Legacy

Modernization

Services

Transform Your Business with Scalable, Future-Ready Solutions

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, outdated systems can hold your business back. Keyhole Software specializes in legacy system modernization, helping organizations transition from aging, inefficient legacy software to modern, scalable, and high-performance solutions.

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Legacy Modernization Services

At Keyhole Software, we specialize in legacy system migration and modernization services, helping organizations transition from outdated technologies to scalable cloud-based solutions. Our approach enhances efficiency, performance, and scalability while ensuring long-term viability through system replatforming, cloud migration, and technology transformation.

Tailored Strategic Planning & Consultation

We partner with you to design a comprehensive roadmap for your modernization journey. Our experts provide insightful consultation, aligning your goals with the most effective technology solutions to ensure a seamless transition and future-proof systems.

Comprehensive Legacy System Modernization

Our team has extensive experience in modernizing legacy systems, from converting old COBOL code to modern solutions or migrating to cloud infrastructures like AWS and Azure. We breathe new life into your mission-critical applications, optimizing scalability and performance.

Hands-On Expertise Throughout the Process

Keyhole’s expert consultants are with you every step of the way, providing hands-on support from planning to execution. We ensure your modernization strategy is implemented successfully, with high-quality deliverables at each milestone.

Application Optimization for Enhanced Performance

Beyond modernization, we optimize your applications to handle increased loads, improve response times, and streamline user experiences. Our focus is on creating high-performance systems that are reliable, scalable, and ready for the future.

Why Choose Keyhole For Legacy Modernization?

Top App Modernization Service Company in Kansas 2025

Award Seal for Top Software Developers Award in Kansas by Clutch

The Keyhole Difference

We don’t just execute modernization projects—we lead them to success. Our U.S.-based, highly-vetted consultants bring an average of 17 years of development experience, providing the expertise needed to transform your legacy systems into future-ready solutions.

Proven Expertise – Our employees average of 17+ years of individual experience, bringing technical depth to every project, ensuring a deep understanding of your needs.

Strong Client Relationships – 78% of our projects last year were with repeat clients, reflecting our priority of trust and long-term partnerships.

Consistent, Dedicated Teams – With an average consultant tenure of 5+ years, we maintain continuity and ensure your project is handled by experienced pros who understand your objectives.

If you seek trusted software architects and developers who specialize in modernization and can guide your business through every phase of the transformation, Keyhole is your partner for success.

Why Clients Trust Keyhole

At Keyhole Software, we have extensive experience leading large-scale legacy system migrations across various industries. Our team of expert architects and developers has successfully modernized millions of lines of legacy code, transitioning them into modern, scalable architectures.

We are known for delivering projects on time and within budget, ensuring that even the most complex migrations are executed flawlessly. Our clients, like Northwell Health, return to us time and again because we consistently exceed expectations and drive long-term success.

We understand that every organization’s legacy systems have unique challenges and requirements. That’s why we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we develop custom modernization strategies that align with your specific business needs, goals, and technologies.

From choosing the right cloud platform to implementing microservices, we guide you through the entire process, ensuring the optimal path for transformation. Our solutions are designed to maximize scalability, performance, and future adaptability.

Keyhole is known for its collaborative approach, working closely with your internal teams to ensure seamless integration and knowledge transfer throughout the modernization process. Our team becomes an extension of yours, providing hands-on leadership, technical guidance, and training.

We empower your team to maintain and evolve your modernized systems with confidence. With Keyhole, you gain not only technical expertise but also a trusted partner dedicated to your continued success in the ever-changing tech landscape.

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Legacy Systems Modernization Case Studies

Successful Projects On Behalf of Clients

Keyhole specializes in helping businesses modernize their critical applications, leveraging decades of experience to transform legacy systems into modern, efficient, and scalable solutions.

Explore some of our recent success stories below:

Use Cases: COBOL Legacy System Modernization, Microservices Implementation & Cloud Adoption, Offshore Development Enablement

Keyhole Software led a large-scale modernization initiative for Kansas City Southern Lines Railway, migrating millions of lines of COBOL code to a scalable .NET Core microservices architecture. The project replaced a legacy Visual Basic 6 system used to manage train operations, financials, and mechanics. Keyhole designed a structured blueprint for microservices, enabling seamless deployment on-premise and in Azure.

By implementing a cloud-ready, API-driven architecture, Keyhole improved system performance, flexibility, and scalability. The success of the initial phases led to an extended partnership, with Keyhole continuing to provide strategic modernization expertise.

