated re-installation of legacy applications on new, faster, secure servers isn’t magic – it’s good business sense. Virtualization has been proven as a technology that can “simultaneously support legacy applications and current line-of-business applications.”