ANSWER
How much does it cost to maintain a legacy system?
Reviewed .
The cost of maintaining a legacy system combines license or support contracts, team hours spent on upkeep, the premium for scarce legacy skills, security exposure from unpatched code and the opportunity cost of work the team cannot deliver. Only the first line is usually visible in the budget, which is why the total cost is routinely underestimated.
Step by step
- Add direct license, support and dedicated infrastructure costs.
- Measure monthly maintenance hours at loaded labor cost.
- Record key-person concentration.
- List unresolved audit and security exposure.
- Compare the total with the cost of an agent assuming the work.
How an agent does this
AgenticosCore starts the Diagnostic with this cost because value is anchored in what goes offline, not in promised ROI. Your inputs produce a labeled range and a recommended agent size.
Frequently asked questions
Do you guarantee savings?
No. After approved fit, authorized access and contracted scope, delivery criteria belong in the contract. Savings are measured with your numbers during Parallel.
Should I use market percentages?
Only as context. Your decision should use your own budget, support hours and risk.
Primary sources
- Guidance on the Legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework — UK Government
- Managing legacy technology — UK Government