01
Portfolio assessment
An inventory of your apps with their runtimes, dependencies, end-of-support dates, owners and the risk each one carries.
FIG 01 · Application Modernization
Application modernization services, planned around your deadlines
Assessment first, then modernize in slices. We map every legacy app to the 7 Rs and its end-of-support date, then replace it piece by piece behind a façade, so the business keeps running while the old system retires.
See how it works
FIG 02 · Quick answer
What is application modernization?
Application modernization is updating an ageing application’s code, platform or architecture so it stays secure, supported and easier to change. Elgrith starts with an assessment that maps each legacy app to the 7 Rs and its end-of-support date, then upgrades or rebuilds it in slices, so .NET, Java, PHP or AngularJS systems move without a big-bang cutover.
- Every app mapped before any code moves
- 7 Rs
- Projects delivered since 2015
- 1,000+
- Clients across the USA, UK and India
- 250+
- Your code, data and accounts
- 100%
FIG 03 · Why it matters
Legacy systems rarely fail on code. They fail on planning.
From the US Government Accountability Office and Microsoft’s own support policy, checked 23 Oct 2026.
01
80%
Of federal IT budgets go on keeping old systems running
US agencies spend over $100 billion a year on IT, and typically report about 80% of it on operating and maintaining existing systems.
Source: US GAO, GAO-25-107795, legacy IT systems (17 Jul 2025)(opens in a new tab)02
3 of 9
Modernization plans were complete
Of 11 critical federal legacy systems aged 23 to 60 years, 9 had plans, only 3 of those plans had all the key elements, and 2 systems had no plan at all.
Source: US GAO, GAO-25-107795, legacy IT systems (17 Jul 2025)(opens in a new tab)03
10 Nov 2026
.NET 8 and .NET 9 support ends
Microsoft lists 10 Nov 2026 as the end of support for both .NET 8 (LTS) and .NET 9 (STS). .NET 10 LTS is supported to 14 Nov 2028.
Source: Microsoft, .NET and .NET Core support policy (read 23 Oct 2026)(opens in a new tab)
FIG 04 · Rules and dates
Legacy application modernization: the end-of-support calendar
Unsupported runtimes stop getting security fixes. This is the calendar we plan modernization around, from each vendor’s own lifecycle page, checked 23 Oct 2026. Dates move; we re-check them in your assessment.
| Platform | End of support | Status on 23 Oct 2026 | What we usually do |
|---|---|---|---|
| .NET 8 (LTS) and .NET 9 (STS) | 10 Nov 2026 | Ends in under three weeks | Upgrade to .NET 10 LTS (supported to 14 Nov 2028) |
| .NET Framework 4.6.2 | 12 Jan 2027 | Ending soon | Move to 4.8.x as a stopgap, or port to .NET 10 |
| Windows Server 2016 | 12 Jan 2027 (extended support) | Ending soon | Replatform to a supported OS, containers or managed services |
| SQL Server 2016 | 14 Jul 2026 (extended support) | Ended; Microsoft lists paid Extended Security Updates | Upgrade or move to a managed database, with data checks |
| PHP 8.2 | 31 Dec 2026 (security fixes) | Security fixes only | Upgrade to PHP 8.4 or 8.5 |
| Python 3.10 | 1 Oct 2026 | End of life | Upgrade to a supported 3.x release |
| Node.js 20 | End of life | No more fixes | Move to an LTS line (22 or 24) |
| AngularJS (1.x) | Support ended January 2022 | Unsupported for years | Rebuild screen by screen in React or Angular |
| Windows 10 | 14 Oct 2025 | Ended for most editions | Retire desktop dependencies or move to Windows 11 and web |
Sources: Microsoft .NET support policy and Microsoft Lifecycle pages, PHP supported versions, Python developer guide, Node.js releases and AngularJS version support status, all read 23 Oct 2026. Next check: 11 Nov 2026.
Need a stack-specific upgrade? See .NET developmentFIG 05 · What you get
Application modernization services
One assessment, then the right move for each app: upgrade, replatform, refactor, rebuild or retire.
