Using Cloud Orbit for legacy application modernization efforts
Our modernization experts supported a US-based insurance provider in a vast legacy modernization project encompassing over 140 individual legacy applications that needed thorough remodeling before planned cloud migration. The company wanted to harness the benefits of cloud-based systems and technologies and achieve better data availability and reliability while maintaining compliance with regulations and industry standards.
Our legacy app modernization approach
We decided to utilize our Cloud Orbit platform to facilitate an entire legacy system modernization and enable swift cloud migration afterward. We helped the company in optimizing existing code and its IT operations, achieving greater agility, and successfully integrating legacy apps within a new, cloud-native environment.
Application modernization project step-by-step
1. Establishing a migration factory model
To satisfy the client's business goals, we established a migration factory model, organizing the legacy software modernization process across seven parallel teams. This approach allowed for simultaneous progress on multiple fronts, maximizing employee productivity and minimizing disruptions.
2. Performing rapid migration for cost optimization
Despite its complexity, the legacy modernization and migration project was completed in just 8 months, almost 5 times faster than the original calculations. This accelerated timeline, our ability to automate processes, and effective modernization strategies resulted in the project closing at less than 30% of the initial cost estimation.
3. Leveraging template-based application modernization
We ensured that migration and modernization processes were efficient and effective by utilizing Cloud Orbit's template-based approach and fail-fast methodology. This allowed our experts to quickly identify and resolve any issues and challenges, consequently facilitating a smooth transformation of the entire system.
4. Reducing ongoing costs with .NET Core on AKS clusters
To enable future growth, the organization's applications were transitioned from the .NET Framework to .NET Core running in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters. This new environment has significantly reduced the total cost of ownership (TCO) by over 40%, further enhancing the competitive advantage of the organization.
5. Enabling continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD)
The new GitOps-based CI/CD pipeline has dramatically increased the agility and responsiveness of the development process. The new solution enables the company's software development team to release features and fixes in a matter of minutes, increasing employee satisfaction and the team's ability to meet changing business demands and customer expectations.
6. Introducing enhanced visibility with modern technology tools
A Graylog-based solution was introduced for log archiving, and Prometheus and Grafana were used to enhance monitoring capabilities. Implementing these solutions gave the organization comprehensive visibility of existing system health and software application performance, enabling business users to make better-informed decisions.
The digital transformation project results
Leveraging our application modernization strategy enabled the institution to successfully containerize and migrate its existing applications to the cloud, ensuring a seamless transformation while upholding high standards of dependability.
- Modernizing all 140+ legacy applications.
- Enabling a massive-scale cloud migration in the record time of merely 8 months.
- Significantly improved scalability and availability.
- System performance optimization.
- Enhanced operational efficiency.
- Vast reduction of security vulnerabilities across the organization's multi-cloud environment.
Client's benefits
Completing the legacy system modernization process brought the insurance company a broad array of benefits. The right approach to this digital transformation project reduced the company's technical debt, enabled compatibility with new technologies, and overcame the limited scalability of monolithic applications. Among the many advantages the organization obtained, the following are the most crucial:
- Rapid execution of a massive-scale migration: The migration factory setup with seven parallel legacy modernization teams facilitated a migration that concluded in a remarkably short span of 8 months.
- Significant cost reduction: Our template-based, fail-fast modernization approach to modernizing legacy applications resulted in completing the entire project at less than 30% of the original cost estimate.
- Enhanced scalability and performance: The transition of applications to a new platform based on .NET Core running on AKS clusters enhanced their scalability and improved performance.
- Underlying infrastructure that supports business objectives: The modernized architecture provides the flexibility and efficiency needed to quickly adapt to changing business needs and effectively manage workloads.
- Remarkable reduction in total costs of ownership (TCO): Upgrading outdated systems to run on a modern cloud infrastructure facilitated a significant reduction in TCO, with savings of over 40%.
- Increased software development agility: Introducing a GitOps-based CI/CD pipeline was a tremendous improvement to the client's software development process that increased the pace of innovation and enhanced responsiveness to shifting market demands.
- Advanced monitoring and enhanced visibility: Our log management and monitoring solutions provided the organization with comprehensive visibility into existing systems' performance and health, crucial for proactive problem-solving and informed decision-making.
Modernize legacy systems with Maxima Consulting
With comprehensive industry knowledge, a thorough assessment of your individual situation, and various modernization approaches at our disposal, we will find a way to succeed in modernizing even the most challenging legacy code. Contact us today and schedule a meeting with our legacy system modernization and application architecture experts.