Project: KC Southern: Large-Scale COBOL Modernization and Microservices Implementation

Use Cases: Real-Time Data, Financial and Risk Management, Enterprise Application Modernization

Keyhole Software led a Java-based Multi-Dimensional Enterprise Architecture Transformation for a government entity overseeing agriculture programs. The expert team modernized the organization's Java ecosystem, focusing on containerization and cloud migration with Docker, AWS ECS, and Spring Boot. They enhanced the single-page application (SPA) architecture, optimizing builds and developer workflows while integrating seamlessly with a Spring-based Java middle tier.

Additionally, Keyhole introduced DevOps best practices, implemented CI/CD pipelines, and provided enterprise-wide Java architectural leadership, ensuring a scalable, efficient, and cloud-ready infrastructure.

Project: Multi-Dimensional Enterprise Architecture Transformation

Use Case: Digital Transformation of Production & Order Management

Keyhole Software helped a manufacturing client transition from outdated, spreadsheet-based workflows to custom digital solutions, improving efficiency and accuracy. The team developed a React-powered desktop application using Electron for real-time production data management, even in offline environments, and replaced manual tracking processes. Automation technologies, such as Apache POI in Java, were employed to reduce manual data entry, saving employee time and enhancing overall business efficiency.

Case Study: Modernizing Legacy Workflows in Production & Order Management

Recent Application Modernization Client Successes

AI-Accelerated COBOL Modernization to Spring Batch

Enhancing and Rewriting Applications for Yellow Corporation

Digital Transformation of Production & Order Management

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Types of Legacy Systems Modernization

At Keyhole Software, our expert consultants specialize in legacy system modernization, helping businesses enhance efficiency, scalability, and performance. We offer a range of proven modernization strategies tailored to transform your outdated systems into cutting-edge, future-ready solutions. Below are the key modernization approaches we use to drive business success:

Our consultants migrate your legacy system to a new, more robust platform with minimal changes to its core code. We ensure your system retains its functionality while leveraging modern infrastructure, such as cloud computing, for improved scalability and performance.

Focus: Infrastructure and runtime environment changes.
Goal: Improve performance, scalability, and reliability while keeping the application’s structure intact.
Example: Moving a legacy on-premises database to a cloud-managed database service like AWS RDS or Azure SQL.

Replatforming is often a middle-ground solution that helps modernize systems without fully rearchitecting them, providing enhanced efficiency without significant application redesign.

Keyhole Software guides your system through a seamless rehosting process, moving it to a modern environment with little to no modification.

Focus: Moving the system to a new environment with minimal or no changes to its architecture or code.
Goal: Quickly reduce infrastructure costs or improve scalability without altering the application itself.
Example: Migrating a legacy application from on-premises servers to virtual machines in the cloud, such as using AWS EC2 or Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines.

This approach provides a quick, cost-effective way to modernize, serving as an excellent first step toward further enhancements.

Keyhole Software enhances your system by optimizing its codebase for improved performance, maintainability, and scalability—all while preserving its core functionality.

Focus: Restructuring and refining existing code to improve efficiency and adaptability without changing external behavior.
Goal: Make applications cloud-native, enhance performance, and simplify future development efforts.
Example: Modularizing a monolithic legacy application into microservices, enabling better scalability and deployment in cloud environments like AWS Lambda or Azure Functions.

This approach modernizes your system while maintaining stability, setting the stage for long-term innovation.

When deeper transformation is needed, Keyhole Software rearchitects your legacy systems by restructuring or rebuilding their architecture. This enables modern capabilities such as microservices, advanced integrations, and enhanced user experiences.

Focus: Redesigning the system’s core architecture to align with modern principles and technologies.
Goal: Achieve greater scalability, maintainability, and flexibility by rethinking and transforming the system’s internal structure.
Example: Converting a monolithic application into a microservices-based architecture to improve modularity and scalability.

At Keyhole Software, we use encapsulation to extend the value of legacy systems by integrating modern technologies while retaining the existing software. Our consultants wrap outdated systems with APIs, middleware, or other solutions, enabling compatibility with new applications and services.

Focus: Adding a modern interface layer to an existing system.
Goal: Improve integration and usability while leaving the core system largely untouched.
Example: Adding a REST API to an old mainframe system so it can communicate with modern web or mobile applications.

Encapsulation is ideal for organizations needing quick wins or phased modernization efforts, but it’s often a stepping stone to more comprehensive strategies like rearchitecting or rebuilding.

While encapsulation allows you to improve workflows and access some modern capabilities, it may not provide the full range of benefits that a complete modernization effort can achieve. For example, a legacy system wrapped with APIs can connect to modern mobile or web applications, but performance limitations and outdated backend structures may still exist.

When systems become too outdated for incremental modernization, Keyhole Software rebuilds them from the ground up, delivering a fully customized solution that retains core functionality while introducing cutting-edge technology.