02
7 Rs modernization plan
Each app mapped to retire, retain, rehost, relocate, repurchase, replatform or refactor, with the reason written down.
03
Runtime and framework upgrades
.NET Framework to .NET 10, Java 8 or 11 to a current LTS, PHP 8.2 to 8.4 or 8.5, with tests that prove behavior did not change.
04
Strangler-fig rebuilds
New services grow around the old system behind a façade, one slice at a time, until the legacy code can be switched off.
05
Front-end modernization
AngularJS, Web Forms or jQuery screens rebuilt in React or Angular, page by page, without a freeze on new features.
06
Data migration
Schema changes, change data capture and reconciliation checks, with a rollback window for every cutover.
07
Containers and cloud
Apps packaged in containers and moved to managed services where it pays off, alongside our cloud migration team.
08
Safety-net testing
Characterization tests that pin today’s behavior before we change anything, so regressions show up in CI, not in production.
Deliverables
11
deliverables, in writing
Included in every build, written into your fixed quote before work starts.
FIG 06 · Stacks
Stacks we modernize
Most legacy estates mix several of these. We sequence them by end-of-support date and business risk, not by which is easiest.
- .NET Framework
- Java 8 / 11
- AngularJS
Façade and slice plan
- .NET 10
- Current Java LTS
- React or Angular
.NET Framework and .NET 8
- From
- .NET Framework 4.x, .NET 8 or .NET 9
- To
- .NET 10 LTS, with Web Forms and WCF replaced where needed
Java
- From
- Java 8 or 11, older Spring or app servers
- To
- A current Java LTS such as 21 or 25, with Spring Boot
PHP
- From
- PHP 8.2 or older, hand-rolled frameworks
- To
- PHP 8.4 or 8.5, often on Laravel
AngularJS front ends
- From
- AngularJS 1.x, unsupported since January 2022
- To
- React, rebuilt screen by screen behind the same URLs
AngularJS to Angular
- From
- AngularJS 1.x
- To
- Current Angular, for teams that want to stay in that ecosystem
VB6 and WinForms
- From
- VB6, WinForms or Access desktop apps
- To
- A web app, or a modern desktop app where offline use matters
FIG 07 · Signs
Signs your application needs modernizing
Age alone doesn’t make an app legacy. These do.
05principles
Unsupported runtime
The framework, OS or database is past its end-of-support date, or will be within your next budget year.
Security findings you can’t fix
Pen tests or scanners flag issues that need a framework or OS upgrade to close.
Slow change
Small features take months because nobody wants to touch the code, and there are no tests to catch regressions.
Hard to hire for
The people who know the stack are leaving, and new developers don’t want to learn it.
Paying for extended support
Extended Security Updates or custom support contracts buy time, not a future. They are a bridge to a plan.
FIG 08 · Method
Legacy system modernization, step by step
No big-bang cutover. Each step leaves a working system behind it.
05principles
1. Inventory and assessment
Apps, integrations, data flows, users and end-of-support dates, even where documentation is missing. We read the code and the logs.
2. Target architecture
Where each part should end up, sized to what the business needs, not to the latest trend. Monolith is fine if it is modern enough.
3. Slice plan
A façade in front of the old system, an anti-corruption layer between old and new models, and a strangler-fig order for the slices.
4. Data
Change data capture or batch sync while both systems run, with reconciliation reports and a rollback window for each slice.
5. Cut over and retire
Traffic moves slice by slice. When the last slice is live, the legacy system is switched off and archived.
FIG 09 · Cloud
Cloud and modernization together
Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework (16 Oct 2026) puts it plainly: “A rehost migration alone isn’t modernization.” AWS guidance for large migrations recommends moving first and modernizing after. We decide per app.
04principles
Rehost first
Right when a data-centre exit or hardware deadline comes first. Modernization follows once the app runs in the cloud.
Cloud migrationRefactor first
Right when the runtime is unsupported or the architecture blocks change. Moving broken code just moves the problem.
Replatform in between
Managed databases, containers or app services with modest code change, often the best value step.
