helper.lt
Menu

Legacy system takeover and modernisation

An old system often still does important work, but its developers are gone, documentation is missing and every change is a worry. We start with a thorough review and an assessment of the risks, then propose what to fix, what to rewrite and in what order. The system is updated piece by piece, so day-to-day work doesn't have to stop.

Example

Example: a fictional company and made-up data.

A fictional company's old program and the web system that replaced it
  1. The old desktop program

    Customer card

    Code
    01214
    Group
    WHSL
    Name
    UAB Tašas
    Address
    Pramonės g. 12
    City
    Panevėžys
    District
    03
    Email
    pirkimai@example.com
    Price list
    B
    Cr. limit
    5000.00
    Terms, d.
    30
    Rep.
    RPETR
    Created
    2009-03-16
    Changed
    2026-08-02
    Notes
    Call before 10 am. Post the invoices.

    Active

    Record 1,214 of 3,862Filter: all2026-09-30

  2. Migration in stages

    1. Customers and price listsMoved
    2. Invoices and debtsMoved
    3. Orders and stockIn progress
  3. The new system in the browser

    Sales system

    Customers

    UAB Tašas

    Active

    Moved from the old program on 21 Sep 20263,862 customers and 41,207 invoices with their full history, no mismatches found

    Contacts

    Address
    Pramonės g. 12, Panevėžys
    Email
    pirkimai@example.com
    Sales rep
    Rimas P.

    Terms of sale

    Price list
    Wholesale B
    Credit limit
    €5,000
    Payment terms
    30 days

    Change history

    1. 29 Sep 2026, 14:12, Rimas P.Credit limit changed from €4,000 to €5,000
    2. 4 Nov 2025, Rimas P.From the old programPrice list changed to Wholesale B

What it covers

  • Technical review: code, data, infrastructure and risks
  • Takeover from a previous developer or supplier: access, code and documentation
  • Step-by-step rewriting or refactoring instead of a risky one-day switch
  • Data migration from old databases and programs
  • Performance and security fixes
  • Moving desktop and other legacy programs to web apps that run in the browser

Who it suits

  • The developer or company that built your system no longer looks after it, yet your work depends on it every day.
  • A program runs on a single computer or an old server, and it is getting harder to update.
  • Every change takes weeks, because nobody knows any more what it might break.

How the work goes

  1. 1We find out what you need
  2. 2We analyse and propose
  3. 3We design the solution
  4. 4We build in parts
  5. 5We test and launch
  6. 6We maintain and improve

Examples of our work

Development and modernisation of a training organisation's platform

2024–2026

We took over a working platform, updated its technology and keep developing and maintaining it.

The platform we maintain has 30 pages, 19 API controllers and 25 data models.

Nuxt 4 / Vue 3, AdonisJS (Node.js), MySQL, Docker

Online shop with an AI assistant and a customer portal

2026Launching

A new website and online shop with an AI assistant: orders, enquiries and chats go straight into the CRM.

Every old address was kept or redirected, and AI chats enter the same enquiry pipeline as completed forms.

Next.js, TypeScript, MongoDB, language model

Integration with courier services

2026

Labels are printed straight from warehouse dispatches, pickups are booked, parcels tracked and returnable containers swapped, with parcel status updated every five minutes.

The new integration took over the parcels already in transit.

TypeScript, courier REST API, SQS, Jest

Helper Sync – a sync platform for apps that work offline

2025–2026

Our platform for apps: all data is kept on the device, the app works offline, and changes reach other devices in real time.

It runs at sync.helper.lt, and our own apps use it.

Rust, PostgreSQL, Flutter / Dart, Server-Sent Events

Questions and answers

Wouldn't it be simpler to build a new system from scratch?

Sometimes, but it is usually safer to change the system in parts: the working parts stay, and ageing ones are replaced one at a time. We recommend a route only after the technical review, having weighed the cost and risk of both options.

Will we lose any history when the data is moved?

We test the migration on a copy of the data first and compare the results with the old system, so before switching over we can see whether the history has come across in full.

What do we get from the technical review?

A written report: how the code, data and infrastructure stand, where the biggest risks lie and what we recommend doing first. It comes with an estimate of the work.

Got a task or an idea?

Describe it in a few sentences – we'll reply and talk through how we could help.