Build modernisation momentum

Understanding the modernisation landscape

Across the energy trading landscape, firms are being pushed to adapt faster than ever – by market volatility, tighter trading intervals, expanding product sets, and the increasing importance of real‑time, data‑driven decision‑making.

Yet many organisations still depend on systems never designed for this pace of change. Age is not the determining factor; impact is. When technology limits responsiveness or hinders innovation, it becomes legacy in the most meaningful sense: a brake on progress.

What this guide explores

Build modernisation momentum offers a perspective on legacy modernisation that avoids the disruption and risk of sweeping, monolithic replacement programmes. It contextualises why modernisation inertia persists – deep product workflows, cultural fatigue, cloud‑adoption hesitation, and the fragility of tightly coupled systems – and reframes them as navigable constraints rather than immovable obstacles.

From there, we set out a practical route forward. Coexistence strategies and hybrid architectures show how organisations can evolve incrementally, unlocking early business value while keeping critical systems stable. Approaches such as event‑driven architecture, desktop interoperability, API modernisation, and data‑extraction techniques demonstrate how to enhance capability without rewriting the world. Just as importantly, the guide highlights the role of discovery, user‑centred design, and thoughtful delivery cultures in ensuring that technology change lands well for the people who rely on it.

If your organisation is seeking clarity in a complex modernisation landscape, this guide provides a considered, experience‑driven view of how to reduce risk, build momentum, and shift modernisation from a one‑off programme to an ongoing strategic capability. It offers a grounded, pragmatic path forward at a time when standing still is increasingly costly.