Is Your Legacy Tech a Hidden Security Threat? Here’s What IT Leaders Need to Know

Shadow IT isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the byproduct of employees turning to their everyday productivity apps for uses they weren’t intended for to meet their immediate needs. Over time, these homegrown solutions—once fast fixes—are now deeply embedded into their daily workflows. But they’re also ticking time bombs for data risk, compliance, and operational security.

According to Gartner, by 2026, 80% of low-code users will come from outside IT. This is a cause for concern for IT leaders since unmonitored solutions can inadvertently create costly vulnerabilities—thousands of them.

So, how do you modernize this legacy tech without disrupting the very processes your business depends on?

The Legacy Tech Dilemma: Quick Fixes That Became Core Systems

In many organizations, tools like Excel, SharePoint, and Access weren’t the problem—they were simply the most accessible option when employees needed to solve problems quickly. What started as a temporary fix—like using Outlook contact fields or an Excel spreadsheet to track sensitive customer payment details—often grew into a core system of record. These legacy tech solutions weren’t designed or deployed with long-term scale, governance, or compliance in mind. And while the Microsoft suite offers robust security and governance features, these stopgap solutions typically bypass those controls, leaving IT unaware and the organization exposed.

This is the heart of the legacy tech dilemma: these solutions are fragile, fragmented, and often invisible to IT. Yet pulling the plug without a plan could bring departments to a standstill. The question isn’t whether these solutions pose a risk—it’s whether your organization can afford to leave them unaddressed.

Modernization ≠ Disruption: Rethinking How Change Happens

One of the biggest misconceptions about modernization is that it must come at the cost of continuity. But in reality, modernization done right is incremental, intentional, and aligned with how the business already works. It doesn’t mean ripping out every legacy tech tool or forcing users into unfamiliar systems overnight.

Effective modernization recognizes that people rely on these tools to do their jobs. It respects workflows, involves end users early, and prioritizes the processes that truly need to change—while preserving what works. With the right strategy, organizations can move from fragile and fragmented to secure and scalable without bringing operations to a halt.

There are many paths to achieve this, but for organizations invested in Microsoft technologies, Microsoft Power Platform offers a powerful, low-friction entry point to begin modernizing without disruption.

A Strategic Next Step: Streamline and Scale

Beyond the initial modernization of your legacy tech, there’s a greater opportunity in what comes next: rationalizing and streamlining your internal tools to reduce duplication, enhance productivity, and create reusable components across the business.

Think of it as going from digital patchwork to a connected system of smart, governed solutions. This isn’t just about mitigating risk—it’s about future-proofing your operations.

Ready to Move from Risk to Resilience?

To help you address this critical area of concern, our latest white paper, “Modernizing Legacy Low-Code Systems: How to Reduce Data Risk and Boost Productivity with Microsoft Power Platform,” gives you a more in-depth overview of the issues and solutions to address them. The white paper covers:

• Why these legacy tech systems persist—and why IT can’t just “turn them off”
• How to start identifying and prioritizing risk across your environment
• What a phased Power Platform rollout looks like in practice
• Where AI and long-term solution delivery fit into your transformation roadmap