Unlike Charles Dickens's marvelous work, this is not a ghost story, but it is intended to raise a Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

The first of three spirits

Legacy system issues continue to haunt Insurance CIOs, but never fear, Celent has a wide range of reports on the topic that continue to be relevant. And with a legacy system survey just completed, more content will be coming shortly. Many insurers face the prospect of having more insurance core systems than they need, with consolidation efforts certainly high on the agenda. Modernisation has been a repeated topic for Celent reports, and approaches have evolved over the years. Below is a selection of reports looking at elements of the problem - not least of which is assembling a case for doing the work. The Challenge of Legacy Modernisation, Part 1: A Data View, November 2008 Taking on the Legacy Challenge: A Swiss Insurance Business Case, December 2008 Controlling the Risk in Insurance Data Conversion, December 2010 The Labours of Hercules: The Challenges Facing Insurance Enterprise Architects, June 2010 And from our Banking colleagues - A Christmas Carol: Wells Fargo Sings the Praises of SOA, December 2007 "I told you these were shadows of the things that have been," said the Ghost. "That they are what they are, do not blame me!"