Software Migration Services for SaaS

You do not need a rewrite. You need a migration plan that keeps your customers live.

Every SaaS leader who has watched a rewrite stall knows the pattern. The roadmap freezes, the old system keeps taking patches, and the new one is always a few months from done. Meanwhile the runtime you depend on loses support, the engineers who know it leave, and every customer still lives on the system you are trying to escape. Cabot's software migration services move your platform from the old stack to the new one without that freeze. We run both systems side by side, prove that the new one behaves like the old one, and move tenants in small groups with a rollback ready for each. Senior engineers review every change, AI speeds the slow reading and testing work, and the code and IP are yours.

PHP · Java · .NET · COBOL · Python · Oracle · SQL Server

Tell us what you are migrating from

Describe your current stack, your data and your tenants. A Cabot migration architect will reply with a first view of the path and the questions that shape it.

Your details stay private.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What Are Software Migration Services, and How Do They Differ From a Rewrite?

Software migration services move an application, its data and its infrastructure from one technology stack, platform or database to another, while the business keeps running on the system throughout.

A migration keeps what your product does and changes what it runs on. That separates it from a rewrite, which discards the system and rebuilds it, and from a lift and shift, which moves the same code to new servers without fixing anything. A good legacy system migration recovers how the old system behaves, builds the target to match, moves the data, proves the two agree and only then retires the old one.

For a SaaS company the stakes are higher than for an internal system. Your customers hold service agreements, your tenants share infrastructure and your revenue depends on uptime. That is why the approach matters as much as the destination, and why our software migration services move legacy software in stages with both systems live. Whether the brief is legacy software migration or a move to a new platform, the method is the same.

Why Does an Aging Stack Cost a SaaS Company More Than Migrating Off It?

Most aging systems do not fail outright. They get slower to change and riskier to run until the cost of staying passes the cost of moving. These six problems show up again and again, and each one is settled by how the migration is set up.
pause_circle

A rewrite freezes your roadmap. While the new system is built, product work slows or stops, and customers wait for features that the old code is too fragile to ship.

cloud_off

Cutover threatens uptime. A single big-bang switch puts every customer at risk at once, and a failed one breaks service agreements you cannot easily repair.

lock_open

Tenant data is hard to move safely. Shared schemas, custom fields and per-customer configuration make it easy to mix or lose records during a move.

update_disabled

Runtimes lose support. Old PHP, Java 8, .NET Framework and Python 2 stop receiving fixes, which widens your attack surface and complicates every security review.

person_off

The people who know the system leave. Engineers who understand the old stack are retiring or moving on, and few new hires want to maintain it.

fact_check

Nobody can prove the new system matches. Without tests around current behavior, a migrated system can differ from the old one in ways that surface only in production.

Engineers planning a software migration from a legacy system to a new platform

Not sure which of these is costing you most?

Tell us what you run and what is driving the move, and we will map it.

Tell us what you are migrating

Which Software Migration Services Does a SaaS Platform Need?

Cabot delivers six kinds of migration. Each answers a problem above, and a single program often combines several. As an application migration services partner, we scope the mix against your system, not a fixed package. Our legacy application migration services cover older systems end to end, and they pair with legacy software modernization where a system also needs restructuring.

Migration paths by language

Each language has its own breakage points. These are the five paths we are asked for most, and what each one involves.

Which path fits your stack?

Share your language, database and hosting, and we will outline the migration path.

Get a migration plan for your stack

What Does Software Migration Cost, and What Moves the Price?

Five things move the price: the size of the codebase, the volume and shape of your data, the number of integrations, the target stack and the depth of testing you need. Because those vary widely, any figure quoted before scoping is a guess. Cabot scopes the migration against your system first, so you see a number before anyone starts. Get a rough range from the calculator, then walk us through the system.

How Does Cabot Use AI to Migrate Software Faster, and What Stays Human?

