SAP to open-stack ERP migration
Manufacturer, 500+ employees. Phased migration off SAP ERP onto an open stack with custom modules — run in stages while the plant kept working.
- 0 downtime
- 8 mo migration
- −40% on licences
PHP development, including the legacy nobody else will touch
A PHP system that has been earning money for eight years is an asset, not an embarrassment. Most of the time it needs modernising rather than replacing — and knowing which is the actual skill.
What we can show you
Overview
Legacy PHP, valued honestly
A PHP system that has been earning money for eight years usually needs modernising rather than replacing — and knowing which is the actual skill.
Why a working PHP system is an asset, not an embarrassment
Most legacy PHP is not bad code; it is code whose context was lost. The business rules inside it are often the only written record of how the company actually works, which is exactly why rewriting from scratch loses more than it gains.
Modernisation means making change safe again: characterisation tests around the parts nobody understands, a supported PHP version, dependencies that receive security fixes, and a deployment anyone can run.
When to modernise rather than rewrite
Modernise when the data model still matches the business. Rewrite when it does not, or when the domain has changed beyond what the code can express — we cost both options before recommending one.
Signals your PHP system needs attention
- you are on a PHP version that no longer gets security fixes;
- nobody dares change one particular file;
- deployment is a person with an FTP client;
- dependencies are years behind and updating breaks things;
- the only documentation is the code itself.
Price
From $7,990
Timeline
3 weeks to first release
Payment
50/50 by milestone
Comparison
Modernise or rewrite
The two options costed honestly, because the wrong choice here is expensive in both directions.
Criterion
RewriteModernise in place
ModerniseRewrite from scratch
Business rules preserved
Rediscovered by archaeology
Kept, then covered by tests
Time to first benefit
Months
Weeks
Risk to daily operations
Cutover risk on one day
Incremental, with rollback at each step
Cost
Full project
Fraction, spread over releases
When it wins
Data model no longer matches the business
The system still fits the business
Scope
What we build with it
Where this stack earns its place in a project, and what we would use instead if it did not.
Legacy modernisation
Systems without a framework, with logic in templates and no tests. We add characterisation tests first, then change things safely.
Version upgrades
PHP 5.6 or 7.x to a supported version, dependency by dependency, with a rollback plan at every step.
Gradual migration to Laravel or Symfony
Strangler approach: new modules in the new framework, old ones retired one at a time, business never stops.
Security and compliance work
Input validation, session handling, secrets, dependency vulnerabilities — the findings that turn up in every first audit.
Fit
When it is the right call — and when it is not
The best stack is usually the one your team can maintain after we leave.
Right for
Systems that work and generate revenue, where the goal is lower risk and faster change rather than a new logo on the admin panel.
Not right for
Cases where the business logic is genuinely simpler to rewrite than to decipher. We will show you the cost of both and let the numbers decide.
Rates
$28–55/hour by role
Fixed builds
From $7,990
Discounts
Dedicated −10% · partners −15%
How we work
Modernisation without stopping the business
The part that is specific to this stack rather than true of every project.
Why us
Why teams bring us in for this stack
Four things we can prove, not four adjectives.
Characterisation tests first
We capture current behaviour, including its bugs, so a refactor can be proven not to change it.
Strangler, not big bang
New code beside old, traffic moved module by module, rollback available at every step. The business never stops.
Refactoring never changes behaviour
If we find a bug on the way, we report it and price the fix separately rather than quietly improving something your operations depend on.
Long-term support available
Once the audit tells us what we are agreeing to support, Care from $790/month keeps it alive.
Industries
What we buildfor your industry
Legacy PHP runs quietly in logistics, manufacturing and property back offices — that is where we meet it.
- IT companies and digital agencies
- Insurers and brokers
- Lenders and microfinance
- E-commerce
- Wholesale and distribution
- Manufacturing
- Freight and forwarding
- Clinics and medical centres
- Dental
- Car dealers and service centres
- EdTech
- Legal and consulting firms
- Equipment rental
- Real estate agencies
- Property developers
- Travel and events
- Beauty and wellness
- Construction and renovation
FAQ
Questions we get about this stack
Answered by the people who would do the work, not by a sales team.
We are on PHP 5.6 / 7.2 — what now?
An audit first: dependencies, extensions, test coverage and the paths that carry money. Then an incremental upgrade plan with a rollback at each stage.
Rewrite or repair?
Repair, unless the data model is wrong at the root or the domain has changed beyond what the code can express. We cost both options before recommending one.
Can you upgrade without downtime?
Usually yes: parallel environments, traffic shifting and a rollback plan. Downtime windows, when unavoidable, are agreed in advance and kept short.
Will you work with our existing developer?
Yes — often the fastest setup, since they hold the domain knowledge and we bring the modernisation discipline.
Do you take over unsupported systems long-term?
Yes, on a Care plan from $790 a month, once the audit has told us what we are agreeing to support.
2–4×
faster on the code-writing share
in 3 weeks
from idea to MVP
230+
projects delivered
17 years
of engineering experience
Work
Work we can show you
SMARTWILL
Digital inheritance service (Web3)
AIRDEVELOPPA
Indoor air quality finder driven by sensor data
CAR5
Car-sharing app
APP.DENTAL
Cloud CRM for dental clinics
NEXORA
Warehouse and logistics management platform
As-built docs
Digital as-built documentation
EX211
Telegram Mini App for currency exchange
SMARTWILL
Digital inheritance service (Web3)
Need this stack with a senior review included?
Tell us what exists today — a green field, a legacy codebase, or a team that needs two more pairs of hands. We answer with a scope, a price and a date.
We do not take work on a stack we cannot review internally at senior level.