Replace old software in stages

The application has been running for years, but the developer is gone, updates are risky and hardly anyone still knows how it works. Or it is an Excel file that has quietly become your core system over the years. We replace both step by step.

Discuss your project Start the process check

Does this sound familiar?

The application only runs on old computers or an outdated version.
Whoever built it has left, and there is no documentation.
An Excel file full of macros has become the most important tool in the business.
Every change takes ages because nobody knows what else it might break.

What you get

Taking stock
We read the code and the data and write down what the system really does today. Including what is not documented anywhere.
Replacement in stages
One area after another moves into the new system. Old and new run side by side for a while until everything fits.
Data migration
We move your data, check it with you and clean up duplicates. The old records are kept as an archive.
A system you can maintain
Current technology, tests and documentation. Another team could carry on working on it later.

How it works

Typical duration, depending on scope.

1 to 2 weeksWe look at the old code, the data and the workflows and talk to the people who use them every day.
A few daysWe set the order: which area moves first and how long old and new run in parallel.
6 to 12 weeksThe first area moves into the new system. Every two weeks you see where it stands.
OngoingThe rest follows area by area until the old system can be switched off. We take over running it.

Questions about this

Do we have to switch everything at once?

No. We move one area at a time. Until an area is finished, your team keeps working there with the old system.

Will we lose data along the way?

No. We first move the data in trial runs, check it with you and only switch over when the figures match. The old data is kept as an archive.

Is repairing sometimes better than rebuilding?

Yes, that happens. If the core is sound, we only modernise the parts that cause trouble. We work that out while taking stock, before we build anything.