The slowest parts of a migration are reading code nobody documented, writing the tests that prove behavior, and converting repetitive patterns. AI speeds all three. It reads legacy code and drafts a plain-language description of what it does, proposes first-pass conversions and generates tests around current behavior, each of which meets a test suite or an engineer within minutes.
It does not decide the target architecture, which tenants move first or whether a cutover goes ahead.

Three rules govern every engagement. Our approach is model-neutral, so we choose the tool that fits the task. A senior engineer reviews every AI-proposed change before it merges. And we never train on your code or data.

Which Source and Target Stacks Does Cabot Migrate Between?

We work in the stack you have and recommend the target that fits where the product is going. The groups below show what we move between most. The table after them shows where AI sits at each stage of a migration.

Languages and frameworks

PHP
Java
C# and .NET
COBOL
Python
Laravel
Spring Boot

Databases

Oracle
SQL Server
MySQL
PostgreSQL
MongoDB
Amazon Aurora

Platforms and delivery

AWS
Azure
Google Cloud
Kubernetes
Docker
Terraform
GitHub Actions

Where AI Sits at Each Stage of a Migration, and What Stays Human

Every stage produces something you can inspect and has a person who signs it off. Nothing an AI drafts reaches your repository until a named engineer has accepted it.

Migration stage
What AI does
What stays human
Tools used
Assessment and behavior capture
Reads the codebase, maps modules, dependencies and integrations, and drafts plain-language descriptions of business rules and characterization tests.
Deciding what to migrate and in what order, and confirming each rule with your product owners.
Claude, SonarQube, GitHub Copilot
Target build and conversion
Proposes first-pass code conversions and repetitive refactors.
Architecture choices, interface design and every merge decision.
GitHub Copilot, Cursor
Data migration
Drafts schema mappings and transformation scripts.
Approving mappings, validating samples and owning tenant data isolation.
Claude, dbt
Parallel run and verification
Compares outputs between old and new systems and flags differences.
Judging which differences matter and signing off each tenant group.
Playwright, Datadog
Cutover and decommission
Drafts runbooks and the rollback checklist.
The go or no-go call, the rollback decision and retiring the old system.
Terraform, GitHub Actions

Typical Migration Vendor or Cabot's Parallel-Run Approach: Which Fits Your SaaS Platform?

Six points usually decide it. Each is a mechanism you can hold us to, not a promise.
Dimension
Typical migration vendor
Cabot
Cutover
One big-bang switch, so every customer is exposed at once.
Tenant by tenant in small groups, each with a tested rollback.
Proof of equivalence
Spot checks and a user acceptance test near the end.
Tests that capture current behavior, then output comparison between old and new running side by side.
Roadmap during migration
Product work slows or stops while the new system is built.
The old system keeps shipping while the new one is built in stages.
Tenant data
Moved in bulk with limited isolation testing.
Moved per tenant with isolation checks and verified counts.
Use of AI
Unclear, or sold as a replacement for engineers.
Speeds reading, tests and conversion, with senior review before every merge and no training on your code.
Ownership
Tooling and scripts can stay with the vendor.
You own the code, scripts and IP from the first commit.

Want to see how this applies to your platform?

Walk us through your system and we will show where the approach changes the outcome.

Talk to a migration engineer

Which SaaS Platforms Does Cabot Migrate?

Every kind of SaaS fails in a different way when a migration goes wrong, so we plan for the one you run. These are the six we plan for most, and what we have learned about each.

Worried a Migration Will Expose Customer Data? Here Is How Cabot Protects It

Security is part of the work, not a review at the end. Engineers work inside your environment or one we agree with you, access is least privilege and logged, secrets live in a managed vault, dependencies are scanned on every change, and real production data stays out of development and test environments, where AI tools work on synthetic records. An NDA is signed before work begins.

Where your data is regulated, we scope the rules with you at the start. For health data we apply HIPAA safeguards, and our HIPAA compliance consulting services cover the documentation and review. Tenant isolation is tested before and after every cutover, so one customer's data never reaches another.

