Legacy software modernisation

When is it time to modernise?

Age says little; you notice it in your work. A small change turns into a weeks-long project, or never happens, because nobody can see what else would break. Only one colleague knows how it works, or the builder is long gone. Security updates have stopped coming. Your team keeps a spreadsheet alongside the system and enters data twice. And linking it to your accounting software or a field-service app? There's nothing to plug into.

At that point, replacing your legacy software looks like the only option. It's rarely that black and white.

Modernise, extend or rebuild?

There are roughly three routes.

Extend. Does the core still do its job? Then we put a modern layer on top, such as a new interface for your staff or an integration with your other software.

Modernise. We replace the parts that cause problems. Whatever runs reliably stays as it is.

Rebuild. Sometimes the foundation can no longer carry your business. Then rebuilding is the right route, and we'll say so. The new system becomes an application on technology that can grow along with your company's strategic goals.

There's no right or wrong, only what your software needs. Sometimes that's leaving it exactly as it is.

Analysis first

It starts with an introductory call, where you tell us what you're running and where it's causing trouble. Then comes the analysis: we look at the system, how your team uses it, and which rules are hidden in the code without being written down anywhere.

The result is a route from old to new, split into phases with concrete deliverables. If there are two good routes, we set them out side by side. You decide whether to do one phase or more.

The cost depends on the size and age of the system, how much has to be replaced, how much data has to come along, the number of phases and your pace.

Old and new side by side

Ideally, your current system keeps running while we build the new one next to it. Users switch over gradually. Only when the new system is fully up to standard do we archive the old one.

Old keeps running. New grows next to it. You switch when it's ready.

After the analysis, we design the screens of the new system around your wishes. In a visual prototype you can see how it works, screen by screen, before any development starts. The first build phase replaces the part that hurts most or adds the most value. A first group of users works with it, and their feedback shapes the next phase.

We stay involved after launch too, with aftercare tailored to the size of your system. We take care of hosting the new system too; where and how, we decide together.

What happens to your data

What's in your old system took your company years to build up: customers, orders, appointments, settings. It comes along, history included.

Because old and new run side by side, the move doesn't have to happen overnight, and the old system stays a safety net the whole time. We only archive the old system once we're sure everything is right. Zero downtime is our shared aim, but we don't promise it. It depends on many factors, so we weigh it up together.

In practice: Sociëteit De Dieu

Sociëteit De Dieu's old app was due for renewal. Its admin dashboard was hard to use, and members couldn't book a room in it.

We built a new member app and an admin environment, with our own integration to the door security system. Anyone who uses their pass shows up in the app right away.

Members now book rooms and sign up for events themselves. Information that used to be scattered across inboxes and phone calls is now in one place. The full case study is below.