Isometric illustration of software modernization: transformation from outdated legacy systems to modern cloud-native microservice containers
Software Modernization & Debt Reduction

Technical Debt & Legacy System Burden

Free up budget for innovation again

75% of your IT budget goes to maintaining existing systems. Technical debt and legacy burden block innovation, increase security risks, and make every change more expensive. Krafteq helps you break this cycle systematically — with senior engineers who take ownership and deliver measurable results.

70% Cloud cost reduction through debt elimination
80%+ Fewer production outages
3-6 Months for comprehensive modernization

Proven: 70% cloud cost reduction at an enterprise software company (300+ employees) and successful legacy ERP migration to Azure at a manufacturing company (150 employees).

Why technical debt is slowing down your business

Technical debt doesn't appear overnight. It grows quietly — with every postponed refactoring, every workaround, and every decision against the clean solution. Eventually, the cost of the debt exceeds the value of all new development.

  1. Your IT budget disappears into maintenance

    Up to 40% of the total technology estate of large companies consists of technical debt. Every euro spent on maintenance is a euro missing for new features and business development.

  2. Every change becomes riskier and more expensive

    What used to take an hour now takes three days. Developers are afraid to touch existing code. Regression bugs pile up. The release cycle slows down because nobody can assess the side effects.

  3. Legacy systems block AI and digitalization

    Companies with fragmented systems have a 30% higher probability of delays in AI implementation. As long as your system runs on legacy technology, AI remains a PowerPoint topic.

  4. Security vulnerabilities multiply

    Outdated frameworks no longer receive security patches. Every unpatched dependency is a potential entry point. 47% of IT leaders cite technical debt as the primary cause of excess spending.

  5. Knowledge dependency on individuals

    Nobody enjoys documenting legacy systems. Knowledge lives in the heads of a few employees. When they leave the company, the team faces a black box.

Pragmatic modernization instead of endless analysis

Reducing technical debt doesn't require a big-bang approach. We identify the debt hotspots with the greatest business impact and address those first. Typically, our clients achieve 25-40% cost reduction solely through targeted stabilization and refactoring of the most critical modules.

No big bang. No feature freeze. We modernize incrementally while your system runs in production. Whether it's Java EE to Spring Boot migration, .NET Framework to .NET 8 upgrade, or mainframe API encapsulation — we choose the strategy that fits your risk profile.

Our senior engineers don't just deliver a report. They take technical responsibility, implement the changes, and measure the impact. Every modernization brings your systems closer to an AI-ready architecture: clean APIs, decoupled services, and standardized data formats.

From analysis to measurable improvement

Every modernization starts with understanding. We don't rush in blindly but first analyze where the biggest levers are. Then we implement — incrementally, transparently, and with clear ownership.

  1. Debt Assessment and Prioritization

    Our senior engineers analyze your codebase, infrastructure, and dependencies. Using AI-assisted code analysis, we identify debt hotspots: which modules cause the most incidents? Where is the highest change frequency with the lowest test coverage? You receive a prioritized debt map with a concrete action plan.

    Clear prioritization by business impact — not a slide deck, but a working plan.

  2. Quick Wins and Stabilization

    We start with measures that deliver the highest ROI. Typical quick wins: updating outdated dependencies, closing critical security vulnerabilities, retrofitting missing observability, and eliminating the worst performance bottlenecks.

    Immediately noticeable improvements in stability, security, and performance.

  3. Targeted Modernization

    Now comes the structural modernization. Depending on the starting point, we choose the right strategy: refactoring, rearchitecting, or incremental cloud migration. We work in short iterations with regular demos. You see progress every week.

    Structural improvement during live operations — without feature freeze.

  4. Handover and Sustainability

    At the end of every modernization, there's a clean handover: documented architecture, updated runbooks, knowledge transfer to your team. We ensure your team can independently maintain and develop the modernized systems.

    Your team can independently operate and evolve the modernized systems.

What you can expect from the collaboration

Reducing technical debt is not a standard project. Every codebase is different. Nevertheless, we deliver a defined set of outcomes in every engagement — adapted to your situation.

Debt Assessment with Business Context

We evaluate technical debt not just by code quality, but by business impact. You learn which debts cost your business the most and where modernization delivers the highest ROI.

Legacy Code Analysis and Documentation

Outdated systems are often undocumented. We use AI-assisted analysis tools to extract and document business logic from legacy code. No knowledge is lost.

Incremental Modernization During Live Operations

No feature freeze, no big bang. We modernize module by module — from Java EE to Spring Boot, from .NET Framework to .NET 8, from monolith to services. Each step is self-contained and production-ready.

Cloud Migration with Right Sizing

Whether rehost, replatform, or rearchitect — we choose the strategy that fits your budget and risk profile. By right-sizing from the start, you avoid the cloud cost trap.

Retrofit Observability and Monitoring

After modernization, you can see how your systems perform. Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry deliver metrics, alerts, and dashboards — vendor-neutral and future-proof.

Systematically Close Security Vulnerabilities

We update outdated dependencies, implement dependency scanning, and harden your CI/CD pipeline. This measurably reduces your attack surface and prepares you for the EU Cyber Resilience Act.

Knowledge Transfer and Team Enablement

We don't disappear after the project. Documentation, pair programming, and targeted workshops ensure your team can independently evolve the modernized systems.

Long-Term Architecture Roadmap

Beyond the current modernization, you receive a roadmap for the next 12-24 months. You know in what order to address further debt and which investments offer the greatest leverage.

Results that speak for themselves

70% cloud cost reduction at an enterprise client through targeted infrastructure refactoring, rightsizing, and technical debt elimination
Legacy ERP successfully migrated to Azure — including performance and reliability optimizations, with zero downtime and zero data loss
High availability established on short notice: outage rate reduced by over 80% through fault tolerance mechanisms within two weeks
System maintainable again after three months — debt hotspots identified, right priorities set, and immediately implemented

Proven modernization results

70% Cloud cost reduction
80%+ Fewer production outages
25-40% Cost reduction through refactoring
0 Downtime during legacy migration

Technical Debt & Legacy System Burden — let's tackle it

Let us discuss how we can solve this challenge for your organization.

Book an appointment

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Or contact us directly: info@krafteq.de

“Technical debt doesn't disappear on its own. The longer you wait, the more expensive the solution becomes. We see our mission as making your systems maintainable, secure, and future-proof — not someday, but now. With craftsmanship, experience, and ownership.”

Ivan Bianko, Geschäftsführer krafteq

Frequently Asked Questions