Independent industry analysts consistently identify legacy application modernization as one of the largest technology investment priorities. Organisations are seeking practical, lower-risk alternatives to costly application rewrites while continuing their cloud migration journey.
This page references publicly available research from Gartner, Forrester and other industry analysts.
Almost every large organisation still runs part of its business on software that predates the cloud era.
Systems the organisation cannot operate without, often decades old.
Maintenance cost, security exposure and scarce skills accumulate over time.
Infrastructure programmes reach the applications that resist straightforward migration.
Organisations weigh rewriting, replacing or changing how applications are delivered.
Applications reach users through the browser, without endpoint installation.
Publicly available research from leading industry analysts on application modernization and end-user computing.
Legacy applications continue to become more expensive and more difficult to maintain, driving organisations across every industry to modernize their core applications. Gartner examines the business drivers behind modernization and the recommendations that separate successful initiatives from stalled ones.
Read Gartner ResearchExecutive-level research drawing on CIO survey data covering legacy modernization initiatives, executive involvement and modernization priorities. It positions legacy modernization as a board-level agenda item rather than a purely technical exercise.
Read Gartner ResearchGartner argues that organisations should not wait for a major trigger event before modernizing their applications. Continuous, incremental modernization is presented as a lower-risk alternative to large one-off replacement programmes.
Read Gartner ResearchThis roadmap addresses technical debt, funding for modernization and the legacy barriers that constrain enterprise architecture. It provides a structured basis for planning and justifying modernization investment.
Read Gartner ResearchForrester examines how enterprises are evaluating cloud VDI, DaaS, enterprise browsers and Zero Trust approaches to end-user computing. The research shows demand shifting toward alternatives to traditional desktop virtualisation.
Read Forrester ResearchForrester's global technology market forecast identifies legacy system modernization as one of the drivers behind rising enterprise software and IT services spending. It provides a market-level indicator of sustained modernization investment.
Read Forrester ForecastThe objectives that consistently appear in enterprise application modernization programmes.
Ageing application estates accumulate maintenance cost, security exposure and operational fragility. Reducing that debt frees budget and engineering capacity for work that differentiates the business.
Users increasingly expect the immediacy of the browser. Desktop-era interfaces and client installations create friction that slows onboarding, training and day-to-day productivity.
Cloud programmes frequently stall on the applications that cannot be lifted or rewritten easily. Moving those workloads is often the critical path to consolidating or closing a data centre.
Legacy access patterns such as VPNs, exposed RDP and unmanaged endpoints widen the attack surface. Organisations want least-privilege access supported by auditable, verifiable controls.
Desktop-centric delivery carries persistent licensing, image management and support overhead. Consolidating delivery reduces both the infrastructure footprint and the specialist skills required to run it.
Distributed teams, contractors and partners need access from varied networks and unmanaged devices. Delivery models designed for the corporate LAN no longer match how organisations actually operate.
Four practical approaches to modernising a legacy Windows application estate, and the trade-offs of each.
The shift in enterprise thinking from wholesale replacement to progressive transformation.
Rewrite everything.
A single large programme replaces the application outright, carrying the full cost and risk up front and delaying any benefit until delivery.
WebStream ACP was built for this second approach. By modernising how an application is delivered and governed rather than rewriting what it does, organisations preserve decades of embedded business logic, move to the cloud sooner, and transform the application itself on their own timeline.
Industries with significant investments in legacy Windows applications.
WebStream ACP is a Browser-Based Legacy Application Modernization Platform.
Publicly listed analyst research referenced on this page. Links open on the publisher's website.
| Publisher | Research | Topic | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gartner | Leverage Industry-Specific Drivers for Successful Core Application Modernization | Modernization drivers | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | Consult the Board: Legacy Application Modernization | Executive priorities | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | Strategies for Enterprise Applications Modernization Success | Programme success | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | How to Adopt a Continuous Application Modernization Strategy | Incremental modernization | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | Generative AI Will Not End Legacy IT, But It Will Help You Modernize | AI and legacy IT | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | Strategic Roadmap for Adopting Modern Application Architectures and Technologies | Architecture roadmap | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Gartner | Application Retirement Strategies to Reduce Cost and Technical Debt | Technical debt | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Forrester | The State of VDI, 2025 | End-user computing | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Forrester | End-User Computing Market Insights, 2025 | Market trends | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Forrester | The Evolution of Modern Business Applications | Application strategy | View (opens in a new tab) |
| Forrester | Global Tech Spend to Surpass $4.9 Trillion in 2025 | Market forecast | View (opens in a new tab) |
Gartner and Forrester are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Research references are provided for informational purposes only. WebStream ACP is not affiliated with or endorsed by Gartner or Forrester.
See how a business-critical Windows application can be delivered through the browser without a rewrite.