Legacy Software: When to Replace It vs When to Integrate It

Your business runs on software that's been around for years — maybe decades. It works (mostly). Your team knows it (mostly). But it doesn't talk to anything else, the interface looks like Windows XP, and the company that made it was acquired twice. Should you replace it or find a way to make it work with modern tools?

When to Integrate (Keep the Legacy System)

Integration is usually the right choice when:

• The software does its core job well — your accounting software is accurate and your team is trained on it
• Replacing it would be expensive and disruptive — migrating years of historical data and retraining staff is a big undertaking
• The problem is connectivity, not functionality — the software works fine; it just doesn't talk to your other tools
• There's database or API access available — even old systems usually have a database you can connect to

When to Replace

Replacement makes more sense when:

• The software is no longer supported — security vulnerabilities aren't being patched
• It can't handle your current scale — crashes, slowdowns, or limitations that affect daily operations
• The vendor is gone — no support, no updates, no one to call when things break
• Integration costs more than replacement — sometimes the old system is so isolated that connecting it costs more than starting fresh

The Middle Ground: Bridge and Modernize

Often the best approach is a hybrid — keep the legacy system for what it does well while building a modern layer on top. We've built dashboards that pull data from 20-year-old databases, giving teams a modern interface without replacing the underlying system. We've connected old desktop software to new cloud tools using ODBC, custom APIs, and automated data sync.

This is exactly what our integration services are designed for. We specialize in bridging the gap between legacy and modern systems. And if replacement makes more sense, our custom development team can build a modern replacement tailored to your workflow. Contact us to discuss your specific situation.