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SERVICE · CUSTOM SOFTWARE · MODERNISATION

Legacy software modernisation, without stopping the business.

Seamwire modernises legacy software for mid-size companies: the Access database, the Excel workbook full of macros, the system an old supplier built that nobody now understands. We take it over, stabilise it and write down how it works, then decide with you whether to refactor it, rebuild it piece by piece, or replace it with a product. The business keeps running throughout, with old and new side by side until your team trusts the change.

Start with a 10-day first stepCustom software & internal tools
FIRST STEP
10 working daysOne process, mapped and shown working, with a business case and a dated plan.
TEAM
3–5 peopleA dedicated team from our 50+. The people who scope it build it.
OWNERSHIP
YoursCode, data and accounts are yours from the first commit. No lock-in.
01

SIGNS YOU NEED THIS

  1. 01A Microsoft Access database or macro-heavy workbook runs part of the business.
  2. 02The developer who built your system has gone, and nobody else knows how it works.
  3. 03Every change breaks something else, so changes have quietly stopped.
  4. 04It runs on one old machine, or on software that no longer gets security updates.
  5. 05New staff have to be taught the workarounds before they can use it.
  6. 06It cannot talk to your newer systems, so data is moved across by hand.
02

WHAT WE BUILD · LEGACY SOFTWARE MODERNISATION

03

SYSTEMS AND TOOLS WE COMMONLY WORK WITH

MOVING FROM
  • Microsoft Access
  • Excel and VBA
  • Visual Basic 6
  • classic ASP
  • .NET Framework
  • older PHP
  • FileMaker
  • Delphi
MOVING TO
  • .NET
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Node.js
  • Python
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQL Server
RUNNING ON
  • Azure
  • AWS
  • Google Cloud
  • your own servers

We pick tools for your situation, not ours. If something you already run does the job, we keep it.

04

HOW IT WORKS

  1. 01

    A 10-day first step

    One process or page, mapped with the people who do the work and shown working. You leave with a business case and a dated plan, and keep everything it produced.

  2. 02

    Build in short, visible steps

    Working software every week or two on a staging site you can click, with weekly written notes on what moved and what we need from you.

  3. 03

    Launch and hand over

    Released carefully, with monitoring switched on, then a handover pack: code, docs, runbooks and a session with your team.

  4. 04

    Look after it

    Support, monitoring and improvements on terms agreed in writing before we start, with a named team who knows the work.

The full approach, phase by phase
05

WHERE WE DO THIS MOST

01ManufacturingTYPICAL FIRST STEPConnect one line's output to your stock figures, so what you promise matches what you can make.02Logistics & supply chainTYPICAL FIRST STEPWire your dock scans to customer tracking, so “where is it?” answers itself.04HealthcareTYPICAL FIRST STEPAutomate confirmations and reminders for one clinic, so the day's list is right before the doors open.06Professional & financial servicesTYPICAL FIRST STEPTake one intake process from inbox to filed and approved, with every step logged.07Ports: shipping & freight forwardingTYPICAL FIRST STEPPull your carriers' milestone updates into one timeline, so every ETA your customer sees is the latest one.
06

QUESTIONS BUYERS ASK

Should we rewrite, refactor or replace our legacy software?
Refactor when the system mostly works and the problems sit in parts of it. Rebuild in stages when the foundations are the problem, replacing one area at a time while the rest keeps running. Replace it with a product when what it does is now standard and a product fits without workarounds. A full rewrite in one go is rarely right: it must match every hidden rule the old system gathered before anyone can use it.
Can you take over software from another developer?
Yes, and it is common. We start by securing access to the code, hosting, domains and data, then read the code, run it, and list what is fragile, insecure or undocumented. You get that audit in plain language before we change anything. A handover call with the previous developer helps if they are reachable, but we do not depend on one.
What if we do not have the source code or the passwords?
We work from what you do have. Hosting accounts, domains and databases can usually be recovered through the providers with proof of ownership. Compiled software can often be understood by watching what it does and reading its database. If the source is truly lost, we rebuild the behaviour from the data and the people who use it, and make sure you hold every key from then on.
How do you replace a Microsoft Access database or Excel tool?
We move the data to a proper database first, often leaving the Access or Excel front end pointed at it so nothing changes for users yet. Then we rebuild the forms and reports as a web app, carry over the rules hidden in queries, macros and formulas, and check the new tool's results match the old one's before anyone switches.
How do we keep the business running during the change?
We never switch everything at once. Old and new run side by side, one area moves at a time, and each move is checked against the old system's results before the team relies on it. Every step has a way back, and we plan each switch around your busy periods, not ours.
What do we get at handover?
The code in your repositories, the system in your hosting accounts, every password and key in your own secret manager, and documentation covering how it works, how to run and deploy it, and what to do when something fails. We walk your team or your next supplier through it, so the system never again depends on one person.
Do you offer ongoing maintenance and support?
Yes, if you want it: security updates, monitoring, backups, fixes and small improvements, on terms agreed in writing before we start, with a named team who knows the system and a response window by severity. If you would rather run it yourselves, the handover is written so that you can.
07

GUIDES

01How to replace spreadsheets with custom software (without stopping the business)HOW TO · 6 MINWhen a spreadsheet has become a critical system, how to replace it with a custom tool safely: what to copy first, how to run both side by side, and how to move the data without losing anything.02Build or buy: when a custom internal tool beats off-the-shelf softwareDECISION · 5 MINA practical way to decide between buying software and building a custom internal tool: the questions to ask, the hidden costs on both sides, and when a hybrid (buy, then connect) is the best answer.03How to choose a custom software development company: 12 questions to askCHECKLIST · 6 MINTwelve questions to ask before hiring a custom software development company or agency, from who owns the code to how they handle security, handover and what happens after launch.

YOUR FIRST STEP

Start with one process, working in ten days.

Tell us where it slows down. We map it with your team, show it working, and hand you a business case. If the numbers do not work, you keep everything it produced.

Tell us where it slows down