Using a legacy application may look convenient. It still copes with business tasks and doesn’t require any significant investments. However, without application replatforming, companies accumulate technical debt. This becomes a real pain in the neck if translated into security vulnerabilities, inability to scale and attract new clients, poor performance, and high maintenance costs.
I’ve been working at MobiDev for more than 10 years and have faced numerous situations where companies couldn’t prosper without replatforming applications. Is this always the case? No. Some businesses avoid replatforming and successfully use legacy technology for core customer-facing apps. But if the decision to replatform is well-considered and relies upon the company’s needs, its implementation will definitely open up broad business prospects.
In this article, I’ll explain what stands behind app replatforming, as well as when, why, and how to replatform to benefit from application modernization.
Understanding What App Replatforming Is
Application replatforming is one of the commonly used approaches to legacy application modernization that means migrating apps from one architecture or software platform to another. The process may include changes in the tech stack, databases, programming languages, and app infrastructure. After implementing updates, the app will better meet business needs and customer expectations. Moreover, replatforming is required to align the application with industry standards and decrease maintenance costs.
One of the most popular forms of replatforming is cloud migration. This strategy modifies a legacy system to work optimally in the cloud without rewriting its core architecture, allowing you to update the application with minimal changes and leverage cloud-native features like auto-scalability.
Cloud migration typically involves assessing business needs, selecting a suitable cloud platform, updating the application or infrastructure, and migrating to a staging environment for testing. Once validated, the application is transitioned to production, ensuring it functions correctly in its new environment. A lot of companies have decided on replatforming recently. A report from G2, states that 1 out of 3 organizations will migrate from their legacy services to cloud services by 2025, and 75% of organizations are already keen on building cloud-native applications.
At the same time, Gartner forecasts public cloud services spending to reach $675.4 billion in 2024, a 20.4% increase from 2023. This trend highlights the shift from legacy systems to cloud environments for enhanced capabilities. Cloud replatforming offers enhanced performance, reduced costs, and increased automation. However, the benefits of replatforming are much more diverse.
It’s important to clarify that cloud-native architecture is not synonymous with microservices. Cloud-native refers to migrating to a cloud architecture, mostly for cost reduction in infrastructure usage, whereas microservices involve breaking down applications into smaller, independent services, which may or may not be suitable depending on the business type.
Benefits of Application Replatforming
Replatforming promises obvious advantages:
- Enhanced performance
When optimized for modern platforms, the app improves in terms of speed and efficiency. A bright example of improved app performance is demonstrated by Airbnb. The company replatformed its main application to better handle global scale, reducing page load times by 50%. This improved user experience, contributing to higher booking rates and user retention. - Cost efficiency
Replatforming lowers operational expenses and boosts ROI by updating specific components rather than overhauling entire systems. GE Oil & Gas replatformed hundreds of applications to the cloud, reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) by 52%. As a result, the company cut costs and improved resource utilization. - Better security and compliance
Companies embark on the platforming process to implement advanced security features, protect data, and meet regulatory standards. Anthem replatformed its healthcare applications, enhancing security measures to meet HIPAA compliance. With app replatforming, data breaches have been halved. - Increased availability
Replatforming ensures continuous access through redundancy and failover capabilities. The main outcome is reliable access to the app, even during peak traffic periods. - Adoption of new technologies
By replatforming and adopting new technologies, businesses can stay competitive and agile. Capital One replatformed its mobile banking application to support AI and ML, allowing for the rapid deployment of new features like personalized financial insights. - Experiment with cloud technology
Cloud platforms let businesses try new things while using pre-built tools. This helps companies test ideas fast and create better products. Clouds also offer a wide range of technology choices, making businesses more flexible and less risky. - Reliable and affordable cloud solutions
Cloud providers constantly improve their services, trying to overcome their competitors. This makes clouds usually more reliable and cheaper in the long run. However, clouds do have costs, so it’s important to balance savings with cloud benefits.
When and Why Should You Replatform?
Choosing replatforming as an app modernization strategy may be caused by various factors. It usually involves upgrading technology stacks to leverage newer technologies, which enhances performance, scalability, security, and agility.
Organizations should consider replatforming in the following cases:
- Cost concerns
Maintaining legacy systems often becomes too costly due to hardware, software, and licensing fees. Involving specialized cloud experts can reduce risks: it’s easier to find a DevOps for a cloud platform compared to retaining engineers with decades of experience in specific legacy systems.
- Performance issues
This happens when an application struggles with scalability and performance. This can be related to business expansion, such as moving to new markets that necessitate strict compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and other requirements.
- Security risks
When the application faces security vulnerabilities that can’t be addressed without modernization.
- Innovation needs
This happens when the existing platform can’t support new features or integrations necessary for business growth.
