During the normal course of life, being part of a “legacy” is generally considered a good thing.  I am writing this on the eve of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship so legacy is weighing heavy on the mind.  The tournament includes the top ten national teams (players under 20yrs old) from around the world (Top Division only please).  As you might expect, Canada is a stalwart of the tourney and tonight will be battling the USA for its 6th straight gold medal.  Legacy – case in point.  Legacy is powerful, there’s a historical element and there’s an emotional one too.  Show me a Canuck who doesn’t get misty with talk of our game and I’ll show you a hoser-without-a-country.

Think about what you might consider a legacy.  Lots of Americans will likely read this, so let’s use something more Americana.  The Ohio State football program maybe? -> BTW, they need to optimize their website, it’s coming up 3rd when I google “OSU”.  We’re on the west coast, so how about USC?  Or how about this; the BCS Championship game is being played on Thursday – Texas Longhorns against Alabama Crimson Tide.  How does the legacy of these football programs affect all the students (past and present) from all of these schools?  Just to give you an idea, for the uninitiated, any college team worth a legacy gets roughly 100,000 fans in attendance PER GAME.

I think all of us look for these kinds of connections.  Of course, Benedict Anderson (International Studies prof at Cornell) would argue these are just Imagined Communities; but those arguments notwithstanding, the point is that normally legacy is a good thing.

Yet, in the realm of Information Technology, legacy takes on an entirely different complexion.  Legacy IT Systems are routinely the whipping boy of the modern organization.  If your system was built prior to last week, the inclination is to believe (fervently) that something better MUST exist and that this dog you’re currently computing on needs to be taken out back the woodshed.

There seems to be very little respect and appreciation for the history of organizations that is captured by these Legacy IT Systems.  I think, anymore, we all just see the problems, work-arounds, and supplement that with a healthy dose of “the grass is always greener”.  I think that if you track down your IT guy and start asking some questions, you’ll be amazed at the history behind your systems.  Were there purchased over a number of years?  Has your organization grown by acquisition? What’s the oldest piece of hardware in the backroom?

We’re interested to hear what your organization is running on.  Share your story in the comments.  Maybe it’s time to cast the legacy of your IT system in a more positive light.  After all, no team has a perfect record.  It’s as much about the losses as it is about the wins.

Go Canada!