Beyond the Quick Fix: Tackling Legacy IT for Sustainable Public Sector Transformation

The real challenge when it comes to resolving the legacy isn’t the technology; it’s the people, processes and politics around it.

Whilst AI is grabbing headlines and budgets, there are public services still running on technology that predates smart phones and social media. Recent government reports have highlighted how the UK government’s digital transformation ambitions and cybersecurity efforts are being held hostage by decades old technology.

Some run on hardware that manufacturers abandoned years ago. Others survive as fragile patchworks held together by digital duct tape, each workaround adding complexity and risk instead of resilience. These systems often underpin critical services, yet their age and complexity increasingly hinder innovation, efficiency and the adoption of transformative technologies like AI.

Legacy: The innovation killer

Legacy systems do more than simply slow down operations or pose security risks. They actively prevent innovation and will hinder the mission-led government mandate. When government departments are forced to bend their processes around inflexible, decades-old platforms, the entire public service suffers. The public (now used to Amazon-style interfaces) experience delayed services, staff wrestle with cumbersome interfaces and decision-makers lack the real-time data insights necessary for effective governance.

There is no doubt that in some public sector organisations, legacy systems are so deeply embedded in core services that they have become indispensable at the same time as being a liability. They're technological heirlooms and replacing them feels both essential and impossible.

Why it's not getting fixed

Perhaps most critically, legacy systems breed a culture of fear. When core services depend on fragile technology that few understand, teams naturally avoid any change that might break something. Add job security concerns and poor communication about modernisation plans, and resistance becomes inevitable.

The Government’s funding and procurement policies don’t help either. There has been a chronic underinvestment in public sector IT often resulting in a reactive rather than proactive approach to technology. Unlike the private sector, where commercial pressures drive continual innovation, government faces systemic constraints.

The mismatch between technology timelines and government planning cycles represents a fundamental challenge. While budgeting operates on shorter time cycles, meaningful IT transformation often requires long term commitments. The current system doesn't always align incentives for multi-year modernisation programmes that may not deliver visible results within typical leadership tenures. The demand for quick fixes can also result in vendors offering polished products as silver bullets, systems that appear to promise instant fixes but may create new complexities, architectural constraints and long-term dependencies.

Rethinking industry’s role

This is where trusted industry partners can make a real difference, not by pushing big-bang replacements or silver bullets, but by enabling iterative, low-risk transformation. Focus on expert-led discovery, tailored delivery and evidence-based decision-making rather than all-or-nothing approaches. It's about being a long-term partner in sustainable, confident change.

Having guided numerous government organisations through legacy modernisation, we know where industry partnership makes the critical difference:

Start with User Needs, Not Technology

Don’t lead with tools. Lead with problems. Ground requirements in user research. Help clients define real user needs, pain points and operational blockers. Build the case for investment around things that matter - outcomes, not features.

Break Change into Iterative Steps 

Large, monolithic programmes are risky and slow. Instead, where appropriate industry should advocate for and support incremental change. Small, well-scoped projects can demonstrate value quickly, reduce risk, and build momentum. This agile approach also aligns better with short-term funding cycles.

Make Integration Easy

Legacy isn’t going away overnight. But that doesn't mean it's off-limits. Use APIs, standards and smart architecture to bridge new and old, unlocking data and functionality while you build towards something better.

Modernise for the Cloud Thoughtfully

Cloud can offer scalability, resilience and agility but not every workload belongs there. Assess what to move, how and when, without lifting and shifting the same problems into a shinier environment.

Design for the Future Including AI

Modern platforms should be built with tomorrow in mind. That means optimising for cloud-native capabilities like automation and AI, and ensuring that systems are modular, maintainable and secure.

Support People not just Platforms

Technology alone won’t solve the legacy challenge. Upskill teams. Co-design solutions. Communicate clearly. Technology change only sticks when people are on board and feel part of the journey.

Champion Sustainable Funding Models

Stop treating digital as a one-off cost. Advocate for funding structures that support continuous delivery and evolution. That’s how you avoid creating tomorrow’s legacy.

What government needs to do

For change to happen, public sector teams need a compelling, fundable business case. That means aligning legacy modernisation with measurable outcomes and long-term value - better service quality, reduced operational costs, reducing significant cyber risks, or regulatory compliance. That’s where suppliers with real strategy, engineering, and delivery experience can help to identify viable options, assess feasibility and articulate clear, evidence-based investment cases.

And AI can’t simply be a bolt-on. If the foundations aren’t there, clean data and real-time integration, it won’t deliver value. AI-readiness starts with legacy-readiness. There is no magic shortcut but with the right support, it becomes possible and achievable to chart a confident, staged path to innovation.

This is a mindset shift

Tackling legacy IT in the public sector requires more than technical fixes; it demands a shift in mindset and this is where industry must step up as a true partner, not just a provider. The most effective collaborations are built on shared accountability, where suppliers work alongside government teams to co-design solutions, transfer knowledge and build long-term skills and capability.

This means understanding the unique constraints of public service delivery from funding cycles to regulatory pressures and aligning delivery models and contracts accordingly. Rather than pushing pre-packaged solutions and encouraging vendor lock in, industry should bring empathy, flexibility and a shared commitment to sustainable outcomes.

Because the public deserves better than legacy. And so do the people trying to fix it.

Central Government Programme activities

The techUK Central Government Programme provides a forum for government to engage with tech suppliers. We advocate for the govtech sector, evangelise tech as a solution to public sector challenges, facilitate market engagement, and help make the public sector an easier market to operate in. Visit the programme page here.