legacy systems

Why technical debt is really ‘innovation debt’

When agencies have an assessment and mitigation strategy for technical debt, they can more easily modernize systems and roll out new features.

By Chris Teale
May 18, 2023

An outdated tracking system is a key factor in Texas’ foster care shortcomings

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services tracks foster children's health records using a system that's older than Google, but efforts to upgrade it over the years have have been few and far between.

By Colleen DeGuzman, KFF Health News
May 10, 2023

Can Fortran survive another 15 years?

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory evaluated the risks of relying on the 65-year-old code for nuclear security.

By Susan Miller
April 27, 2023

COBOL: You’re thinking about it wrong

The workhorse computing language suffers from a “major image problem” rooted in fundamental misperceptions, researchers say.

By Susan Miller
January 6, 2023

Your daily read on state and local government

States target mainframes in legacy system modernization

Security, cost and workforce challenges have states looking to retire, rehost or outsource mainframe operations, according to a survey by the National Association of State Technology Directors.

By Susan Miller
November 29, 2022

Using APIs to bridge the gap between old technology and new needs

Application programming interfaces can deliver better tools, data and reporting for benefit determinations without requiring significant upgrades to existing technology.

By Juan Cole
December 21, 2021

Your daily read on state and local government

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