Enterprises could be left with vulnerable applications due to system migrations, specifically those that are coded in Windows XP.
According to a survey of 200 IT directors and CIOs, 80 per cent are concerned that Windows XP's end date in 2014 will leave them with a large amount of unsupported business critical applications, while 43 per cent have not introduced strategies to migrate any of the legacy Windows XP apps.
With a full migration typically taking 12 - 18 months, the survey said that enterprises could be left with applications that are highly vulnerable from potential security and incompatibility issues.
According to Chris Lowndes, application development director at Avanade UK who commissioned the survey, there are a number of businesses that will be affected by this, specifically as 91 per cent of enterprises are at risk from an "evolving application platform hell".
“In terms of legacy infrastructure such as Windows XP desktops, there are a number of business critical applications at risk today, from those that have operated under the radar of IT, to others seen as too costly to migrate to modern platforms,†he said.
“This problem is made worse by the emergence of multi-device application environments born from bring your own device (BYOD) platforms, which are introducing both similar and entirely new legacy risks. Moreover, unless businesses find a more holistic approach for application development and maintenance, they will continue to suffer from legacy issues for years to come.â€
The survey found that 52 per cent of businesses do not have formal plans for how to address this, with the likely legacy problem of Windows XP support it will bring and 80 per cent of respondents said that this will be a concern.
