Application Modernisation Services

What is application modernisation?

Application modernisation covers multiple strategies for embracing cloud-native technologies:

1. Moving an application to the cloud for the first time
2. Expanding an application’s adoption of cloud-native elements like containers or microservices
3. Refactoring an application so teams can fully adopt cloud-native

We meet you wherever you are in your cloud journey and lead with strategy. Whatever your competitive landscape, we accelerate cloud adoption in line with your objectives.

How could I benefit?

We consult and deliver on application modernisation projects for partners around the world to:

1. Achieve operational efficiency and cut costs
2. Gain market-competitive agility
3. Simplify security and compliance

As legacy applications are remade for today, teams are removing old barriers, finding new efficiencies and breaking fresh ground. We put our partner at the forefront of innovation.

Why is Just After Midnight the right partner?

We’ve delivered application modernisation projects for leading brands in APAC, EMEA and the US. Read more about:

• Our work refactoring and rehosting a major eCommerce site for major Asian brand Minor Lifestyle
• Our work supporting, cost optimising and increasing scalability for multi-billion dollar ride-hailing app Grab
• Our work scaling, securing and future-proofing African transport app Gozem’s AWS infrastructure

We work with brands around the world to deliver application modernisation strategies that speak to them.

Types of modernisation

The modernisation process can take many forms. Your legacy systems, existing applications and IT infrastructure all shape the journey you take. However, most projects centre on some combination of:

Monolith to microservices migration

This modernisation strategy involves decomposing large, single-codebase applications (monolithic applications) into smaller, independently deployable services (microservices). Each microservice typically handles a single business function and communicates with other services via APIs.

Benefits:

• Scalability: microservices can be scaled independently, allowing for more efficient use of resources and improved handling of varying loads
• Flexibility: teams can develop, deploy and update different parts of the application without impacting others, accelerating time to market and leading to enhanced customer experience
• Resilience: a distributed system leads to better fault isolation and greater overall reliability
• Composability: a microservice architecture enables a modern, composable approach

Containerisation and container orchestration

Containerisation involves packaging an existing application and its dependencies into a group of containers. These lighter forms of virtualisation run consistently across any environment. Orchestration tools like Kubernetes manage containers’ deployment, scaling and networking in line with user-defined parameters.

Benefits:

• Consistency: cloud applications packaged as containers are highly environment agnostic
• Efficiency: containers consume fewer resources than traditional VMs
• Scalability and management: orchestration tools automate many operational tasks, making it easier to scale applications up or down as needed and reduce overhead
• Faster software application development cycles: containers have a high affinity for DevOps and CI/CD practices

Cloud adoption and migration

This means moving applications, data and other components from on-premise data centres to cloud platforms. This can involve re-hosting, re-platforming, or re-architecting to leverage cloud-native services in line with your overall goals.

Benefits:

• Cost efficiency: cloud services are generally more cost-effective and scalable than bare metal servers; this can be increased by accelerated adoption of practices like serverless
• Innovation: a new cloud environment provides easy access to a wide array of services and technologies that can boost innovation, such as machine learning, analytics and IoT
• Competitive advantage: most mission-critical applications leverage the cloud; meet your competitors where they are
• Security and compliance: take advantage of cloud providers’ innate security and compliance features

Serverless computing

A modern cloud platform architected around serverless technologies takes the focus off provisioning and maintenance. Serverless elements are spun up per-request, which means highly scalable, cost-effective solutions with a low TCO.

Benefits:

• Cost Optimisation: serverless elements maximise efficiency and consume no resources at rest
• Scalability: serverless applications are inherently scalable
• Developer productivity: offloading maintenance and provisioning allows teams to focus on the core application
• Faster time to market: writing applications as functions means less time spent on provisioning and a quicker turnaround on applications and features

Legacy system integration/refactoring

This means modernising legacy systems by either integrating them with newer applications and technologies via APIs or gradually refactoring parts of the system to improve performance and scalability.

Benefits:

• Extended life: extend the useful life of existing applications while gradually incorporating modern features
• Reduced risk: minimise the risks associated with big-bang migrations by allowing for incremental improvements
• Improved performance and scalability: enhance your legacy system’s performance and ability to handle increased loads through targeted improvements
• Scope for experimentation: allow your team the room to integrate cloud-native adoption

DevOps adoption

A cultural and procedural shift that promotes collaboration between development and operations teams, integrating and automating the processes of software development and moving toward CI/CD.

Benefits:

• Increased efficiency: automate and streamline workflows to radically reduce development time and operational costs
• Improved collaboration: foster a culture of shared responsibility, improving product quality and time to market
• Enhanced reliability: continuous integration and delivery leverage automation in the testing and delivery pipeline 
• More granular deployments: release features quickly and iterate to maintain a competitive advantage and respond quickly to customer demand