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Tag: software development

90 90 Aphorism

The 90-90 Aphorism of Great Software

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Why 180% = 100% Aphorism /ˈafəˌrizəm/ noun “a short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth” The 90-90 rule in software is the persistent illusion of “it’s almost done”. Tom Cargill of Bell Labs coined this aphorism back in 1985: “The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time.” You read that right, 180%. Welcome to software engineering. 180% = 100%, Really? Yes, really! If you’ve ever...

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Middleware

Middleware: The Smart Path to Legacy Modernization

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Keeping on trend with our focus this year of writing about Legacy Software and budget conscious strategies to modernize them, we turn to Middleware and how it can help bridge the gap between legacy systems and modern applications. For many organizations, legacy systems still power their core operations. They are proven, reliable work horses that are increasingly expensive to maintain. Businesses are continuously looking at ways to do more with less as budgets are trimmed while systems are expected to chug along at the expense of innovation and modernization. Last week we touched on...

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Containerization

Containerization and Orchestration: Modernizing Legacy Systems for the Future

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you may have noticed our recent focus on Legacy Systems and their ubiquitous need for updates. These core systems are running mission-critical workloads but struggle to adapt to evolving business demands, scalability requirements, and cloud-native ecosystems. This is a global problem, eating up 80% of IT budgets annually and contributing to developer burnout and innovation drag. But there is good news! Containerization and orchestration have emerged as a powerful strategy to bridge the gap between traditional infrastructure and modern software...

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Dragging You Down

Innovation Drag: How Legacy Systems Hold Back IT Teams, Budgets, and Modernization

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

In the modern enterprise, agility and speed are no longer competitive advantages—they are survival tools. Yet for organizations, legacy systems act like an anchor, slowing progress and draining resources. “Innovation drag” or the friction that leads to the slowdown, prevents IT teams from kicking off digitization and modernization projects at the pace business demands. Innovation drag can quietly undermine an organization’s ability to compete, and throttle team momentum. What Is Innovation Drag? Innovation drag (from an IT perspective) is the reduction of a team’s capacity to...

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QA for the Win!

QA: The Cornerstone of Great Software

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

We talk a lot about well written software and that importance of building secure, scalable, user-friendly software. But what we don’t do is talk enough about is one of the most important roles in building great software – the Quality Analyst and their contributions to the final product.High-quality software doesn’t happen by accident—its the result of a disciplined, deliberate process. While skilled developers are the foundation, the Quality Assurance (QA) provided by Quality Analysts, is the safety mechanism that ensures even the best code delivers the right results in the real...

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The Strangler Fig software pattern

Modernizing Legacy Systems with the Strangler Fig Pattern: Best Practices, Risks & Financial Implications

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Legacy systems—while often reliable—are frequently known to be a major bottleneck for innovation. Businesses tied to outdated platforms face higher maintenance costs, slower delivery cycles, and increased security risks. Yet the path to modernization is laden with challenges, especially for mission-critical systems. This is where the Strangler Fig Pattern offers a compelling, low-risk solution. We touched on the Strangler Fig in our previous blog post about composable architecture and thought it warranted its own post. In this blog we will explore what the Strangler Fig Pattern is,...

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Compostable Architecture

Composable Architecture: A Smart Choice—or Risky Gambit? 

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Composable architecture—a modular, API-first model built from discrete, interchangeable services—is rapidly gaining traction. We’ve written about it in the past, but  Gartner predicts that 70% of large and midsize organizations will consider composability a key success criterion, and it may accelerate feature delivery by up to 80% (Newstack.io). However, as with any architectural paradigm, it comes with trade-offs.  Advantages  Faster Time to Market & Agility Organizations using composable systems launch new features up to 80% faster, driven by reusable components...

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Legacy Systems and AI?

Legacy Software + AI?

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

What Tech Leaders Need to Know Before Jumping on the AI Bandwagon  For many organizations, legacy software systems are both mission-critical and increasingly difficult to manage. These systems often sit at the heart of business operations, yet struggle to keep pace with modern demands, integrate poorly with new tools, and are costly to maintain. Traditionally, updating or replacing these systems has been a slow, high-risk endeavor. But, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), tech leaders now have a powerful new option to support, modernize, and even revitalize legacy...

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AI Adoption

AI Adoption in B2B Business — And the Challenges It Creates for Tech Leaders

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer an experimental tool—it’s now a core driver of innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage for B2B companies across virtually every industry. From automating workflows to generating predictive insights, AI is enabling organizations to streamline operations, improve customer experiences, uncover risk and unlock new revenue streams.  However, while the promise of AI is vast, its adoption brings complexity and concern; especially for senior technical staff and IT leaders tasked with integrating it responsibly and effectively. In...

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Tackle Tech Debt

The True Cost of Technical Debt — And How IT Leaders Are Tackling It in 2025 

Written by STEP Software on . Posted in Blog.

In today’s digital-first economy, the pressure to innovate faster than the competition is unrelenting. But in that urgency, many organizations find, when looking back, that they cut corners; choosing short-term fixes over scalable, sustainable solutions. The result? Technical debt — a growing challenge that affects productivity, innovation, business continuity and even client relationships.  While some technical debt is strategic and manageable, much of it becomes a silent killer, slowly eroding an organization’s ability to evolve. In 2025, IT leaders are treating tech debt as a...

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