Hollinford

    Legacy Systems
    We Help Assess, Stabilise and Modernise

    Many UK SMEs still depend on older ERP, finance, database and operational systems that quietly run reporting, payroll, stock, invoicing, integrations and month-end processes. Hollinford helps businesses understand what those systems really support before changing them. The aim is a safe decision rather than an immediate rebuild: stabilise, integrate, migrate, upgrade, replace or archive.

    Book a Legacy Health CheckTake the Legacy Systems Self-Check →

    TL;DR

    Legacy system risk is rarely limited to the software itself.

    The real risk often lives in reports, integrations, spreadsheets, scheduled jobs, payroll rules, exports, permissions and undocumented workarounds.

    Hollinford starts by mapping dependencies before recommending a route. The right answer may be stabilisation, integration, upgrade, migration, replacement or archive access.

    Use this hub to explore the systems we currently cover.

    What counts as a legacy system.

    A legacy system is software a business still depends on that is no longer well supported, well documented, or easy to change. It may run on old hardware, an unsupported database, or a version the vendor no longer updates.

    The risk usually sits in what surrounds the application: the reports, integrations, payroll rules, exports and spreadsheets that quietly rely on it. A finance team might run month-end through an Excel workbook linked to the system; if the system moves, that workbook can break in ways nobody documented.

    Systems currently covered

    The practical risks behind specific legacy systems.

    These pages explain the practical risks behind specific legacy systems and the checks to complete before making a change.

    SQL Server 2016 End of Support

    Database · ERP dependency risk

    For businesses whose ERP, reporting, SQL Agent jobs, SSIS packages, linked servers or legacy applications still depend on SQL Server 2016.

    Key risks

    • end-of-support planning
    • ERP certification risk
    • hidden SQL jobs and integrations
    • upgrade, ESU or migration decisions
    Read the SQL Server 2016 guide

    Exchequer Software Migration

    Finance · Reporting and data migration risk

    For finance teams still relying on Exchequer reports, Excel and OLE links, exports, document workflows, integrations and historical data.

    Key risks

    • reporting disruption
    • Excel and OLE dependencies
    • data extraction and reconciliation
    • finance workflow continuity
    Read the Exchequer migration guide

    Pegasus Opera 3 Migration

    Finance · Payroll · SQL SE readiness

    For businesses using Pegasus Opera 3 for finance, payroll, reporting, stock, CRM, service workflows, exports or integrations.

    Key risks

    • payroll configuration
    • SQL SE readiness
    • RTI, pensions and year-end workflows
    • reporting and integration dependencies
    Read the Pegasus Opera 3 guide

    Browse by legacy system risk area.

    Different systems create different risks. Some are mainly infrastructure risks. Others are finance, reporting, payroll, data or integration risks.

    End-of-support infrastructure

    Some systems carry risk because of where they run, not what they do. When a database version, server or platform reaches the end of vendor support, the applications sitting on top of it inherit that exposure: security fixes stop, and ERP vendors may withdraw certification. The system can keep working for months, which is part of why the deadline is easy to miss until it forces a rushed decision.

    Published guides

    Coming next: Windows Server 2012, older SQL Server estates

    Finance and ERP migration

    With finance and ERP systems, the migration risk rarely sits in the core ledger. It sits in the reports, approval workflows, data extraction, integrations and historical records that have built up around the system over years. Moving the application is manageable; carrying all of that across without breaking month-end is the harder part.

    Published guides

    Coming next: Sage 200, Sage Line 500 / Sage 1000

    Reporting and spreadsheet dependencies

    A large amount of business logic often lives outside the system, in Excel links, OLE workflows, custom reports and unofficial spreadsheets that someone built and everyone now relies on. These connections are rarely documented, so they tend to surface only when a migration breaks them. Mapping them first is what keeps a change from quietly corrupting reporting.

    Published guides

    Coming next: Microsoft Access, Sage reporting estates

    Payroll and compliance-sensitive workflows

    Payroll raises the stakes, because the rules are exact and the deadlines are external. Pension contributions, salary sacrifice, RTI submissions, year-end processes and employee history all have to move across intact, and an error carries consequences beyond inconvenience. Systems carrying payroll deserve more caution and more testing than a like-for-like comparison suggests.

    Published guides

    Coming next: Sage payroll-related estates

    Legacy databases and custom applications

    Older databases and custom applications often hold business logic that no current document describes, buried in forms, reports, macros, scripts, stored procedures and integrations. The person who built them may have left, and the rules now live only in the code. Understanding what the application enforces comes before any decision to rebuild or replace it.

    Coming next: Microsoft Access, Visual FoxPro, VB6, Classic ASP / VBScript, FileMaker

    More legacy system guides are being prepared.

    We are expanding this section with additional guides for common ERP, finance, database and application estates used by UK SMEs.

    • Sage 200
    • Sage Line 500 / Sage 1000
    • Microsoft Access
    • Windows Server 2012
    • Visual FoxPro
    • VB6
    • Classic ASP / VBScript
    • FileMaker

    How we approach legacy system decisions.

    Hollinford does not start by assuming every legacy system should be replaced. Some systems need stabilising. Some need integration. Some need a controlled migration. Some need a staged replacement. Some need archive access after the business has moved on.

    The first step is to understand the current estate: what the system runs, who relies on it, which reports and integrations depend on it, where business logic lives, and what would fail if the system changed suddenly.

    1. 1Map the system and its dependencies
    2. 2Identify business-critical workflows
    3. 3Review data, reporting and integration risk
    4. 4Compare stabilise, integrate, migrate, upgrade, replace or archive options
    5. 5Create a practical roadmap before changing production systems

    See how our discovery process works

    Read about legacy system modernisation

    Where to start with a legacy system.

    If your business depends on a legacy ERP, finance system, database or custom application, Hollinford can help you understand the risk before you choose a route.

    Book a Legacy Health CheckTake the Legacy Systems Self-Check
    Review Legacy Health Check pricing Talk it through with the team