Challenge
A state agency was using line-of-business intranet applications that were more than a decade old. They were built on end-of-life technology stack, using ASP and Access as database. The first challenge was to transition the application to a modern technology stack and adopt the technology best practices for such applications to make them more maintainable, mobile friendly, and manageable. The second challenge was to migrate the live application without interruption of service (it is used daily by the client’s employees).
Our Approach
We conducted a thorough requirement analysis and planned for a multi-tier, relational database-backed (Oracle), mobile friendly, responsive MVC web application that we built from scratch. We executed a phased migration plan, whereby each key feature set was vetted out by the users through User Acceptance Testing (UAT), while the client continued working on the old system. We also built an automated data migration process to make sure that the transition could be carried out over a couple of hours.
Result
After one year of iterative development and testing, we were given the green light to replace the old application with the new one. The data migration went smoothly over a weekend, thanks to all the dry runs and the power of automation. Since then, the new application has proved to be a resounding success. Based on this positive outcome, we were given a similar migration project for another line-of-business application.