Munir Mandviwalla, Professor, University of South Florida
Many digital systems originally designed to improve efficiency have become a growing liability—locking organizations into outdated processes, fragmented data, rising cyber risks, and mounting technology costs. This global “technology morass,” estimated at $4 trillion, is increasingly preventing companies from realizing the value of AI.
Drawing on the modernization journey of Kyndryl, the $16 billion spinoff from IBM, this article introduces a two-dimensional framework that helps executives modernize technology portfolios systematically and create a practical path from legacy complexity to AI-driven value.
Based on Research
Mandviwalla, M., Tiwana, A., & Bradshaw, M. (2025). Modernizing Core Legacy Systems: A Framework Based on Transplantability and Tailoring. IEEE Software. doi: 10.1109/MS.2025.3596174.
Ross, J. W., Weill, P., & Robertson, D. (2006). Enterprise Architecture as Strategy. Harvard Business Press.
Tiwana, A., & Safadi, H. (2024). Atrophy in aging systems: Evidence, dynamics, and antidote. Information Systems Research, 35(1), 66–86.
Rinta-Kahila, T., Penttinen, E., & Lyytinen, K. (2023). Getting trapped in technical debt. MIS Quarterly, 47(1), 1–32.
Learn more about Munir Mandviwalla’s research.