New technologies are key drivers for legacy system modernization, helping to improve performance, scalability, security, and agility. For instance, cloud-based platforms can reduce operational costs through better resource utilization and subscription-based pricing models. Also, modern platforms offer the ability to scale resources up or down, and they can offer advanced security features, including encryption and compliance with industry standards. Finally, having access to advanced services like AI, ML, and IoT, businesses can stay ahead of the competition. At the same time, there is no need to sacrifice flexibility. The cloud provides a more extensive foundation, enabling well-established businesses to adapt apps to business needs.
Example choosing a path for database migration in AWS
Replatforming Vs. Rehosting Vs. Refactoring: A Brief Comparison
Rehosting, Replatforming, and Refactoring are three distinct cloud migration strategies, each offering unique benefits and challenges depending on the needs and goals of an organization.
- Application Rehosting, often referred to as the “lift-and-shift” approach, involves moving applications to the cloud without making any changes to their architecture. This method is straightforward and fast, allowing organizations to quickly transition to the cloud with minimal disruption. However, it doesn’t take full advantage of cloud-native features, which may limit the potential benefits of the migration.
- Application Replatforming is sometimes called the “lift, tinker, and shift” approach. It involves making minimal changes to the application to optimize it for the cloud environment. This strategy balances the need for improved performance and scalability without the extensive effort required for a full-scale re-architecture. Replatforming allows organizations to gain some cloud benefits, like better resource utilization and cost savings, without a complete overhaul.
- Application Refactoring, or re-architecting, is the most intensive and transformative approach. It involves rewriting parts or all of the application to fully leverage cloud-native capabilities such as microservices, serverless computing, and managed services. Application refactoring services offer the greatest long-term benefits in terms of performance, scalability, and maintainability, but requires significant time and resources.
Choosing the right strategy depends on various factors, including the current state of the application, business goals, budget, and timeline. Organizations often use a hybrid approach, where some applications are simply rehosted while others are replatformed or refactored based on their strategic importance and requirements.
| # | Characteristic | Replatforming | Rehosting | Refactoring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Definition | Migrating an application to a new, often more modern, platform or cloud environment while making minimal changes to the application itself. | Migrating an application to a new infrastructure or hosting environment without making significant changes to the application code. | Restructuring the internal structure and design of an application's code without changing its external functionality. |
| 2 | Effort Level | Medium | Low | High |
| 3 | Cost | Medium to High | Low to Medium | High |
| 4 | Timeline | Moderate | Short | Long |
| 5 | Risk | Moderate | Low | Medium |
| 6 | Benefits | - Improved scalability and performance - Access to new features and services - Reduced maintenance overhead | - Reduced infrastructure costs - Improved reliability and availability - Easier migration to the cloud | - Improved code quality and maintainability - Faster development cycles - Better performance and scalability |
| 7 | Drawbacks | - Potential compatibility issues - Operational changes required | - Limited ability to take advantage of new platform features - Potential lock-in to a specific platform | - Significant initial investment - Potential disruption to existing functionality |
| 8 | Example Scenarios | - Modernizing a legacy application to leverage cloud-native technologies | - Lifting and shifting an on-premises application to a cloud infrastructure - Migrating a physical server to a virtual machine or container | - Decomposing a monolithic application into smaller, more manageable services - Improving the internal structure and design of an existing application to enhance maintainability and extensibility |
How Does Replaforming Work Step-by-Step?
Step 1: Application Audit
The replatforming process begins with a thorough audit of the existing application. This involves a detailed analysis of the application’s architecture, dependencies, performance metrics, and current limitations. The audit aims to identify areas that need improvement and determine the best strategies for optimizing the application for the cloud. This stage is crucial for understanding the application’s current state and establishing a baseline for comparison post-migration.
Step 2: Define Business Goals
Once the audit is complete, the next step is to define the business goals for replatforming. This involves aligning the replatforming objectives with the broader business strategy. Goals might include improving application performance, enhancing scalability, reducing operational costs, or enabling new functionalities. Clear business goals help ensure that the replatforming efforts are focused and aligned with the organization’s overall strategy.
Step 3: Assess and Select the Cloud Platform
With the goals defined, the next step is to assess different cloud platforms and select the one that best meets the application’s needs. Factors to consider include the platform’s capabilities, cost, scalability, security features, and compatibility with existing systems. This selection process is critical as it determines the future environment in which the application will operate.
Step 4: Develop a Replatforming Plan
Creating an effective replatforming plan is a collaborative effort that involves experienced tech consultants to provide cloud migration consulting services. These experts bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, helping to craft a detailed migration strategy that minimizes risks and maximizes benefits. The plan should outline the steps for modifying the application, integrating cloud-native features, and ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.
