Modernize the system without losing what makes the business work
Companies that have operated for decades usually run on a system that grew with them, and on one or two people who understand it. We help you document it, protect it and modernize it in steps. Whether you are planning succession, preparing for a sale or integrating an acquisition, the aim is the same: keep the business running while the technology catches up.
What the software has to survive
These conditions decide what we build before any feature list does.
- One person knows how it works
- The pricing logic, the month-end process and the odd report are in a single head. If that person retires or leaves, the company inherits a system that nobody else can safely change.
- The old system holds the rules
- Decades of business decisions are encoded in an AS/400 program, an Access database or a spreadsheet with hidden tabs. Replacing it without recovering those rules breaks things that nobody remembered were there.
- Acquisitions add systems
- Each acquired company arrives with its own ERP, spreadsheets and way of working. Owners, lenders and PE sponsors want consolidated numbers, and getting them can take weeks of manual effort.
- The business cannot pause
- Orders ship, payroll runs and invoices go out every day. Any change has to happen in small steps, with the old way still available until the new one is proven.
What we build for established & family-owned businesses
- System documentation and rule recovery
- We read the code, the queries and the spreadsheets, and interview the people who use them. The result is a written description of what the system does and why, in plain language that survives the next retirement.
- Incremental modernization
- We replace one function at a time, such as quoting, invoicing or inventory, and run it beside the old system until the results match. There is no single cutover weekend that the whole company has to survive.
- Access and spreadsheet migration
- Business-critical Access databases and Excel workbooks move to a proper database and a web application, with multiple users, access control, backups and history. The screens and reports people rely on are reproduced before they are improved.
- AS/400 and green-screen integration
- We expose IBM i data and programs through modern interfaces so new web and mobile tools can use them, and replace green-screen steps selectively. You can keep the AS/400 for as long as it earns its place.
- Acquired company integration
- We build a common data layer across the companies, so owners and lenders see consolidated reporting without forcing every entity onto one ERP on day one. Consolidation of systems can follow when it makes business sense.
- Succession and diligence readiness
- Technology inventories, runbooks, access reviews and backup checks give a buyer, a lender or the next generation a clear picture. We also help reduce reliance on any single person or vendor.
Systems we connect to
We work with what you already run. Replacing a system is a last resort, not a starting point.
- IBM i / AS/400
- RPG and COBOL applications
- Microsoft Access
- Excel and Google Sheets
- FoxPro and dBase
- SQL Server
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- SAP
- NetSuite
Services that fit
- Custom software & internal toolsOperator-facing apps, floor tablets and customer portals that replace the spreadsheet running the business.
- Legacy system modernizationMove off AS/400, green-screen, VB6 and Access systems in stages, without a risky big-bang cutover.
- Data platforms & analyticsOne trusted source of data and the dashboards operations actually read, down to margin by load.
- Integrations, ERP & EDIEDI, APIs and ERP connections that move orders, shipments and scale data between systems reliably.
- Technology advisory & fractional CTOSenior technology leadership by the month: roadmaps, vendor choices, AI readiness and diligence.
Questions buyers ask
Do we have to replace our old system?
Not necessarily. Some systems should be wrapped and kept, some replaced in pieces, and some left alone. The assessment sorts your systems into those groups, based on risk, cost of change and what the business needs next.
What if only one person understands our system?
That is common, and it is a good place to start. We work with that person to document how the system behaves and why, and capture it in writing and in tests. It reduces risk right away, whether or not you modernize anything afterward.
Can you help integrate companies we have acquired?
Yes. We map the systems at each company, set up a shared reporting layer first, and then decide which systems to consolidate and in what order. This works for single acquisitions and for roll-ups with many entities, and we work alongside your finance and IT teams.
Can we keep running our AS/400?
Yes, if it continues to do its job. IBM i is stable and well supported, and we can connect it to modern web, mobile and reporting tools instead of replacing it. We help you plan around the real risks, such as hardware age, scarce RPG skills and undocumented programs.
Further reading
- How to hire a software consultancy for an industrial business
Questions to ask, red flags to watch for, how to structure the contract, and why you should own your code and data when hiring software help for a plant.
- How to modernize an AS/400 or legacy ERP without stopping operations
A practical guide to replacing or surrounding an AS/400 or legacy ERP in stages, so orders, scale tickets and shipments keep moving while the system changes.