While working on an article about talent shortages in cybersecurity, I was a little surprised when legacy systems emerged as a common challenge that today's IT managers struggle with.
Organizations now understand that IT sprawl is costly and that implementing new technologies for operational efficiency is ineffective if migration plans do not include phasing out legacy systems. I expected it to be.
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More importantly, already resource-strapped cybersecurity teams must protect newly acquired systems while dealing with outdated tools that may no longer be supported by their manufacturers by clinging to legacy infrastructure. This means that the workload will increase.
So why is it so hard to let go of the old and move on to the new? Are we hardcore technology hoarders?
Singapore's recent failed move to a new electronic transport payment platform may provide some answers.
On January 9, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that two traditional stored value cards, EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay, will no longer be able to be used to pay for public transport fares from June. The move is part of the country's transition to the SimplyGo system, which LTA launched in 2019.
Apart from being used as payment for public bus and train fares, the contactless EZ-Link card is also available as a payment option at various locations across the island, including convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and taxis.
It also has everything you need for commuting.
LTA said in a statement that most commuters will not be affected by the transition as they already use SimplyGo EZ-Link or contactless bank cards. “Commuters who use discount cards, such as senior citizens, students, Workfare Transport Discount Scheme cardholders and people with disabilities, are also not affected,” the transport authority said, adding that 3% of adult fare transactions on public transport will be It was pointed out that two of these cases have been carried out. Use SimplyGo EZ-Link or your bank card.
Transportation officials probably did not anticipate the public outcry that would soon follow.
Touting the benefits of SimplyGo, LTA said the platform's mobile app allows commuters to top up their cards via credit or debit cards at any time and receive notifications when their SimplyGo card balance is low. I said I could. If you lose your card, you can also block further transactions.
However, there was a general concern that these benefits would be lost to older adults who are not tech-savvy. But at the top of the list of complaints is the omission of one of the key features available in the existing EZ-Link ecosystem. It has the ability to display fare deductions and card balances when a commuter passes through the station gate or bus card reader.
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While this feature quickly emerged as a basic feature that many people expect and already have access to on public transport infrastructure, it quickly became clear that this feature would no longer be available on supposedly newer, better systems. I was shocked.
In other words, why fix something that isn't broken and then make it worse?
In the end, the backlash prompted LTA to backtrack on the transition two weeks later, with Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat admitting a “misjudgment” in pushing through with the SimplyGo system. He added that LTA had “underestimated” its reliance on the ability for commuters to check card balances and fare deductions as they enter and exit stations and buses.
Chee said the existing infrastructure will be maintained until at least 2030, and that 4,000 yen will be allocated to purchase new hardware and maintain existing systems so that commuters can continue to use EZ-Link and NETS FlashPay cards. He said that 10,000 Singapore dollars will be secured. The minister added that the figure would not lead to an increase in public transport fares, instead the government would cover the costs.
The current system is [be] It is scheduled to sunset in 2024 as originally planned,” Chee said in a Facebook post, citing technical challenges behind the decision to omit the card balance display function.
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Account-based ticketing cards such as SimplyGo do not retain fare or card balance data, so it takes “several seconds” to retrieve the information from the back-end system and display it on the ticket gate or bus card reader, he explained. did.
“This will disrupt the flow of commuters and lead to long queues, especially during peak hours,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is currently no technical solution to this.”
Mr Chee added that he had tasked LTA to assess ways to enhance the functionality of account-based ticketing cards and improve the user experience. In particular, the priority will be finding ways to give commuters what they want with these cards, such as fare deductions and checking card balances when getting on and off trains and buses.
This new challenge raises the question of why this functionality was not made a priority, or at least part of the development plan, in the transition to the new system.
lose sight of important things
To convince users to adopt new technology, you first need to give them a reason to do so. Start by identifying how new technology can benefit you and your organization. And to identify the benefits that technology can provide, you must first understand how users operate and organizations function.
Were the people who planned the development of SimplyGo commuters? If so, they would have recognized the importance of keeping key existing features available on the new system. Even if the brains behind your new system weren't commuters, you could at least expose the system to a test user group made up of real commuters and notice the missing features.
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Underestimating the importance of user buy-in is likely to lead to resistance to change, which is the main reason why companies have to maintain legacy systems. Its retention increases operational costs, increases the strain on existing resources, and increases the surface area that must be reserved.
Could the additional S$40 million that the Singapore government now has to set aside to maintain the existing system be better utilized by identifying an alternative solution earlier in SimplyGo's development process? Why did the LTA team have to wait until the Minister instructed them to do the work?
Now, as the allure of artificial intelligence shines through, it's more important than ever for organizations to remain focused on the users that any technology is meant to benefit.
As Singapore experienced, all it takes is one undervalued user feature to halt an entire migration plan and add years to a system that would otherwise be doomed. This mistake is a costly legacy, and it is hoped that the country can learn from it.
