Guzman is taking the transformation one step and one application at atime. "We should complete the whole thing within 18 months and forless than $5 million," he says.

No Time Like Right Now

Modernizing legacy applications is a huge task, and it has both risksand rewards. It's easy to rely on what seem like stable systems andhope they'll sustain the business through a recession. But thesesystems are the technical avatar of a company's business strategy, andif they aren't updated, the business will begin tripping over its ownvirtual feet. Times are tough, but breaking a few proverbial eggs nowcould put your company 10 steps ahead of the competition. And that'spriceless.