• 6 strategies for accelerating IT modernization As the pressure to innovate increases, so too does the need to quickly modernize applications and infrastructure to ensure your business can capitalize on new opportunities as they arise. • Modernization remains a priority for CIOs, with IT executives saying that legacy systems and outdated infrastructurestymie AI adoption, innovation, and ultimately business growth. • Indeed, CIOs cite modernization as a key component of their transformation work, which dominates the agenda of most IT leaders - some 77%, according toCIO.com’s 2025 State of the CIO report. • But the priority today is not just modernization, but modernization at top speed. • “Technology is moving fast, but society and business conditions are moving faster, so now you have to modernize just to keep up,” says veteran IT leaderJanet Sherlock, founder and CEO of Org.Works, an advisory firm on organization structure and strategy. • “Modernization has to happen at a faster clip all the time, so your whole organization can move faster.” Most CIOs say they’re up for the challenge: Roughly three-quarters believe they’ll complete a wide range of legacy modernization initiatives within two years, according toresearch from Cognizant, an IT services and consulting firm.
Article Summaries:
- CIOs are prioritizing rapid IT modernization to keep pace with fast‑moving business and technology landscapes. A 2025 CIO.com survey shows 77 % of IT leaders view modernization as central to transformation, and 75 % expect to complete major legacy projects within two years. Yet skills shortages, budget limits and other hurdles slow progress. To accelerate, experts recommend six tactics, the first of which is using AI to automate legacy code analysis and migration. AI can turn months of manual refactoring into days, creating a “slowness tax” savings and paving the way for continuous, low‑human‑intervention modernization.
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