Legacy System Migration Services
Modernize Without Losing Your History
Transform decades of legacy data into modern, accessible formats. We specialize in extracting data from mainframes, AS/400, COBOL systems, and proprietary platforms while preserving every record and business rule.
What is Legacy System Migration?
Bringing decades of data into the modern era
Legacy system migration involves extracting data from outdated technology platforms-mainframes, AS/400, COBOL applications, flat files, and proprietary databases-and transforming it for modern systems. This often includes decades of historical data that represents invaluable business knowledge.
Unlike standard database migrations, legacy migrations require reverse-engineering data formats, understanding undocumented business rules embedded in code, and often reconstructing lost metadata. The data may be stored in formats no longer commonly understood or supported.
Our legacy migration approach preserves not just the data, but the context and meaning behind it. We document business rules, validate historical accuracy, and ensure your organization retains full access to its institutional knowledge in a modern, maintainable format.
Key Metrics
Why Choose DevSimplex for Legacy Migration?
Deep expertise in legacy technologies
Legacy system migrations require specialized knowledge that's increasingly rare. Our team includes engineers with hands-on experience in mainframe environments, COBOL programming, and legacy database systems-expertise that's essential for successful migrations.
We understand that legacy systems often contain business logic that was never formally documented. Through careful analysis and collaboration with your subject matter experts, we identify and preserve these critical rules during migration.
Data quality is typically a major concern in legacy migrations. We implement data profiling, cleansing, and enrichment as part of the migration process, so you emerge with not just migrated data, but better data than you started with.
Requirements
What you need to get started
Legacy System Access
requiredAccess to legacy system for data extraction, including necessary credentials and documentation.
Subject Matter Experts
requiredTeam members who understand legacy business processes and data meanings.
Target Platform
requiredModern platform selected and provisioned for receiving migrated data.
Historical Documentation
recommendedAny available system documentation, data dictionaries, or specifications.
Data Retention Policies
optionalGuidelines on what historical data must be preserved.
Common Challenges We Solve
Problems we help you avoid
Undocumented Business Rules
Data Quality Issues
Proprietary Formats
Your Dedicated Team
Who you'll be working with
Legacy Systems Analyst
Analyzes legacy code and data structures to understand business logic.
15+ years including mainframe/AS400Data Migration Engineer
Develops extraction and transformation pipelines.
ETL expertise, multiple platformsData Quality Specialist
Profiles data, develops cleansing rules, validates outputs.
Data governance certifiedHow We Work Together
Extended engagement with knowledge transfer to ensure institutional knowledge is preserved.
Technology Stack
Modern tools and frameworks we use
ETL Tools
Custom extraction pipelines
Python
Transformation scripts
SQL
Data manipulation
Custom Scripts
Legacy format handling
APIs
Modern integration
Data Quality Tools
Cleansing and validation
Legacy Migration ROI
Modernizing legacy systems delivers significant cost and capability benefits.
Why We're Different
How we compare to alternatives
| Aspect | Our Approach | Typical Alternative | Your Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy Expertise | Mainframe/COBOL/AS400 experience | Modern systems only | Can handle any legacy platform |
| Business Logic | Systematic discovery and preservation | Data-only focus | Institutional knowledge retained |
| Data Quality | Cleansing integrated with migration | Migrate as-is | Improved data in new system |
Our Process
A proven approach that delivers results consistently.
Legacy System Analysis
2-4 weeksAnalyze legacy systems, data structures, and embedded business logic.
Data Mapping & Design
3-4 weeksMap legacy data to modern structures with transformation rules.
Extraction Development
3-5 weeksBuild custom extraction routines for legacy data sources.
Transformation & Cleansing
4-6 weeksTransform data formats and apply cleansing rules.
Migration & Validation
3-4 weeksLoad data to target platform with comprehensive validation.
Documentation & Handover
2-3 weeksDocument institutional knowledge and transition to operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What legacy systems can you migrate from?
We have experience migrating from mainframes (IBM, Unisys), AS/400/iSeries, COBOL applications, dBase, FoxPro, Paradox, flat files, and various proprietary systems. If you have data in an older system, we can likely extract and migrate it.
How do you handle undocumented business rules?
We use a combination of code analysis, data pattern analysis, and structured interviews with subject matter experts. We systematically document all discovered rules and validate them before migration.
Can you improve data quality during migration?
Yes, data quality improvement is a standard part of our legacy migrations. We profile the data, identify issues, develop cleansing rules, and validate improvements. Most clients see 85%+ reduction in data quality issues.
How long does a legacy migration take?
Legacy migrations typically take 8-20 weeks depending on system complexity, data volumes, and the amount of business logic that needs to be discovered and preserved. Complex multi-system environments may take longer.
What happens to the legacy system after migration?
After validation and a parallel run period, the legacy system can be decommissioned. We recommend maintaining read-only access for a transition period and archiving the original system for reference if needed.
How do you ensure historical data is preserved?
We validate 100% of records through automated reconciliation, checksum verification, and sampling. Historical data is migrated with full audit trails and timestamp preservation to maintain its integrity and legal validity.
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Learn moreReady to Get Started?
Let's discuss how we can help transform your business with legacy system migration services.