The GovICT Theatre at DigiGov Expo 2025 was packed for day two's opening session on legacy technology and cloud migration in the public sector. Computer Weekly's Editor-in-Chief Brian Glick chaired a discussion with four experts bringing diverse perspectives to the challenge: Chris Williams from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Mark Thompson from the Ministry of Justice, Mike Beaven from AWS (and former Government Digital Service alumni), and Paul Neville from The Pensions Regulator.
- The Legacy Challenge: More Than Just Old Technology
- The Technology is Ready, but Organisation Matters More
- Multiple Paths to the Cloud
- Measuring Success: Beyond Simple Cost Savings
- The Talent Imperative
The Legacy Challenge: More Than Just Old Technology
The panel opened with a fundamental question: what actually makes a system "legacy"? The consensus was clear, it's not simply about age. One panellist emphasised that inaccessibility is often the real problem, with knowledge concentrated among a select few who understand how systems work. Another highlighted that legacy can be created in real-time if organisations don't plan properly for maintenance, security patching, and architectural coherence alongside innovation.
The discussion referenced research across UK and European public sector organisations identifying common barriers to addressing legacy systems. These included moving targets from new legislation, diverse and ad-hoc business processes, knowledge gaps about system dependencies, and the perennial challenge of talent, both retaining those who understand existing systems and attracting new skills.
Interestingly, even cloud infrastructure can become legacy. One organisation described coining the term "legacy cloud" after being early adopters, finding that rapid technological evolution had left some of their cloud deployments less well understood than their on-premise systems.
The Technology is Ready, but Organisation Matters More
On a positive note, the panel highlighted emerging technologies making previously "unfathomable" legacy problems more tractable. These include emulation solutions that can move legacy systems off physical hardware onto the cloud, AI-powered tools that can analyse and refactor old code bases (including mainframe applications), and solutions that can map data dependencies in complex systems.
However, technology alone isn't the answer. The panel stressed that successful legacy transformation requires treating it as an organisational challenge. Approaches that have worked include framing the issue around budget constraints to justify infrastructure cost reductions, addressing operational inefficiencies, or more boldly using legacy modernisation as a catalyst for broader organisational transformation to product-based models.
Multiple Paths to the Cloud
When asked about the best approach for moving from legacy to cloud, the response was unanimous: "it depends." The panel discussed AWS's "seven Rs" framework, which offers options from replatforming to refactoring to repurchasing, depending on organisational priorities and constraints.
Some organisations have taken a lift-and-shift approach to address immediate risk factors quickly, then modernised afterward. Others have used cyber incidents as catalysts to leverage cloud security capabilities whilst rebuilding, recognising they couldn't wait years to patch and upgrade traditional infrastructure. One organisation described moving mainframe applications to the cloud precisely because visibility and understanding were better than keeping them on-premise, enabling learning during the migration process.
The panel was clear that for new systems, constraints are essential. One organisation operates an "enterprise technology catalogue" to limit tool proliferation, preventing the creation of new legacy through uncontrolled experimentation. As one panellist warned: "you can create legacy in real time" if innovation isn't balanced with architectural governance.
Measuring Success: Beyond Simple Cost Savings
The discussion challenged the notion that cloud migration automatically reduces costs. One organisation reported that costs initially increased significantly after moving to Azure in 2021, before a dedicated team achieved substantial optimisation, ultimately saving £1.76 million annually through careful consideration of data storage tiers, process efficiency, and make-versus-buy decisions.
However, cost is only part of the story. The panel highlighted multiple benefits: 9 billion annual digital interactions served through cloud infrastructure; disaster recovery capabilities that weren't previously possible; access to modern cybersecurity tools from multiple providers; and the ability to rapidly scale compute power during incidents. One organisation described vertical scaling during a cyber recovery as demonstrating the cloud's "real power" instant access to additional resources without procurement delays.
Perhaps most significantly, cloud infrastructure is enabling new capabilities. Examples included using AI to analyse thousands of prose-heavy regulatory documents that couldn't previously be read at scale, digital transformation that moved services from 10% to 90% digital uptake, and the ability to rapidly deploy tools like transcription services for probation officers. One organisation described developing a comprehensive data platform enabling AI-driven automation and modern API-based data sharing with industry partners.
The Talent Imperative
The final theme addressed the persistent skills challenge. Rather than competing for scarce cloud expertise in the market, one organisation created a cloud academy to build its own talent pipeline, reporting more success with home-grown capability than experienced hires or third parties.
The panel urged government organisations to leverage their unique advantage: mission. Unlike commercial sector work "shaving a thousandth of a second off trades," public sector technologists can genuinely improve citizens' lives, a powerful recruitment message. Other recommendations included working with SMEs and digital boutiques rather than relying solely on large vendors, leveraging professional services for knowledge transfer during major initiatives, and doing "everything" nurturing existing talent, growing new skills, and partnering strategically with multiple types of organisations.
The consistent message was that talent requires a multi-faceted approach, with one panellist noting simply: "you can't just do one thing."
As the session concluded, it was clear that whilst technology challenges remain significant, the successful organisations are those treating cloud migration as organisational transformation, balancing innovation with governance, and maintaining relentless focus on user outcomes rather than technology for its own sake.
Liuba Pignataro