Check before you move
Our 2026 checklists cover cloud and data migration step by step.
Cloud migration checklist
FIG 10 · Evidence
What GAO found about federal legacy systems
The US Government Accountability Office reviewed 69 federal legacy systems and named the 11 most critical (GAO-25-107795, 17 Jul 2025). Its lesson applies to any organization.
04principles
Old, and still critical
The 11 critical systems were 23 to 60 years old and still running core government work.
Plans were the weak point
9 of the 11 had modernization plans, but only 3 of those plans had all the key elements GAO looked for. 2 systems had no plan.
Maintenance crowds out change
About 80% of federal IT spending goes on operating and maintaining existing systems, leaving little for replacements.
Built by the team behind our flagship
Kenerate AI, our flagship build, designed and engineered by Elgrith. It is an AI image and video studio, not a modernization project.
See Kenerate AI
FIG 11 · Measurement
What we measure during modernization
Modernization pays off in risk retired and speed regained, so that is what we report, slice by slice.
| How we measure it | What we won’t do | |
|---|---|---|
| Unsupported components | Runtimes, libraries and servers past end of support, counted down per slice | Call an app “modern” while it runs on an unsupported runtime |
| Behavior | Characterization and regression tests passing before and after each slice | Ship a slice without a test baseline |
| Data | Reconciliation reports between old and new systems at each cutover | Cut over without a rollback window |
| Change speed | Lead time for a typical change, before and after | Quote an ROI figure we can’t trace to your data |
| Downtime | Planned and unplanned outages during cutovers | Promise “zero downtime” |
We agree the measures, cutover windows and reporting rhythm in your written scope.
FIG 12 · Process · 6 steps
Assess first, then modernize in slices
Free call, assessment, fixed written quote, then slices shown working in weekly demos, with rollback windows at every cutover.
- Step 01
Free call
Tell us what you need to test, fix or rebuild and what you have already tried. We ask about your users, systems, team and deadlines first.
- Step 02
Discovery
A modernization assessment: we read the code, map dependencies and data, list end-of-support dates and score each app against the 7 Rs, even where documentation is thin.
- Step 03
Fixed written quote
A written scope and a fixed quote, with the timeline, platforms, access and hand-over agreed before any work starts. You own the code and IP.
- Step 04
Sprints with weekly demos
Slices built behind a façade, with characterization tests first and each slice shown working in a weekly demo before traffic moves.
- Step 05
Launch
Cutover per slice with data reconciliation and a rollback window, then the legacy component switched off.
- Step 06
Support
Support for the modernized system, further slices or a hand-over to your team, as agreed in your written scope.
FIG 13 · What you get
Everything included
Written into your fixed quote, so you know exactly what you are paying for before work starts.
11items
- Written scope and fixed quote
- Application inventory and dependency map
- End-of-support calendar for your estate
- 7 Rs decision per application
- Target architecture and slice plan
- Characterization and regression tests
- Upgraded or rebuilt code, slice by slice
- Data migration with reconciliation reports
- Cutover and rollback runbooks
- Architecture and hand-over documentation
- Your code, data and accounts stay yours
FIG 14 · Tech & tools
The tools behind the work
Proven, well-supported tools, chosen for your project and set up in accounts your business owns.
- .NET 10
- C#
- Java
- Spring Boot
- PHP 8.4
- Laravel
- React
- Angular
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL
- SQL Server
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Azure
- AWS
FIG 15 · Who it’s for
Modernization for systems the business can’t switch off.
Same method everywhere: assess first, test before change, move in slices.
4 audiences
Mid-market
Line-of-business apps that run the company.
Order, billing and operations systems built 10 or 20 years ago, upgraded or rebuilt without stopping the business.
- Assessment before commitment
- Slices, not a big bang
- Data reconciliation at every cutover
- Your team trained to run it
Enterprise
Portfolios with dozens of legacy apps.
A 7 Rs decision for every app, sequenced by end-of-support date and risk, with a plan your architecture board can sign off.
- Portfolio inventory
- End-of-support calendar
- Retire what nobody uses
- Plan you can take to a board
Software vendors
Products your customers still depend on.
