appretire

Appretire is a term used in information technology to describe the formal retirement or decommissioning of an application from active use. It encompasses the planning, execution, and governance of ending the lifecycle of a software program, typically when the app is redundant, insecure, or economically unjustifiable to maintain. The term can also describe the policy or program that governs such sunsetting activities. Etymology: a portmanteau of "application" and "retire".

Context and usage: Appretire is commonly applied in enterprise IT, software asset management, and digital transformation programs. It distinguishes policy-driven sunset procedures from ad hoc decommissioning by emphasizing standardized criteria, stakeholder communication, and risk management.

Process: A typical appretire workflow includes: inventory and dependency mapping; establishing criteria (security risk, maintainability, user-base, cost); decision and approval; development of a migration or replacement plan; data retention and archival strategy; decommissioning of infrastructure and access; post-implementation validation; and documentation. Execution is often staged to minimize disruption and ensure data portability.

Impact and considerations: Organizations must assess user impact, data migration needs, regulatory compliance, and dependencies with other systems. Vendor support, licensing, and potential hidden costs are also considered. Effective appretire programs require clear ownership, change management, and audit trails.

See also: End-of-life software, Sunsetting, Software asset management, Digital transformation, Data archiving.