Transoft, the modernization experts, has added Visual Basic (VB) migration to its already extensive migration solution portfolio. By moving valuable VB software assets to VB.NET, C# or even to Java, companies are able to overcome Microsoft's end-of-life policies, and remove the dependence on decreasing VB skills.

Paul Bradbrook, Transoft managing director and executive vice president, comments: "We are very excited to be addressing the challenges faced by the VB community, and bringing our 20 years’ of experience in migration projects to this market. Transoft offers the ability to preserve existing software assets, while increasing the return on investment. We can remove risk with proven project methodologies, and reduce the cost and time of these projects with automated tools. An application migration is a complex undertaking, and strong project management is vital to prevent cost overrun and risk of failure. It also requires understanding of the legacy as well as extensive knowledge of the target environment. Transoft is perfectly placed to combat all these issues, and maximize the potential of existing VB applications."

Organizations currently running critical VB applications face some challenges, not least the fact VB development is no longer supported, and support for the VB runtime is limited. Many companies are also required to comply with legal, industry or internal regulations that prohibit the use of software based upon unsupported development environments. Added to this, VB applications are often complex and poorly documented, lacking a coherent design and not easily understood. Dependence upon increasingly scarce legacy skills puts organizations at a disadvantage, as do the difficulties of integration with new applications and technologies.

Transoft’s VB solution is based on a cost-effective, comprehensive and proven approach. It usually starts with a PathFinder Assessment Project. This results in a detailed report that includes a complete assessment of the existing application, a migration and modernization roadmap, and a comprehensive project plan - together with costs and timescales.

The next stage is the application migration to functional equivalence using automated tools to convert code to VB.NET or C#. Alternatively the application can be transformed using world-leading tools, with skilled migration experts, to convert it firstly to a UML model before it is re-architected in, say, Java. Transoft’s strong project management and methodology will ensure the migrated application is delivered on time and on budget.

Once the application is migrated it can continue to evolve with Transoft’s Application Modernization tools and services. This could involve implementation of Web Services, user interface modernization, data transformation or code optimization.

Bradbrook adds "A recent report from a leading industry analyst concluded that most ‘best-of-class’ organizations are making use of external migration services, and that they can achieve a 26% average reduction in software maintenance costs as a result of a carefully managed migration using automated tools.

Transoft provides the optimum automated migration process, supported by our highly skilled and experienced Transoft consultants. We can solve support and compliance issues, reduce maintenance costs, remove dependency on scarce resources and help evolve VB applications using latest technologies to satisfy demanding business requirements. Our goal is to ensure our customers get maximum return from their application investment… and keep them one step ahead of their competitors!"

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