Legacy systems-a process not a problem (the "six-pack" model of in-house IT services)

Developments in computer technology are changing the roles of in-house information technology departments. The rise of the PC has led to a massive decentralisation of functions that traditionally were under the control of the IT department. At the same time, the growing importance of IT to all aspects of business and the need for all those decentralised PCs to communicate with each other means that the IT manager has greater responsibility than ever before. In addition, Boards of Directors are starting to demand tangible benefits from their IT operations and many aspects of IT, including software development, are now being outsourced. The focus of many IT Managers appears to be moving away from the problems of developing new systems towards improving the management of existing ones. A sensible response to this change is to install a quality assurance system which can be the basis for a department-wide improvement programme. If properly managed in this way, legacy systems can continue to serve the needs of the organisations that commissioned them.