It is an inevitability that despite upgrades and constant development, many enterprise systems will age and eventually become obsolete. The potentially multimillion-rand question for the organisations that depend on such systems is whether or not they should be replaced. Or rather, says Ronald Laxton, MD of Computer Initiatives, the question is when they should be replaced.

“Probably the most important consideration for executives faced with this issue is the necessity to separate the decision to change from that of deciding when to migrate,” says Laxton. It`s something he says has become apparent in his quarter-century experience in the industry. He explains why.

“Deciding that it is time to move off the existing system should have little to do with the choice of its replacement.” The reason is quite simple. “At issue at this juncture is a really quite simple evaluation: is the existing application no longer suitable? If the answer is `yes`, then replacements can be sought.”