These are the situations that most often prompt a modernization project, from an app that can no longer be built to a spreadsheet that has quietly become mission-critical.
A common trigger is a mobile app that can no longer be cleanly built or updated. This usually happens when dependencies are years out of date, frameworks are outdated, and store requirements change. Modernization focuses on stabilizing the app, upgrading libraries, and producing clean builds that can be deployed. This is often a maintenance and takeover project rather than a feature build.
Customer Reviews
I was astonished that, in such a short period of time, something that other companies had taken months to understand, this company was able to execute. Since then, we have never looked anywhere else. I would never consider another company. This is how much we believe in them.
The other agencies we looked at, frankly, wanted to tell us how great they were. Sembit instead asked a lot of probing questions and provided the kind of consultation that really made us comfortable in hiring them.
It's been excellent every step of the way. The initial conversations were excellent — we had an instant human connection. In addition to being professional, they also had a human touch that's irreplicable.
I've really loved working with them. Sembit always delivers what they say they're going to deliver, in the time they say they'll deliver it. Whenever we have a deadline for a task delivery, the team gives us detailed and frequent updates about their progress. It's been a great partnership.
Sembit's team really took on the mindset of our business which resulted in a better product with thoughtful decisions from developers. We have been able to have healthy discussions about the pros and cons of a design choices which ultimately makes a better product in the long run.
Sembit has over-delivered on their promises at every step of the process. They've come in ahead of schedule and below budget, and they let us know if we are asking for too much. They are clear communicators, and it made a world of difference for our company.
Sembit is a legacy app modernization agency experienced in the manufacturing, insurance, and logistics industries.
Replacing a Spreadsheet-Driven Onboarding Workflow
One modernization project was for a large insurance company, where a critical onboarding and workflow process had been built across spreadsheets and network file shares. Their system relied on fragile Excel processes that were extremely difficult to maintain due to extensive cell referencing. There was a separate spreadsheet for each customer onboarding, which made it impractical to report across multiple customers and impossible to get the whole picture. The spreadsheets were also copied around the network, creating duplicates that were difficult to keep in sync. Multiple departments were involved, and no one had a clear picture of where requests were getting stuck.
We replaced this spreadsheet-driven workflow with a custom web application that guided users through each stage of the process. Tasks were routed automatically to the correct department, users received notifications when action was required, and all activity was tracked in a relational database. This allowed the customer to measure how long work sat in each queue and identify bottlenecks that were previously invisible.
Replacing a complex Excel spreadsheet workflow with a modern web application.
Modernizing an Unsupported Mobile Platform
Another modernization project was for an Android mobile app built on a technology mix that was no longer widely supported. Their Android app supported a larger, web-based platform used by enterprise customers, but the mobile app itself had become outdated and difficult to build. It was built on Titanium SDK with parts implemented in React Native, had more than 150 total dependencies, and many packages were roughly five years out of date. The Android app was at risk of being delisted from the Google Play Store, and they needed stabilization, not new features.
Sembit completed an app modernization and maintenance takeover focused on Android only. We upgraded Titanium and React Native libraries, resolved dependency and build issues across the codebase, and produced a clean, stable Android build. We also guided them through the Google Play review and approval process. The result was a reliable Android app that was no longer in danger of being delisted, delivered on time and on budget.
Sembit modernized and stabilized customer's Android mobile app, upgrading outdated libraries, resolving build issues, and restoring a clean, deployable build, on time and on budget.
From a Single Spreadsheet to a Scalable Planning Platform
One customer was using a highly complex spreadsheet to plan log sourcing and mill demand across multiple mills and timber tracts. Only one internal report writer fully understood it, spreadsheet copies were duplicated and edited independently, and the process could not support their move to an 18-month forecasting cycle.
We converted this spreadsheet-driven planning model into a centralized .NET web application with Microsoft SQL Server, giving them a configurable planning tool that reduced operational risk and removed dependence on a single spreadsheet expert. We also supported enterprise needs like single sign on with Azure Active Directory and integrations with other systems.
Sembit replaced a fragile planning spreadsheet with Log Plan, a centralized web application for log planning and forecasting built on .NET, SQL Server, and Azure AD single sign-on.
Speeding Up Reporting
One customer had an issue notification workflow that matched issues to downstream customer-specific code and customer support status. We modernized the workflow by streamlining the core query and updating the indexing strategy. Report generation dropped from about 20 seconds to about 1 second.
Rambus partnered with Sembit to optimize its bug-notification system, shrinking report generation from 20 seconds to 1 second and giving engineers a single, authoritative report backed by automated comparisons.
