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Azure / Overview
DIGITAL CLOUD / Azure

App Modernization

Evaluate whether applications should be retained, adapted or redesigned. Balance maintainability, integration needs and deployment effort against business value.

Plan your solution
01
App Modernization

Understanding the solution

Modernizing an application means choosing where changes improve maintainability, delivery or scalability. Digital Cloud can evaluate the application as a set of components rather than assuming that every system needs microservices. A scoped implementation can combine managed hosting, application changes and a release pipeline around an agreed business capability.

Application modernization changes how software is built, delivered or operated to address a business need. Keeping, adapting and rebuilding are different choices with different cost and maintenance consequences.

Capabilities and scope

Hosting fit

Compare Azure App Service for web applications, Container Apps for container workloads and AKS when direct Kubernetes control is required. Runtime support, networking and operational skills shape the choice.

State and integration

Identify local files, sessions, background processing and database dependencies before changing hosting. Define how configuration, secrets and service-to-service access will work in the target environment.

Release and observability

Build repeatable deployment and rollback steps, add meaningful application telemetry and validate realistic load. Acceptance should cover user journeys and failure behavior, not just a successful deployment.

A practical example

A customer portal could move its web layer to managed hosting while its database migration follows separately, provided latency, connection behavior and authentication are tested.

What your project can deliver

  • Component architecture and documented hosting decision
  • Agreed code, deployment and configuration changes
  • Performance, release and handover evidence for the modernized scope

The final deliverables, licensing and responsibilities are agreed for your environment before implementation.

02

Requirements and considerations

Review code ownership, dependencies, interfaces, test coverage and release constraints. SaaS designs also need customer separation, onboarding, billing integration and clear service responsibilities.

App Modernization

Project priorities

  1. Architecture options

  2. Release automation

  3. Integration boundaries

We begin with a conversation about the task, the people involved and the systems already in place. Together we identify what a useful result would look like and which dependencies need attention first. The agreed proposal sets the delivery boundaries, responsibilities and acceptance criteria.

Your engagement

How Digital Cloud can help

Scope and outcomes
Project phaseWhat happens
01Define the designTranslate the requirements into a practical design. Confirm product choices, interfaces, permissions and the responsibilities needed to operate the solution.
02Deliver in stagesConfigure or implement the agreed scope, test representative workflows and resolve material issues. Plan user communication and any controlled transition from existing systems.
03Prepare for ongoing operationConfirm acceptance, document the relevant configuration and prepare the people responsible for daily use. Define maintenance and support arrangements before handover.
Scope and outcomes
App Modernization

Questions before you start

Must the application be rewritten?

No. Rehosting, targeted refactoring and redesign are different options. The required change depends on dependencies, support requirements and the intended outcome.

What determines the cost and schedule?

The starting environment, integrations, user groups and agreed outputs determine the effort. We confirm scope and commercial terms before work begins. Software licenses, infrastructure consumption and ongoing support may be separate items.

What will we receive?

The proposal identifies the deliverables: these may include findings, a prioritized roadmap, a tested configuration, a prototype, documentation or training. We agree what is included and how completion will be assessed.

Can this work with our existing systems?

We review the actual applications, data sources and access requirements before recommending an integration. Dependencies and compatibility limits are recorded so the delivery plan reflects your environment.

What happens after the initial work?

You can use the findings to guide your own team or discuss a follow-on phase. Any maintenance, monitoring or support includes separately agreed service hours, responsibilities and response targets.

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