Direct answers to expensive operational problems.
Practical guides for removing manual work with AI and automation, connecting business systems, and modernizing the software in the way.
How to measure technical debt, and explain it to people who don't write code
Tools like SonarQube measure code-level debt well and miss most of the rest. How the tool numbers are calculated, how to measure what they can't see with a simple debt register, and how to explain both in time and risk instead of ratios.
Read articleHow to reduce technical debt without stopping feature work
Most teams can't stop shipping to pay down technical debt, and don't need to. How to reduce it in small pieces alongside feature work: where to start, how to protect the time, and how to stop adding more.
Read articleIs PowerBuilder still supported? What happened to it, and what to do now
PowerBuilder is still supported by Appeon, but only on current versions. Versions 2019 and 2019 R2 are past end of life, 2022 and 2022 R2 reach end of life in May 2027, and 2022 R3 is the long-term support release.
Read articleLegacy system assessment: how to score every application you own
A legacy system assessment tells you which of your applications needs attention first. A two-axis matrix a manager can fill in over an afternoon, the questions to score, and what to do in each of the four corners.
Read articleLegacy system examples: what counts, and how to tell if yours is one
A legacy system is one your business can no longer change safely, whatever its age. Ten examples most companies will recognize, why each one counts, what to check first, and the signs that one of your own systems belongs on the list.
Read articleLegacy system modernization: the options, and the question to answer first
Legacy system modernization means changing an old system so the business can keep relying on it and keep changing it safely. The nine options, what each one changes, and the question to answer before you choose: where do the business rules live?
Read articleOracle Forms end of support: which clock is your estate on?
Oracle Forms is still supported, but on two different clocks. Standalone Forms 12c leaves Premier Support in December 2026, while Forms inside E-Business Suite 12.2 is covered through at least December 2037, so the first job is finding out which clock each application is on.
Read articleSharePoint 2016 and 2019 end of support: no ESU, so what now?
Support for SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 ended on 14 July 2026, and Microsoft lists no paid extended security updates for either. The farm still runs, but nothing gets fixed. What decides your route off it is the custom code inside the farm.
Read articleVB6 end of support: what Microsoft still covers, and what it doesn't
There's no single end date for running VB6 applications: Microsoft supports the VB6 runtime for the life of each supported Windows version, at a narrow bar. What ended, back in April 2008, was support for the development environment you need to change them.
Read article.NET Framework 4.8 has no end-of-support date. Here's what it has instead
There's no end-of-support date for .NET Framework 4.8 or 4.8.1. Microsoft supports them for as long as the Windows version they run on. The date you're really facing is your Windows Server's, and if you migrate, aim at .NET 10, because .NET 8 support ends in November 2026.
Read articleIs IBM i end of life? What changed on 30 September 2026
IBM i isn't going away, but IBM i 7.4 left standard support on 30 September 2026. What IBM's own dates say for each release, what your options are, and why the harder problem in most IBM i shops is the RPG code and the people who understand it.
Read articleRunning end-of-life software: the risks, and what to do about each one
End-of-life software keeps running, which is exactly why it's easy to ignore. The risks are specific: no more security fixes, questions from auditors and regulators, no vendor to call, and fewer people who know it. How to find what you're running and what to do first.
Read articleSoftware architecture review checklist for legacy systems
Most architecture review checklists are written for new designs on a whiteboard. This one is for the system you already run, where the diagram and the code stopped agreeing years ago. Eight areas to check, and what a good answer looks like in each.
Read articleTechnical debt examples you'll recognize in your own systems
Technical debt is easier to spot than to define. Ten examples most teams will recognize, written for the people who pay for the debt as much as the people who wrote the code, and a simple way to decide which to pay down first.
Read articleBefore you rewrite a legacy system, find out what it actually does
A rewrite has to do everything the old system does, and usually nobody can say what that is. Six questions to answer before you commit the budget, and how the decision tends to split between fixing it, replacing it in pieces, and starting over.
Read articleThe one person who understands your legacy system won't be there forever
A lot of old systems have one person who really knows how they work. When that person retires or resigns, the knowledge leaves with them. What to capture while they're still here, and how to spend their remaining time well.
Read articleBusiness process automation services: what should you automate first?
The best first automation is not necessarily the largest process. Use frequency, friction, risk, and measurability to find a practical starting point.
Read articleAutomating data entry for a growing business.
Forms, inboxes, PDFs, and portals can feed business systems without constant rekeying, if validation and exception handling are designed first.
Read articleHow to connect disconnected business systems reliably.
An integration is not finished when two APIs exchange data. Ownership, retries, reconciliation, and visibility determine whether it survives real operations.
Read articleReplacing spreadsheet-based reporting without losing flexibility.
Move recurring collection and calculation into governed data layers while keeping analysis accessible to the people who understand the business.
Read articleCustom data pipelines for growing companies.
A good pipeline is understandable, observable, and sized to the business, not a miniature copy of a global data platform.
Read articleWhen legacy software blocks automation: integrate, wrap, or replace?
Older software does not always need an immediate rewrite. Choose the smallest intervention that safely unlocks the required workflow.
Read articleHave a workflow these articles remind you of?
The 30-day assessment tells you whether automation is practical, which tools fit, and where to begin.