Move your product to a supported stack while customers keep using it, with tests that prove nothing broke.
- Feature work continues
- Characterization tests
- Staged customer rollout
- Supported runtime
UK teams
Application modernisation for UK organisations.
Legacy system modernisation for UK firms runs through our London client-partnership centre, with delivery from our New Delhi HQ. Plans and documentation are written in UK English, and working hours are agreed in your written scope.
- London client partner
- UK English throughout
- Fixed written quote in GBP
- Your code and data stay yours
FIG 16 · Working with us from the USA and UK
Built in New Delhi. Run on your hours.
Every project gets a point of contact in New York or London and an engineering team in New Delhi. Here is how today’s working days line up, live.
New York
North America
--:--ET
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 3 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 10.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
London
UK & Europe
--:--UK
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 4.5 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 5.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. UK
Three ways to work together
- 01
Fixed-scope project
A written scope, one fixed price and a dated plan. Suits websites, apps and MVPs.
- 02
Dedicated team
Designers and engineers on your roadmap every month, billed monthly.
- 03
White label
For US and UK agencies: our work, your brand, unbranded deliverables.
Every engagement
- Fixed quote in USD, GBP or INR after a free 30-minute call
- NDA before discovery. You own all code, designs and content
- A working demo every sprint, not status slides
- Reply within one business day, calls inside your hours
Book a call
Calls on ET or UK hours
FIG 17 · 7 Rs
Assess, then choose: the 7 Rs
AWS Prescriptive Guidance lists “seven migration strategies” known as the 7 Rs (read 23 Oct 2026). We use its wording and add when each fits for modernization.
| Strategy | What it means | When it fits | When it doesn’t |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retire | Decommission or archive the app | Nobody uses it, or another system already does the job | Data must stay reachable: archive it first |
| Retain | Keep it where it is for now | Recently upgraded, or blocked by another move | It runs on an unsupported runtime |
| Rehost | Lift and shift, no code change | A hardware or data-centre deadline comes first | You expect it to fix slow change or old code |
| Relocate | Move to a cloud version of the same platform | Many servers moving fast to a cloud version of the same platform | The platform itself is the problem |
| Repurchase | Replace with a product or SaaS | A product now does what the custom app does | The app is how you compete |
| Replatform | Move with modest changes, such as a managed database | The code is fine but the platform costs too much effort | The architecture blocks change |
| Refactor or re-architect | Change the code and architecture | Unsupported runtime, no tests, or a monolith that slows every release | A cheaper R gets the same result |
FIG 18 · Compare
Big-bang rewrite vs strangler-fig slices vs rehost only
| Strangler-fig slices | Big-bang rewrite | Rehost only | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business risk | Low per slice, with rollback windows | High: everything switches at once | Low, but the old risks move with the app |
| Value delivered | Early and continuous | Only at the end | Hosting change, not new capability |
| Old code retired | Gradually, slice by slice | At cutover, if it works | No |
| Best for | Most business-critical legacy apps | Small apps with clear scope | Hard data-centre or hardware deadlines |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about Application Modernization with Elgrith.
Migration changes where an application runs; modernization changes how well it meets your needs, through its code, platform or architecture. Microsoft’s Cloud Adoption Framework (16 Oct 2026) says “A rehost migration alone isn’t modernization.” Many projects do both: move first, then modernize, or the other way round.
FIG 19 · Related
Keep exploring
Cloud Migration
Move to AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.NET Development
ASP.NET Core apps & .NET upgradesJava Development
Spring Boot apps & Java upgradesLaravel Development
Laravel & PHP apps, upgrades, APIsReact & Next.js Development
Fast React and Next.js front endsCustom Software Development
Bespoke platforms, tools & SaaSSoftware Testing & QA
Manual, automated & app testing
Free 30-minute call
Tell us what’s running out of support. We’ll plan the way out.
Share your stack, end-of-support worries and constraints. After a free call you get a written assessment scope and a fixed quote.
Pick a day for your call
OpenPick a day. You'll choose a time in your own time zone on the next step.