Why Sembit?
Projects completed
Years in business
Average Years Experience per Employee
Legacy modernization projects require engineers who understand both old and new technology. Our Oregon-based team has decades of experience working with legacy platforms, enterprise workflows, and modern web architectures. We are comfortable reading outdated code, reverse engineering spreadsheets, and translating undocumented processes into maintainable systems. This experience allows us to modernize systems without losing critical business logic. Because we work in the same time zone as our clients, stakeholders can ask questions, clarify edge cases, and make decisions without waiting overnight for responses. This is especially important in modernization projects, where hidden exceptions and historical workarounds often surface during development. Fast communication prevents misunderstandings and keeps projects moving forward.
Tell us more about your legacy app modernization needs.
We can help.
Get expert guidance from Nathan Theophanes (Sembit's President) and Shaun Davidson (Sembit's VP) regarding your legacy app modernization project. We'll be in touch in hours, not days.
We regularly modernize systems built on Excel and Visual Basic for Applications. These tools often contain years of business logic embedded in formulas and scripts. We carefully decode and preserve this logic during modernization. The result is a secure and scalable replacement.
Access is often used as a lightweight application platform but struggles at scale. We migrate Access based systems into modern web applications with relational databases. This improves performance and multi-user support. It also simplifies long-term maintenance.
We have modernized systems built on outdated document platforms. These systems often struggle with volume, security, and performance. We build custom document management solutions with annotation, workflow, and reporting capabilities. This improves usability and control.
Modernized systems often need to integrate with Salesforce. We build secure integrations that allow data to flow automatically between systems. This reduces double entry and improves data accuracy. Salesforce becomes part of a connected ecosystem instead of a silo.
Modernization typically involves moving scattered data into structured relational databases. This enables better reporting, validation, and integrity. It also simplifies future enhancements. Data becomes a reliable asset instead of a liability.
Legacy reporting tools are often rigid and difficult to maintain. We modernize reporting pipelines to support platforms like SSRS and other reporting tools. This gives organizations better visibility into their operations. Reporting becomes faster and more flexible.
FAQs About Our Legacy Application Modernization Services
Yes. We have done modernization takeovers specifically to prevent delisting when an app could no longer be cleanly built or updated. In these situations, the goal is to modernize dependencies, stabilize builds, and get a deployable release through store review. We can also guide you through the Google Play submission process so your app stays available to users.
Yes. A very common modernization trigger is a codebase with large numbers of dependencies that are years out of date. This can make builds unstable and maintenance expensive because everything relies on external packages. Modernization focuses on upgrading libraries, resolving build issues, and restoring a stable development workflow. The goal is to reduce fragility and create a clean foundation for future maintenance.
If the spreadsheet has complex logic, scripts, or manual file copying workflows, you are already in legacy system territory. Problems typically show up as versioning issues, lack of security, people overwriting each other's work, and difficulty reporting on what is happening. Modernization translates the spreadsheet logic into a web application with a relational database. This gives you permissions, auditability, and reliable reporting.
Yes. Spreadsheet and file share workflows typically have no audit trail and no way to track who changed what. Modernization can introduce user level login, role based access, and audit logs so changes are tied to a specific person and time. For planning systems that can be a major operational improvement. It also makes it easier to explain decisions and troubleshoot issues.
Yes. We have seen systems where teams relied on multiple databases or reporting replicas and the results became inconsistent due to cache staleness and logic mismatches. Modernization can create one authoritative workflow by optimizing the real system and removing redundant data sources. Reliability and speed often improve together.
Yes. A common legacy constraint is a hardcoded reporting pipeline that limits what the business can do. We have modernized reporting environments by enabling new report platforms and simplifying security setups. When reporting is decoupled and modernized, teams can run more reports reliably and maintain them over time. We also provide documentation so internal teams can support the new reporting stack.
Yes. Many modernization projects are maintenance and stabilization engagements. If your system is too outdated to build, deploy, or maintain, modernization is about restoring stability. That can be a high ROI project even at a relatively small budget.
That is one of the most common modernization triggers we see. Organizations become dependent on a single internal expert who built or maintained the legacy tool for years. Modernization moves the logic into a maintainable application that internal IT teams can support. It also expands the developer pool because the new system uses more current technologies.
Yes. You already have a model of how the system works today. However, it is almost never a simple port because organizations usually want to add features or update behavior. That is where modernization gets tricky, because there are often hidden edge cases and exceptions that were handled manually before. We handle this by doing business analysis up-front so those exceptions do not get lost. The result is a modern system that improves the workflow, not just replicates it.
