The Graying of IT: The Aging Workforce and Legacy Applications

by Ken Orr, The Cutter Business Technology Council

One of the Cutter Business Technology Council's first Opinions discussed the impact of the aging workforce in North America, Western Europe, and Japan -- a result of the baby-boom generation nearing retirement age [2]. Unfortunately, the intervening years since the Opinion was written in 2000 were particularly difficult ones from both an economic and security standpoint. The bursting of the Internet bubble, the aftereffects of September 11, and the pressure to outsource have absorbed most organizations' available time and money. There have been few resources left to prepare for the exit of the biggest generation of modern times.

But the clock hasn't stopped running; old systems have just gotten older. Nor has putting a Web-based front end onto superannuated COBOL/CICS systems really affected the core of most older applications. And those who know these systems -- well, there are fewer of them every day; and in many cases, they have already been outsourced or downsized.