In our recent report, we describe that many enterprises today face a stark reality: despite years of digital transformation efforts, the majority of enterprise workloads—up to 80%—still run on legacy systems. This lag in modernization not only increases operational costs and security risks but also limits the agility needed to compete in a rapidly evolving market. The pressure is on for technology leaders to accelerate the ongoing modernization of legacy applications and to accelerate cloud adoption, but the path forward is often blocked by technical complexity, risk, and resource constraints. Full Report: Accelerate Modernization with Docker.
Enterprises have long been treating modernization as a business imperative. Research shows that 73% of CIOs identify technological disruption as a major risk, and 82% of CEOs believe companies that fail to transform fundamentally risk obsolescence within a decade. Enterprises that further delay modernization risk falling farther behind more agile competitors who are already leveraging cloud-native platforms, DevSecOps practices, and AI or Agentic applications to drive business growth and innovation.
Enterprises challenges for modernization and cloud migration
Transitioning from legacy systems to modern, cloud-native architectures is rarely straightforward. Enterprises face a range of challenges, including:
- Complex legacy dependencies: Deeply entrenched systems with multiple layers and dependencies make migration risky and costly.
- Security and compliance risks: Moving to the cloud can increase vulnerabilities by up to 46% if not managed correctly.
- Developer inefficiencies: Inconsistent environments and manual processes can delay releases, with 69% of developers losing eight or more hours a week to inefficiencies.
- Cloud cost overruns: Inefficient resource allocation and lack of governance often lead to higher-than-expected cloud expenses.
- Tool fragmentation: Relying on multiple, disconnected tools for modernization increases risk and slows progress.
These challenges have stalled progress for years, but with the right strategy and tools, enterprises can overcome them and unlock the full benefits of modernization and migration.
How Docker accelerates modernization and cloud migration
Docker products can help enterprises modernize legacy applications and migrate to the cloud efficiently, securely, and incrementally.
Docker brings together Docker Desktop, Docker Hub, Docker Build Cloud, Docker Scout, Testcontainers Cloud, and Administration into a seamless, integrated experience. This solution empowers development teams to:
- Containerize legacy applications: Simplify the process of packaging and migrating legacy workloads to the cloud.
- Automate CI/CD pipelines: Accelerate build, test, and deployment cycles with automated workflows and cloud-based build acceleration.
- Embed security and governance: Integrate real-time vulnerability analysis, policy enforcement, and compliance checks throughout the development lifecycle.
- Use trusted secure content: Hardened Images ensures every container starts has a signed, distroless base that cuts the attack surface by up to 95 % and comes with built-in SBOMs for effortless audits.
- Standardize environments: Ensure consistency across development, testing, and production, reducing configuration drift and late-stage defects.
- Implement incremental, low-risk modernization: Rather than requiring a disruptive, multi-year overhaul, Docker enables enterprises to modernize incrementally.
- Increased agility: By modernizing legacy applications and systems, enterprises achieve faster release cycles, rapid product launches, reduced time to market, and seamless scaling in the cloud.
Do not further delay modernization and cloud migrations. Get started with Docker today
Enterprises don’t need to wait for a massive, “big-bang” project — Docker makes it possible to start small, deliver value quickly, and scale ongoing modernization efforts across the organization. By empowering teams with the right tools and a proven approach, Docker enables enterprises to accelerate ongoing application modernization and cloud migrations —unlocking innovation, reducing costs, and securing their competitive edge for the future.
Ready to accelerate your modernization journey? Learn more about how Docker can help enterprises with modernization and cloud migration – Full Report: Accelerate Modernization with Docker.
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Sources:
– IBM 1; Gartner 1, 2, 3
– PWC 1, 2
– The Palo Alto Networks State of Cloud-Native Security 2024
– State of Developer Experience Report 2024
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Tags: #ApplicationModernization #Modernization #CloudMigration #Docker #DockerBusiness #EnterpriseIT #DevSecOps #CloudNative #DigitalTransformation