Step 5: Modify the Application
The replatforming plan typically involves making specific modifications to the application to optimize it for the cloud. This could include updating the application’s infrastructure, reconfiguring databases, integrating new APIs, or enhancing security protocols. These changes are designed to improve the application’s performance and take advantage of cloud-native features without altering the core architecture.
Step 6: Testing and Validation
Before fully migrating the application, it undergoes rigorous testing in a staging environment. This stage ensures that all modifications work as intended, the application meets performance benchmarks, and there are no security vulnerabilities. Testing and validation are essential to ensure a smooth transition with minimal downtime.
Step 7: Migration to Production
Once the application has been tested and validated, it is migrated to the production environment. This phase involves careful execution to ensure that the application remains available to users during the transition. Monitoring tools are often employed to track performance and catch any issues that arise during the initial post-migration phase.
Step 8: Post-Migration Optimization
After the application has been successfully migrated, the final step is to optimize its performance in the new cloud environment. This involves fine-tuning configurations, monitoring application performance, and making any necessary adjustments to ensure the application runs efficiently. Continuous monitoring and optimization help to maintain the application’s performance and leverage the full benefits of the cloud.
Consider the Risks of Application Replatforming
Replatforming comes with its own set of challenges and risks that need careful consideration to ensure a successful transition. Here are some of the primary risks associated with replatforming:
Compatibility Issues
Existing infrastructure and applications might not seamlessly integrate with the new platform, necessitating extensive modifications. This could lead to additional costs and extended project timelines. Compatibility issues can also impact the functionality of applications, leading to potential downtime and disruptions in business operations.
Data Migration Complexity
Migrating large volumes of data or complex data structures poses a significant risk. Data loss or corruption during the transfer process can have severe implications for business continuity and operations. Ensuring accurate data migration requires meticulous planning, testing, and validation, which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming.
Integration Challenges
Integration is another critical area where replatforming can encounter problems. Existing integrations with other systems may need to be re-engineered to work with the new platform. This can involve complex reconfigurations and could disrupt existing workflows and processes. Ensuring seamless integration requires a deep understanding of both the old and new systems, as well as the interdependencies between them. The pain point here is proprietary parts that can’t be moved to the cloud. In this case, a hybrid cloud comes into play, allowing apps to be shared between on-premises and the cloud.
Technical Debt
Replatforming can sometimes lead to the accumulation of technical debt, especially if shortcuts are taken to expedite the migration. This can result in a system that is difficult to maintain and evolve over time, ultimately negating some of the long-term benefits of the replatforming effort. Managing technical debt requires a balanced approach that includes thorough documentation and adherence to best practices.
Scope Creep
Without proper planning and control, replatforming projects can suffer from scope creep, where additional features and changes are continually added, increasing the project’s complexity and cost. This not only impacts the budget but also the timeline, making it difficult to deliver the project on schedule. Clearly defined objectives and strict project management are essential to mitigate this risk.
Downtime
Downtime during the replatforming process can have a direct impact on business operations and customer satisfaction. Unplanned outages or prolonged transition periods can result in revenue loss and damage to the company’s reputation. Minimizing downtime requires detailed planning, thorough testing, and robust fallback strategies.
Change Management
Adapting to a new platform involves significant changes for both the IT team and end-users. Insufficient training and support can lead to resistance, decreased productivity, and errors in using the new system. Effective change management strategies, including comprehensive training programs and clear communication, are vital to ensure a smooth transition.
Vendor Lock-in
Switching to a new platform can sometimes lead to vendor lock-in, where it becomes difficult and costly to move away from the chosen cloud provider in the future. This risk can be mitigated by selecting open-source solutions and maintaining flexibility in the system design to allow for future transitions if necessary.
Addressing these risks requires a thorough understanding of both the existing and new platforms, careful planning, and the involvement of experienced professionals to guide the process. To mitigate risks, consider following the best practices of replatforming outlined in the next section.
Legacy Application Replatforming Best Practices
Let’s briefly discuss the best practices that can help you to get the most out of application replatforming.
Data migration strategy
When replatforming legacy applications, focusing on data migration and integrity is crucial. Developing a robust data migration strategy is essential to guarantee the seamless and accurate transfer of data from the legacy platform to the new one. This involves meticulously planning and coordinating the data cutover process to minimize downtime and disruptions to business operations. Establishing a comprehensive data backup and restoration plan allows for rapid rollback to the legacy platform if any issues arise during the cutover. Clear communication of the data migration plan and downtime schedule to all affected stakeholders, including end-users, sets appropriate expectations and reduces potential confusion.
