Modernization framework to enhance the security of legacy information systems

Abstract

Due to various issues such as lack of agility, low performance, security issues, and high maintenance costs, the organization replaces its legacy information system (LIS). However, with the expansion of information technology, the security of the old system has received great attention. The protection of legacy data and information is critical to the organization. However, achieving safety through modernization, redevelopment, or redesign of LIS is a time-consuming and costly solution, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, newly developed systems often lose inherent business rules, data integrity, and user trust. In this paper, we propose a Security Modernization Framework (SMF) to inject security measures into LIS without modernizing the existing solution. Fundamentally speaking, SMF is a collection of methods and technologies that enhance the security structure of LIS to protect applications and old data. SMF consists of two layers of security control: data audit trail and user access authorization. This contribution has two key advantages. First, it can help SMEs protect their data and applications from unauthorized access. Second, it is the low-est cost solution to implement security measures in LIS instead of modernizing or replacing the system. SMF has used the oracle technology for authentication, but the examples are also shown in pseudocode to facilitate easy positioning of other technologies.