Will you sign an NDA, MSA or SOW?

Yes. We're happy to work under your paper or ours, and to sign an NDA before you share requirements.

How do you communicate progress?

Regular demos of working software, a shared backlog you can see, and a named point of contact for day-to-day questions. Status, risks and decisions are written down so stakeholders who aren't in every meeting can stay informed.

What happens after launch?

We hand over documentation and runbooks, and can stay on for support, monitoring and ongoing feature work under a retainer. If you'd rather bring maintenance in-house, we'll make that transition straightforward.

Legacy System Modernization

Q: How do you scope and price a software engagement?

We start with a paid or complimentary discovery conversation (depending on size) to understand requirements, constraints and integration points. From that we propose either a fixed-scope project with defined milestones or a time-and-materials engagement with a capped monthly budget. Estimates come with the assumptions behind them, so you can see what would change the number.

Q: Who will actually be doing the work?

Senior engineers are involved from the first call through delivery. We don't hand projects to a rotating bench of subcontractors, and you'll know exactly who is working on your system.

Q: Who owns the code and IP?

You do. Source code, database schemas, infrastructure definitions and documentation are developed in a repository you control, and IP assignment is covered in the contract.

Q: Can you work within our security and compliance requirements?

Yes. We build with role-based access control, encrypted data in transit and at rest, audit logging and least-privilege access as defaults, and we're comfortable working inside your security review, vendor questionnaire and change-management process. Tell us which frameworks you need to satisfy (SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.) up front so they shape the architecture from day one.

Incrementally replace aging internal systems with maintainable, secure software, without a risky big-bang cutover.

Request a Consultation View Case Studies

Engagement: Project or embedded team
Team: Dedicated engineering team
Ownership: Code, data and IP are yours
Coverage: US-based, nationwide clients

Replace the system without stopping the business

Aging internal systems rarely fail all at once. They get harder to change, harder to secure and harder to staff, while the people who understand them leave. The usual answer, a full rewrite and a single cutover date, carries real risk.

We favor incremental modernization: understand what the system actually does, put stable interfaces around it, and replace it piece by piece while operations continue.

Common starting points

Business-critical spreadsheets with macros that only one person understands.
Desktop or green-screen applications that can’t be used on modern devices or integrated with other tools.
Unsupported platforms that fail security reviews or can’t be patched.
Systems with no documentation where behavior has to be recovered from the code and the data.

Modernization usually pairs with API and integration development and ends in a custom web application your team can maintain.

Capabilities

What we build and how we build it

System assessment

Review of existing code, data and workflows to document what the system really does and what must be preserved.

Phased replacement

Replace functionality module by module behind stable interfaces so the business keeps running.

Data migration

Extraction, cleansing, transformation and reconciliation reporting so you can verify nothing was lost.

Spreadsheet to application

Turn business-critical spreadsheets and macros into governed, multi-user software.

Desktop to web

Move installed or green-screen applications to browser-based tools accessible from any device.

Security remediation

Replace unsupported components and add modern authentication, access control and audit logging.

Engagement Process

How an engagement runs

Step 1

Assess

Document current behavior, data and dependencies, and agree the risks.
Step 2

Plan

Define the target architecture and a phased migration path with rollback points.
Step 3

Build in parallel

Develop replacement modules while the legacy system continues to operate.
Step 4

Migrate and verify

Move data in stages with reconciliation checks at each step.
Step 5

Retire

Cut over, decommission and hand over documentation and training.

Case Studies

Relevant work

All case studies →

SaaS / Customer Relationship Management

Custom CRM Platform

A flexible, enterprise-ready CRM platform that unifies sales, follow-ups, and reporting for growing businesses.

Software Development Questions

Everything you need to know about working with Etherea Labs.

How do you scope and price a software engagement?

Who will actually be doing the work?

Who owns the code and IP?

Can you work within our security and compliance requirements?

Scope Your Legacy System Modernization

Select your architecture requirements and project stage. Our engineering team will review your system specifications and deliver a realistic roadmap.

Direct collaboration with the developers & designers

Zero bloated templates — custom built for maximum speed and conversion

100% transparent pricing with clear scope and milestones

"Etherea Labs built a tailored CRM platform that replaced our fragmented spreadsheets with a reliable, unified workflow."

Enterprise CRM Case Study

Step 1 of 3: Architecture

Scope Your Software Project

What kind of software system are you building?