Software does not simply keep running
Unlike a machine, software does not wear out, but the environment around it keeps changing. Operating systems are updated, browsers change their behaviour, certificates expire, interfaces at partner companies get switched off. An application that nobody maintains will therefore work only partly after a while.
There is also a risk that companies rarely talk about. In many businesses, an important application is still running that somebody wrote years ago, and that person can no longer be reached. As long as nothing goes wrong, nobody notices. When something does go wrong, there is nobody to call.
We take over applications like this on a regular basis. The first step is always an honest assessment, not an invoice. After that you know what condition your software is in and which options you have.
When you should act
If one of these points applies to you, you should have your software looked at properly. If more than one applies, it is time.
The original developer can no longer be reached or has left the company.
Nobody dares to make changes any more, for fear of breaking something.
There is no documentation and nobody knows where the current source code is.
The application only runs on an old server that nobody is allowed to touch.
Security updates have not been installed for years.
An important extension has been put off for months because nobody feels responsible for it.
Taking over in four steps
Assessment
We look at the source code, the database and the server environment, and we talk to the people who work with the application every day. At the end you get a clear picture of its condition and the risks involved.
Immediate measures
Whatever is acutely dangerous comes first. Usually that means missing backups, open security holes or expired certificates. This creates breathing space for everything that follows.
Documentation and order
We move the source code into proper version control, set up a test environment and write down how the application is built and what it needs to run.
Further development
Only then do we start on new features. At that point the risk is acceptable, because changes can be tested and rolled back.
What a maintenance agreement covers
The scope is tailored to your application. These are the parts that come up most often.
Security updates
Regular updates for libraries, runtime environment and operating system, including checks for known vulnerabilities.
Bug fixing
Reports from your team are recorded, prioritised and handled within agreed response times.
Monitoring
The application is checked continuously. We notice faults before your staff pick up the phone.
Backup and restore
Backups run automatically, and we check regularly that they can actually be restored.
Small changes
Adding a field, adjusting a form, extending a report. We collect the small items and handle them in one batch.
Reports
You get an overview of what has been done and what is due next. Without having to ask.
What we can work with
We have taken over applications in very different states, from neatly documented to grown over many years. If your software is based on a technology that is not listed here, ask us anyway.
Languages
Frameworks
Data
Environment
What you gain
No more flying blind
You know what condition your software is in and which risks you carry.
Able to act again
Changes are possible again, because there is a test environment and version control.
A fixed contact
When something breaks, you know who to call, and the person you reach knows your application.
Predictable costs
Instead of expensive emergencies you get a fixed monthly budget for upkeep and small changes.
An honest recommendation
If a rebuild would be cheaper in the long run, we say so instead of keeping an old system artificially alive.
Renewal in stages
Larger rebuilds can be carried out step by step, without stopping day to day operations.
Common questions about taking over software
This happens more often than you might think. Sometimes the code is still on the server, sometimes the former provider still holds it and will hand it over on request. If nothing can be found at all, a rebuild is usually the only option left. Even then we help you rescue the data from the system that is still running.
No, that is rarely the most economical answer. An application that has grown over the years holds a lot of experience and special cases that appear in no specification. We only recommend a rebuild when the technical foundation can no longer carry the application, and we explain why in terms you can follow.
The first conversation and a rough estimate are free of charge. A deeper analysis that includes a look into the code and a written report is billed by time spent. You are told in advance how much effort we expect this to take.
We set this out in the maintenance agreement. Response times within a few hours on working days are the norm. For applications that bring your business to a standstill when they fail, we can agree on wider cover.
Yes, with a normal notice period. We do not tie you into long contracts. When the agreement ends, we hand over source code, documentation and all access details in full, so that another provider can take over without a break.
Yes, that is the normal case with this topic. We stay factual and judge what is there on its merits instead of talking it down. The work of our predecessors is often much better than its reputation, it has simply been left unattended for years.
Have your software checked over
The assessment costs you nothing, and you find out where your application stands in terms of condition, risks and future.