Architecture optimization
Replatforming also offers an opportunity to optimize the application’s architecture by leveraging the new platform’s capabilities, such as adopting cloud-native design patterns or implementing microservices. By thoroughly profiling and optimizing, it’s possible to identify and address potential performance bottlenecks like inefficient database queries, network latency, or resource constraints. Using caching strategies and content delivery networks enhances the application’s responsiveness. Moreover, incorporating security best practices from the outset ensures robust authentication, authorization, and data encryption. Aligning the application architecture with the target platform’s security controls and compliance requirements, such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA, is essential to maintain regulatory compliance and protect sensitive data.
DevOps practices
Integrating DevOps principles into the replatforming project further enhances its success. Implementing a strong CI/CD pipeline automates the build, test, and deployment processes, ensuring consistent and reliable application releases. A comprehensive suite of automated tests, including unit, integration, and end-to-end tests, validates the application’s functionality and performance throughout the replatforming process. This integrated approach of combining data migration, architectural optimization, and DevOps principles streamlines the replatforming process, improves the overall quality and reliability of the application, and facilitates a smooth transition to the new platform.
How long does replatforming take?
The time required for replatforming varies based on the complexity of the existing infrastructure and the changes needed. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. However, working with an experienced partner can help speed up the process. Typically, it can take from one and a half months to two to three months, depending on various factors. Sometimes, just the data migration can take all this time. This is without code refactoring, although it is sometimes necessary, so everything depends on the project.
Examples of Successful App Replatforming
Let me share with you some examples of application replatforming from MobiDev’s experience. They illustrate what business needs can be met with this modernization approach, and how proper implementation plays a crucial role in the success of this process.
Case #1: Replatforming a social media app
The initial client request was to perform bug fixes and add new features to their existing iOS and Android apps, as well as the administrative panel. During a software audit, we discovered that all data was stored on an on-premises local server, which made it difficult to work with updates, version control, and adding new functionality.
To address these challenges, we recommended the legacy system migration to the AWS cloud platform. We prepared a new infrastructure and began by connecting cloud storage, gradually moving the necessary instances to the cloud for further optimization of the product.
The key business outcomes for the client:
- Reduced load on the server: Moving to the cloud allowed the client to effectively improve performance, optimize costs, and increase the overall reliability and operational efficiency of their applications.
- Improved security: By keeping the main functionality of the project in the cloud, the client was able to eliminate single points of failure, provide centralized security management, and leverage the advanced security services of AWS, which can be difficult and expensive for organizations to implement and maintain on-premises.
- Enhanced stability: By leveraging AWS modernization capabilities, the client significantly improved the overall stability and reliability of their applications, reducing the risk of downtime, data loss, and performance issues.
- Better scalability: The cloud infrastructure allowed the client to quickly respond to changes in user traffic or data requirements, without the need to provision and manage physical infrastructure.
By migrating to the AWS cloud, the client was able to address the challenges they faced with their on-premises server setup and achieve significant improvements in application performance, security, stability, and scalability.
Case #2. Moving a healthcare app to the cloud
The client reached out to us with the request for their healthcare software modernization. After a detailed software audit, we came up with the solution to build a new infrastructure and break monolith code into modular design to meet the client’s performance and scalability requirements. Azure was a great choice for the new cloud infrastructure thanks to its security, scalability, durability, performance, and recoverability features.
The application consisted of many different services, so a Modular Monolith design was used to easily navigate the project and implement new features. Following Domain-driven design principles, thorough QA testing of both the new code and the legacy components ensured seamless integration, improved maintainability, and increased confidence in the final solution.
The key business outcomes for the client:
- Improved infrastructure efficiency: Adopting Microsoft Azure and the new app architecture facilitated efficient deployment and management, optimizing resource usage and reducing operational costs.
- Increased application reliability: By leveraging Azure’s robust infrastructure, the application achieved greater reliability and availability, minimizing downtimes and ensuring consistent service delivery.
- Support for business growth: The modular design, scalable architecture, and the implemented agile development approach positioned the application for future growth, allowing the business to scale operations and adapt to evolving market demands efficiently.
Thanks to the replatforming, the client received a more scalable, secure, and reliable product that was in line with their current and future business goals.
How MobiDev Can Help Replatform Your Application
The MobiDev team can help you replatform your app with minimal risk and maximum efficiency. Our in-house team of consultants and engineers will meticulously assess your existing software and infrastructure. This comprehensive audit becomes the foundation for a clear and achievable roadmap to the cloud, specifically tailored to your business needs. Furthermore, our DevOps team will streamline the entire cloud migration process, minimizing errors and supporting a smooth transition. This means you’ll be able to focus on what matters most – your core business.
We’ve been building, scaling, and modernizing software products since 2009. This expertise allows us to deliver exceptional results when working with all the leading cloud service providers, including Google Cloud, Azure, and AWS.
If your project involves strict industry regulations, our team can assist in navigating compliance standards like GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, GLBA, PCI DSS, and more.
Contact us today to discuss your application replatforming goals and tap into the MobiDev expertise!
