Accelerating Legacy Modernization with Generative AI on Microsoft Azure

Modernizing legacy systems is one of the most pressing challenges facing enterprises today. Outdated applications and mainframe environments can stifle innovation, increase operational costs, and limit agility. At Publicis Sapient, we harness the power of generative AI—delivered on Microsoft Azure—to accelerate legacy modernization, reduce risk, and unlock new business value for our clients.

The Imperative for Legacy Modernization

Legacy systems, while foundational to many organizations, often become bottlenecks as business needs evolve. They are costly to maintain, difficult to scale, and can hinder digital transformation. Enterprises in sectors such as financial services, healthcare, and global retail are under increasing pressure to modernize their technology stacks to remain competitive, compliant, and responsive to customer expectations.

Generative AI: A Game Changer for Modernization

Generative AI, powered by large language models (LLMs), is fundamentally transforming how organizations approach legacy modernization. By automating code analysis, refactoring, and migration, generative AI dramatically accelerates the journey from legacy to modern cloud-native architectures. Publicis Sapient leverages Azure’s secure, scalable AI infrastructure to deliver these capabilities at enterprise scale.

How Publicis Sapient Accelerates Modernization

Our approach integrates generative AI with proven engineering methodologies and proprietary accelerators, enabling:

Proprietary Accelerators and Platforms

Publicis Sapient’s proprietary platforms, such as Bodhi (an enterprise-grade MLOps platform) and Sapient Slingshot (a software development lifecycle accelerator), further streamline the modernization process. These tools integrate seamlessly with Azure, supporting rapid deployment, monitoring, and governance of generative AI models and modernized applications.

Measurable Outcomes: Speed, Cost, and Quality

Our AI-driven modernization approach delivers tangible business results:

Real-World Impact: Client Success Stories

Financial Services: Global Fortune 500 Company

A leading global financial institution needed to modernize its mainframe applications to improve agility and reduce costs. Publicis Sapient designed a process for cloud developers to use private LLMs to deconstruct legacy programs. Through iterative sprints and proof-of-concept validation, the client achieved:

Banking: Accelerating Digital Onboarding

A digital-native bank in the MENA region partnered with Publicis Sapient to launch a new platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Leveraging generative AI and Azure, the bank reduced onboarding times to under 45 minutes and onboarded 45,000 SMEs in its first year—unlocking new revenue streams and operational efficiencies.

Healthcare: Content Modernization at Scale

A global pharmaceutical company automated the creation and localization of marketing and medical content using generative AI on Azure. The result: up to 45% reduction in content creation costs, accelerated time to market, and projected annual savings exceeding $100 million.

Why Publicis Sapient?

Publicis Sapient stands apart through:

Start Your Modernization Journey

Legacy modernization is no longer a multi-year, high-risk endeavor. With generative AI on Microsoft Azure and Publicis Sapient’s expertise, organizations can accelerate transformation, reduce costs, and future-proof their technology landscape.

Ready to unlock the next era of agility and innovation? Connect with Publicis Sapient to discover how generative AI and Azure can accelerate your legacy modernization journey and deliver lasting business value.