Old software still runs your business. We keep it running.
Many businesses depend on decades-old software, written in languages few people still know, including BBj (Business BASIC on Java). We run it, secure it, connect it to modern applications and, when you are ready, modernize it step by step.
How we work with an old system
Keep it, connect it or replace it. You decide, with the facts.
Rewriting everything is rarely the first answer, and ignoring the problem is never the right one. We start by finding out what you have, make it safe, and then lay out the options.
-
01
Assess
We find out what you really have.
What we do
Read the system and its servers, work out what it does and who depends on it, and list what is at risk.
What you get
A plain account of what runs, what it is worth and where it could fail.
-
02
Stabilize
We make sure it can survive a bad day.
What we do
Back it up, monitor it, and make sure it can be restored or rebuilt if something breaks.
What you get
A system that no longer depends on luck, or on one person who remembers how it works.
-
03
Secure
We protect what we cannot easily change.
What we do
Patch and harden the servers and network around it, limit who can reach it and watch for trouble.
What you get
Old software that is no longer an easy way in.
-
04
Decide
Keep it, connect it or replace it.
What we do
Lay out the options with their cost and risk, and say plainly when the right answer is to retire a system.
What you get
A decision you can defend, made with the facts in front of you.
-
05
Modernize
One careful step at a time.
What we do
Move over in small, checked steps, so the business keeps running while old parts are wrapped, connected or replaced.
What you get
A way forward that does not mean stopping everything to rewrite it.
BBj
Yes, we really do BBj
Few legacy systems are beyond our help. We have actually managed BBj (Business BASIC on Java) systems for legacy internal network and management applications.
Connect, do not replace
Stuck with an old system? Build around it.
Many organizations feel stuck because their internal systems are so old, and so tied into the business, that replacing them is not realistic. You do not have to. We build channels, connectors and hooks into the system you have, and run modern applications beside it that read and write its data.
- Your legacy system
- Connector
- Modern application
-
Connectors and hooks
We build channels into the old system: a clean, modern interface in front of data and functions that were never meant to be shared.
-
Real time where it can, scheduled where it cannot
Some systems can exchange data as it happens. Others can only offer files, exports or batch jobs. We use whatever the old system is capable of.
-
Modern applications beside it
E-commerce, portals, reporting and mobile apps that read and write the legacy data, so the business moves forward without replacing the system underneath.
A real example. One client runs a very old internal data management and ERP system. It is too deeply woven into the organization to replace. We run a modern e-commerce platform for them that exchanges data with it, some of it in real time and some through whatever means the ERP supports. That platform transacts more than $100 million a year, so the business thrives in a modern ecosystem while its legacy internal applications keep running.
Data migration
Moving your data is easier than it used to be
Data migration is complicated work. With AI helping, it is easier than ever: it can read old data formats, map them to the new structure, write and test the conversion, and check the results, while our engineers make the decisions and sign off.
-
Understand it first
We read the old system's data, find out what each field really holds and where the quirks are, and write it down.
-
Map and convert
AI helps map the old fields to the new structure and write the conversion. Our engineers review all of it.
-
Move it in steps
We migrate in stages and rehearse the move on a copy first, so your live system is never the test.
-
Prove it before you switch
We compare the old and the new, check counts and samples, and keep the old system available until you are satisfied.
Questions we hear
Straight answers about legacy systems
- Can you take over a legacy system from another provider, or from whoever built it?
- Yes. We take over hosting and management of systems that others built or have stopped looking after. We start by reading the system and its servers, writing down what it does and securing it, and we hand it over cleanly so nothing is lost.
- How do we decide whether to modernize a legacy system or leave it alone?
- It comes down to risk, cost and what the business needs next. If a system is stable, secure and does its job, keeping it and looking after it can be the right answer. If it is costly to change, hard to staff or a security risk, modernizing it step by step is usually better. We lay out the options with their cost and risk, and say plainly which we would choose.
- We are stuck with an old internal system. Can we still use modern applications?
- Yes. We build connectors and hooks into the existing system and run modern applications beside it that exchange data with it, in real time where the old system can support it and through whatever other means it offers where it cannot. You keep the system you cannot replace and still move forward.
- Can a legacy system be modernized without rewriting everything at once?
- Often, yes. We move over in small, checked steps so the business keeps running: wrap the old system, connect it to newer tools, and replace parts of it when it makes sense.
- Is it safe to keep running old software?
- It can be, when the system around it is looked after. Old software becomes a risk when it is unpatched, exposed and unwatched. We secure the servers and network around it, limit who can reach it, back it up and monitor it. Sometimes the right answer is to retire it, and we will say so.
- Is migrating our data risky, and how do you handle it?
- Data migration is complicated, but AI-assisted tools make it easier than it has ever been. We map the old data to the new structure, rehearse the move on a copy, check the results against the original and keep the old system available until you are satisfied. Our engineers review every step.
- What kinds of legacy systems do you take on?
- The kinds of systems people keep running for years: internal business and management applications, older websites and web applications, and the servers and networks they run on. If you are not sure what you have, tell us and we will take a look.
- Do you support older languages and platforms, such as BBj?
- Yes. We have managed BBj systems for legacy internal network and management applications, and we work across many languages and platforms. Tell us what you have.
Let's Talk
About Your System
Start a conversation
Tell us about your system >See everything we do
Services >