8: Retirement/Replacement
Components are retired/replaced as needed. Other Information:
Although the retirement/replacement stage of the information technology (IT) life cycle is outside the scope of the process
of considering emerging technology (ET) per se, agencies should continually be considering needs and opportunities to retire
existing IT components and replace them with more efficient and cost-effective components that have "graduated" from the ET.gov
process. IT applications and systems for which large sums are requested for operations and maintenance (O&M) in the annual
budget process (Stage 5) should be considered high-priority targets for replacement with newer, standards-compliant, service-oriented,
component-based technologies. Agencies should avoid the natural, well-known but irrational human tendency to honor sunk costs
by continuing to invest in needlessly expensive technologies and systems simply because large sums of money have already been
spent on them. The IT required to conduct We the People's business as efficiently and effectively as possible should be acquired,
operated, and maintained at the least possible cost to the taxpayers. In many cases doing so will involve the use of new and
innovative technology.
Objective(s):
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