The Hidden Cost of Legacy Systems — Why Outdated IT Infrastructure Drains Resources

Outdated IT systems often appear stable on the surface, but they silently consume budgets and limit business agility. Legacy platforms drive up costs through expensive maintenance, shrinking specialist skills, security vulnerabilities, compliance risks, and inefficient processes. As integrations become harder and performance declines, organisations spend more time fixing issues instead of innovating. This article explores the hidden financial and operational impact of aging infrastructure, explaining why “keeping the lights on” is far more expensive than expected. It also highlights how strategic archiving, system decommissioning, and modernisation help organisations reduce risk, improve transparency, and free resources for future-focused digital transformation initiatives.