Focus: A complete rewrite of the application using modern architectures and best practices.
Goal: Develop a future-proof system with enhanced performance, scalability, and maintainability.
Example: Rebuilding a legacy ERP system with a new tech stack to support advanced analytics, cloud-native capabilities, and improved user experience.

This strategy ensures long-term value by creating a modern, high-performance system tailored to your business needs.

Related Services

Mainframe Modernization

Cloud Native Consulting

Microservices Consulting

Enterprise Modernization Services

Keyhole’s Approach For Migrating Legacy Application Systems

Our expert enterprise architects and technology leaders specialize in strategically modernizing enterprise portfolios and applications to harness the latest technology advancements. Recognizing that every application is unique, we tailor modernization strategies to ensure the most efficient, cost-effective, and business-aligned transformation. Explore our key legacy application modernization services below:

Understanding Your Current Environment
Before embarking on modernization, it’s critical to have a clear understanding of the existing system landscape. At Keyhole Software, we conduct an in-depth assessment of your:

Infrastructure: Evaluating hardware, software, and deployment environments.
Legacy Codebase: Identifying outdated code, bottlenecks, and technical debt.

Data Architecture: Assessing data structures, flows, and compatibility with modern platforms.
Dependencies: Pinpointing integrations, third-party systems, and interdependencies.

This assessment highlights areas of opportunity and potential risks, setting a solid foundation for planning your modernization project.

Goals for the New Application
A successful modernization project begins with defining clear application objectives. Our team works with your internal development stakeholders to determine:

Business Objectives: Aligning modernization goals with growth, efficiency, and ROI.
User Experience Enhancements: Improving performance, accessibility, and scalability.

Operational Efficiency: Reducing maintenance costs and enabling faster feature delivery.
Future-Proofing: Building a system that adapts to emerging technologies and evolving business needs.

Crafting the Modernization Strategy
Our experts collaborate with your team to develop a tailored strategy that balances your business goals, technical requirements, and budget. This includes:

Application Prioritization: Focusing on high-impact applications first, based on business value and technical complexity.
Risk Mitigation: Identifying potential risks and creating contingency plans to address them proactively.
Technology Selection: Choosing the right tools, platforms, and frameworks for your modernization needs (e.g., AWS, Azure, microservices).
Compliance Alignment: Ensuring all systems adhere to industry standards and regulations, such as GDPR or HIPAA.

Video: Strategic Portfolio Modernization

Building the Modernization Roadmap
Our experts create a tailored migration plan, covering timelines, resource allocation, risk mitigation strategies, and contingency measures to ensure seamless execution.

Our roadmap includes:

Timeline and Milestones: Establishing clear phases and measurable outcomes.
Resource Allocation: Assigning skilled personnel and tools to each phase.
Integration Plan: Seamlessly connecting new systems with existing infrastructure and third-party applications.
Testing Protocols: Implementing rigorous testing to ensure data integrity and performance.

Once the plan is in place, our team provides hands-on support through every step of the migration process.

Enact the optimal migration strategy (Rehost, Refactor, Rearchitect, Rebuild, Replace)
Depending on your unique needs, we recommend and execute the best-fit migration strategy, ensuring your legacy systems are modernized in the most effective way.

Ensure data integrity and system compatibility
Protecting data integrity and ensuring seamless system compatibility are critical in any modernization effort. Our expert team utilizes industry-leading tools and methodologies to guarantee smooth data migration, minimize disruptions, and maintain full functionality across platforms. Whether transitioning to the cloud or upgrading legacy systems, we safeguard your data while optimizing performance.

Leverage automation to accelerate migration
We utilize advanced automation tools to streamline migration tasks, reduce manual errors, and enhance efficiency. Tools like Azure Migrate and AWS Migration Hub can fast-track your transition while maintaining accuracy.

We've also used AI-driven optimizations to fast-track the enterprise migration process. In fact, a recent Proof of Concept project was accelerated at an estimated 20-30% using a Keyhole-developed, private GPT-like AI tool to transition legacy COBOL batch processing jobs to modern Spring Batch.

Monitor system performance and gather user feedback
After migration, we continuously track system performance and collect user feedback to fine-tune applications, ensuring optimal operation and user satisfaction.

Optimize for scalability and efficiency
We configure your modernized systems for future growth by enhancing performance, scalability, and adaptability to dynamic business environments.

Maintain and evolve applications to meet business needs
We provide ongoing support to keep your applications secure, updated, and aligned with your evolving business goals, ensuring long-term success.

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Recent Review

"The Keyhole developers were proactive in identifying and addressing challenges, often solving problems independently before sharing their solutions with the team.

Their self-sufficiency reduced bottlenecks and improved efficiency."
- Michael Stark, Engineering Manager, Brightway Insurance

Recent Modernization Thought Leadership

Modernizing legacy systems isn’t just about updating technology—it’s about future-proofing your business. Our thought leadership section explores best practices, strategies, and real-world insights from our expert architects and consultants. From cloud migration to microservices adoption, discover how organizations can successfully navigate the complexities of legacy modernization.

