Security challenges for legacy systems
According to Gartner, by 2026, over 50% of organizations implementing Zero Trust will fail to meet their goals due to ignoring legacy infrastructure. Such systems often lack modern authentication and segmentation mechanisms, creating significant risks amid tightening security requirements, particularly the NIS2 directive.
Security strategies: migration vs. adaptation
Two approaches are used to protect legacy systems under the Zero Trust model:
- Migration: complete replacement or refactoring of the system. This ensures a high level of security and cloud compatibility but requires significant investment and time.
- Adaptation: overlaying security tools without replacing the system. This involves implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA), microsegmentation, IAM solutions, and traffic monitoring. While faster and more cost-effective, this path does not eliminate all internal vulnerabilities.
Solutions from Ukrainian developers
Association members offer practical tools for infrastructure modernization. Softline and IQusion specialize in building comprehensive information security systems (KSZI) and custom modernization based on the UnityBase platform. SL Global Service ensures the secure migration of legacy systems to the cloud, integrating IAM, SIEM, and DLP solutions. Utilizing solutions on the UnityBase low-code platform, such as the Megapolis.DocNet system by InBase, allows for the gradual replacement of legacy functionality with secure, modern modules.
Industry implications
Failure to integrate legacy infrastructure into Zero Trust architectures will prevent organizations from meeting security goals and complying with strict regulations like the NIS2 directive. Businesses must carefully weigh the high costs of complete migration against the residual security risks of quick-fix adaptation strategies.
What to do
To secure legacy enterprise infrastructure, organizations should take the following practical steps:
- Evaluate existing legacy systems to decide whether to completely migrate and refactor them or adapt them using overlay security tools like MFA and microsegmentation.
- Collaborate with experienced partners to build comprehensive security systems (KSZI) or execute secure cloud migrations with integrated IAM, SIEM, and DLP.
- Adopt low-code platforms, such as UnityBase and Megapolis.DocNet, to gradually replace outdated legacy functions with secure, modern modules.
Prepared by a Software Ukraine member. Original publication.