Waller Creek Software handles legacy software modernization in Austin for businesses that need the old system's knowledge without its limits. We start by learning what the software really does, then move it forward in focused releases while your team keeps working. You work directly with co-founders Taylor Moses and Jamison Dyal, and you own the new code and all of your data.
What we mean by legacy software
Legacy does not mean old. It means the software has become harder to change than the business it supports. The signs are familiar: a system only one person understands, a vendor that stopped issuing updates, a server in a closet nobody can patch, or a spreadsheet full of macros that break whenever someone adds a column.
It also shows up in what you can't do. You can't give customers a portal, can't connect a new tool, can't run the report the owner keeps asking for, or can't meet a new security requirement without a workaround. When the list of workarounds is longer than the list of features, legacy software modernization deserves a serious look.
Start with an inventory, not a rewrite
Old systems carry rules that were never written down: the discount that applies only to certain customers, the field that must be filled before an order can ship, the report that rounds a particular way because an auditor once asked. A rewrite that misses those rules creates new problems on its first day.
So we begin by cataloging what exists. We sit with the people who use the system, read the code or database where we can reach it, and list every screen, report, export and connection. The result is a written inventory you keep, and it is useful even if you decide to change nothing.
- Every screen, form and report, and who relies on each one
- Business rules hidden in code, formulas or daily habits
- Connections to other tools, shared folders and printers
- Data that must be kept, and data that can be archived
- 1 Map the old system
- 2 Pick the first part
- 3 Build and run side by side
- 4 Switch over
- 5 Retire the old part
Keep, wrap, rebuild or retire: a decision for each piece
Modernization rarely means replacing everything at once. Once the inventory is done, we sort each part of the old system into one of four paths and agree on them with you. The plan for legacy software modernization at Austin companies usually ends up as a mix, with the most painful or risky pieces handled first.
Wrapping is the option people overlook most. Putting a secure API in front of an old system lets you add a portal, a dashboard or a mobile view now, and replace the core later on your own schedule.
- Keep: parts that work well and only need security updates
- Wrap: parts that stay, with a secure API so new tools can reach them
- Rebuild: parts that block growth, rewritten on a current, supported stack
- Retire: features nobody uses, archived with their data intact
✕Only one person understands how the system works
✓A written inventory anyone on your team can read
✕Vendor stopped issuing updates or security patches
✓Supported stack that receives ongoing security updates
✕Runs on a single office computer
✓Secure access from any approved device
✕New tools can't reach the old data
✓Secure API lets new tools read and write
✕Reports and commissions rebuilt by hand in spreadsheets
✓Reports and payouts calculated from one source
Old and new running side by side
We don't ask your team to jump to a new system on a Monday morning and hope. New pieces go live alongside the old one, often reading and writing the same data, so you can compare results before anyone stops using the original. Your staff test working software during Build and tell us where it doesn't match how they really work.
Data migration happens in rehearsals. We move a copy, check record counts and totals against the source, have your team spot-check records they know well, and fix anything that doesn't line up. Only after a clean rehearsal do we schedule the real move. That rhythm is what makes legacy software modernization feel routine for Austin teams instead of risky.
Records that have to survive the move
In healthcare, the old system may hold patient histories, intake forms and referral records you are required to keep and protect. Our healthcare systems are fully HIPAA compliant, we sign BAAs and any other compliance agreements you need, and a HIPAA-trained team member is involved in the work. Encryption, role-based access and audit logs carry over to the new system from the start.
For FDA-regulated work, we have built advanced audit trails and full systems for 21 CFR Part 11, so electronic records and signatures keep their history through legacy software modernization. Manufacturers moving quality and inventory records get the same care, with lot numbers, inspection results and change history arriving intact and traceable.
Sales history matters too. Commission questions are settled with old data, so we preserve deal, contract and payout records when a sales team moves off spreadsheets or an aging CRM.
The system handles
- Data checks during migration
- Backups
- Testing old against new
Your people decide
- Deciding what to keep
- Training the team
- Confirming the switch
What modern looks like in your industry
For a clinic near Dell Seton Medical Center or a practice group in Round Rock, modern might mean intake that flows into the EHR, a patient portal, and reporting that no longer requires an export to Excel. For a manufacturer in Georgetown or Bastrop, it might follow the pattern of our Industrial Operations Platform, a quote-to-service operating system where leaders manage by exception instead of walking the floor for status.
For a sales organization, it might look like Rep Hub, where recruiting, training, contracts and commissions share one platform and a signed and paid deal triggers delivery automatically. For every other industry, from property management to professional services, the goal is the same: software your team can change as quickly as the business does.
