Java underpins enterprise app modernization plans

A new report from provider of Java web application platforms, Vaadin, looks at how enterprises build, deploy, and modernize Java applications in 2023 and also reveals trends and future plans for the use of Java in enterprise applications.

Java is used heavily for both internal (64 percent) and customer-facing (62 percent) applications, which include both SaaS and internet-based services. However, Almost half of Java applications still need modernization.

The report finds 63 percent of respondents plan to increase their investments in modernizing existing Java applications, and 63 percent also plan to move more Java applications to the cloud over the coming two years.

There are regional variations though with respondents saying only 41 percent of Java applications in the Americas need modernization compared to 48 percent in Europe and 50 percent in the rest of the world.

While most Java applications are still deployed on-premises, more than a third are already deployed in the public cloud (36 percent). In addition, more than half of respondents say they are already deploying some of their Java applications into Kubernetes or serverless environments.

"Java is the foundational technology behind a vast set of enterprise applications. This first State of Java in the Enterprise report highlights that Java will remain a primary technology for both internal and customer-facing applications for the enterprise," says Kim Weins, vice president of product and marketing at Vaadin. "In addition, Java is undergoing a cloud-native resurgence as organizations accelerate investment in modernizing Java applications for deployment in public clouds and container platforms."

The report also finds Java 17, the latest long-term support release launched in September 2021, is seeing significant adoption, with nearly three-quarters of respondents using or planning to use it over the next year. 26 percent are already on Java 17 or later, 21 percent are currently upgrading, and another 26 percent plan to update in the next 12 months.

You can get the full report from the Vaadin site.

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