What is Mainframe Modernization & How Can My Business Benefit From It?

White Paper: COBOL Modernization Strategy with Spring Batch

Legacy Code: Use Best Practices Like SOLID When Converting

Featured Modernization Video Insights

In this video, Keyhole Co-Founder David Pitt discusses modernizing COBOL applications to meet today’s technological demands, including strategies like replatforming, refactoring, and integrating with cloud technologies.

Video of Expert David Pitt talking about mosdernizing cobol batch applications

Chief Architect Zach Gardner outlines the process of transforming legacy mainframe systems to modern platforms, enhancing performance, and reducing costs. He also highlights key advantages, such as improved agility, scalability, and integration with modern tech.

Video poster of What is Mainframe Modernization & How Can My Business Benefit From It?

Chief Architect Zach Gardner discusses how to assess your organization’s cloud readiness and maturity level with actionable insights to help businesses evaluate their current state and prepare for a successful cloud transformation journey.

Video of How Do You Assess Your Organization’s Cloud Readiness & Maturity Level? featuring expert Zach Gardner

In this video, Keyhole CTO Jaime Niswonger breaks down the process of building microservices with Spring Boot, providing step-by-step guidance on everything you need to know before getting started.

Videa Poster for the process of building Microservices with Spring Boot

Chief Architect Zach Gardner compares the key features, services, pricing, and performance of both AWS and Azure, providing insights into their strengths and potential drawbacks. Discover which platform aligns best with your business needs and strategic goals.

Video of AWS vs. Azure featuring Chief Architect Zach Gardner

View More Modernization Insights

We’ve provided modernization solutions to 100+ clients

Here are some frequently asked questions our clients have had about legacy modernization services.

See Our Clients

View Our Successes

We offer flexible engagement models to meet your project’s unique needs:

Software Outsourcing
Our project management + software development team follows your modernization plan to build end-to-end solutions according to your goals.

Dedicated Dev Teams
A fully integrated, dedicated consulting team works continuously on your long-term modernization project.

Fractional & Advisory Services
Our senior software leaders provide strategic guidance to drive digital transformation from analysis and roadmap planning to POCs and project execution.

Staff Augmentation
Our developers and specialized experts join your migration team to accelerate your modernization initiative so you can deliver your project faster.

Whether you need a full team or simply strategic guidance to modernize a legacy system in the best way, our U.S.-based, vetted consultants provide the right expertise at the right time.

Learn More

Yes, Keyhole Software leverages AI and Machine Learning to accelerate and optimize migration and modernization projects. While it doesn't make sense for every project, our proprietary AI-driven tools have successfully expedited complex transitions, reducing effort and increasing accuracy.

For example, in a recent Proof of Concept, we accelerated migration efforts by an estimated 20-30% using a private, Keyhole-developed GPT-like AI model to convert legacy COBOL to Spring Batch. Additionally, in a prior project, we streamlined modernization by converting COBOL into a JSON syntax tree with our proprietary grammar parser, enabling seamless transformation into modern architectures.

By integrating AI-driven optimizations, we help enterprises reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and accelerate time-to-value in their modernization journeys.

We work with startups, mid-sized businesses, and Fortune 500 enterprises across industries such as:

Finance & Banking – Secure, scalable financial applications.
Healthcare – HIPAA-compliant modern healthcare platforms.
Retail & E-commerce – Scalable, high-performance commerce applications.
Manufacturing & Logistics – IoT and cloud-integrated systems.
Government & Education – Secure, cloud-first public sector applications.

The cost of modernizing a legacy system depends on several factors, including system complexity, chosen modernization approach, technology stack, and overall business goals.

Small-Scale Refactoring – Minor code optimizations and performance enhancements typically require a lower investment and can provide quick wins.
Replatforming & Cloud Migrations – Moving applications to cloud-based environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) involves infrastructure changes that impact cost based on compute, storage, and networking needs.
Rearchitecting & Rebuilding – Large-scale modernization efforts, such as transitioning to microservices or rebuilding a system from scratch, require more time and resources but deliver long-term scalability and cost savings.

At Keyhole Software, we provide customized modernization roadmaps tailored to your business needs and budget. Our experts assess your existing architecture, identify the most cost-effective modernization strategy, and give you all the options for you to make the right choice for your business.

Let’s Future-Proof Your Business

Unlock the full potential of your legacy systems with Keyhole Software’s modernization services.

Contact us today to explore how our cloud migration, replatforming, and technology transformation consulting can improve your system's performance, reduce costs, and ensure scalability.