hemingway, Boston/New York/New Jersey
Converting old VB and Access Applications

Custom Application Development Conversions

Legacy Application Ports

Modernizing legacy applications can make them more responsive, efficient, and stable but making that decision can be a daunting task. HOBNYNJ can help you understand the pros and cons involved in migrating a legacy application to current technologies. We will be with you every step of the way to make sure business rules are maintained and any new functionality is seamlessly integrated.

Legacy Modernization and Application Ports

Application modernization is the consolidation of legacy software to align it more closely with current business needs. The goal of this is to create new business value from existing applications. Deciding if and when to update your existing application should not be taken lightly. But the real question is: why port a legacy application that is currently working? The goal is to reduce operational costs as maintenance and future enhancements are the most costly aspects of having an application.
Sometimes even simple code enhancements and general maintenance can be quite a challenge. And while this is important to consider, it is not the only reason to modernize your current applications.
  • Applications may become incompatible with newer versions of system hardware or operating systems
  • Today applications are moving towards cloud-based solutions for decreased hosting and server maintenance costs
  • Newer development platforms offer more functionality, scalability, and security than legacy platforms

Why Modernize

Development time and costs are also a consideration when deciding to modernize your application. Unidev leverages the .NET framework to minimize the development time required.
Here are some benefits you can look forward to with a modern platform built in .NET.
  • Modern hardware/frameworks - Developing in the .NET framework provides many advantages in modern applications. To start, it's free to use. The vast number of standard .NET libraries can be used with different programming languages and are easy to read. Plus, there is a lot of documentation for the .NET framework with working, downloadable examples.
  • Web-based and mobile-friendly solutions - The .NET framework has been built with the needs of applications in mind. The .NET libraries are separated out into sets of well-defined modules that help reduce overall application footprint and optimize performance. The .NET framework is essentially cloud-ready; some important modules include support for environment-based configurations and integrated security.
  • New features/extensibility of the application - Over time, you will want to add new enhancements, and so having an underlying structure like the .NET framework can help provide that extensibility. The .NET framework is released in versions over time with support for many of the latest features. Being able to reuse a maintained framework over time prevents an application from being limited to an outdated set of functionally.
  • Improved stability and reduced risk - A big advantage to using the .NET framework is that it provides built-in functionally that reduces custom coding. Built-in functionally allows a developer to use a lot of code that has already been tested, works consistently, and is simple to implement. The risk factor on a code change decreases when code is a short, one line statement compared to custom code that has a bunch of logic checks and variables with no code comments.

Our Process

The most important part of upgrading to new technologies is making sure current functionality is not lost in the process. Our goal is to make sure you get what your business needs, so we take our proven custom development process and apply it to your legacy applications. This includes the discovery process that reviews your existing system to identify everything from business rules to use cases to a complete ontology of the system.

HOBNYNJ will discuss with you and your IT team any new functionality that needs to be included and determine the best way to modernize your application. We then determine everything from the database architecture to how the application is presented to the end users. A modernization road map is created for your application to ensure we can seamlessly transition from your existing application to the modernized version. Then, we hand it over to our custom development team for implementation and release. HOBNYNJ will be with you every step of the way to make sure the cutover to your new application is seamless and successful.
We can also help you maintain your current legacy system without migration. Contact us to learn which option is best for your system.