Encryption in transit and at rest
Least-privilege access
Tenant isolation testing
Audit logging
Managed secrets vault
Dependency scanning
Synthetic test data
HIPAA safeguards for health data
Data residency by market

How Does Cabot Move a SaaS Platform From the Old Stack to the New One?

Cabot's software migration services run in six steps, each ending in a decision you make. You can stop after any of them, and the first is worth having even if nothing follows it.

Not sure where to begin? Start with step 01 and settle the scope before you commit to a build.

search

1. Assess the system

We inventory the codebase, data and integrations, score each part for risk and value and choose the path per component. You decide the scope and the first milestone.

rule

2. Capture current behavior

We recover how the old system behaves and build tests around it. You decide which behavior must be preserved and which can change.

construction

3. Build the target

We build the new stack in stages, with senior review on every merge. You decide the target architecture and approve each stage.

compare_arrows

4. Run both in parallel

The old and new systems run side by side and we compare outputs. You decide what counts as a match.

swap_horiz

5. Cut over tenant by tenant

We move tenants in small groups, each with a tested rollback. You decide who goes first and when each group moves.

power_settings_new

6. Retire the old system

Once every tenant is stable, we decommission the old stack and hand over documentation. You decide when it is safe to switch off.

Ready to see your migration path?

Start with a migration assessment and leave with a sequence, a first milestone and a scoped plan.

Start with a migration assessment

Who Stands Behind the Engineers Migrating Your Platform?

Every engagement has named owners. A technical lead owns the target architecture and the merge decisions and answers for every change that ships. Migration engineers own their modules from conversion through verification. A quality lead owns the tests that decide whether the new system matches the old one. A delivery lead owns the cadence and keeps your leaders informed, and your own people remain the authority on your product and your customers. Cabot's depth is concentrated in four areas: recovering behavior from undocumented code, moving relational databases safely, restructuring monoliths into services, and migrating multi-tenant platforms without cross-tenant exposure. We work in your repositories and your tools, follow your standards and hold regular reviews with your leads, so the knowledge stays with your team when the program ends.

Why SaaS Leaders Choose Cabot for Parallel-Run Software Migration

Plenty of firms can move code. Fewer stand behind the cutover. Technology leaders return to Cabot on these six points.

Client Success Stories

Where Should You Start If Migration Is Only Part of the Problem?

Migration is one route to a healthier platform. If one of these describes your situation better, start with the specialist page.

Our Clients

Have Questions About Software Migration Services? Cabot Answers
What are software migration services?

Software migration services move an application, its data and its infrastructure from one technology stack, platform or database to another while the business keeps running. The work covers assessing the current system, recovering how it behaves, building the target, moving the data, proving the two match and cutting over safely. For a SaaS company, it also means moving customers without breaking their service agreements.

Do we need a full rewrite to migrate our software?

No. A rewrite replaces everything at once and freezes your roadmap while it runs. A migration moves the system in stages, with the old and new stacks running side by side until the new one is proven. Most SaaS platforms can migrate one module or one group of tenants at a time, so product work continues throughout.

How long does a software migration take?

It depends on the size of the codebase, the number of integrations, the amount of data and how many tenants you serve. Because the work is staged, the first migrated module or tenant group usually reaches production well before the full program finishes. We agree the sequence and the first milestone during the assessment, before any code changes.

How much do software migration services cost?

Cost follows the scope of the codebase, the size and shape of the data, the number of integrations, the target stack and the level of testing you need. We scope it against your actual system first, so you see a number before work begins. For a rough range, try our Cost Calculator.

Can you migrate our platform without downtime?

In most cases, yes. We run the new system alongside the old one, replicate data between them, verify that outputs match and move tenants in small groups with a rollback ready for each. Where a short maintenance window cannot be avoided, we plan it with you and schedule it for your lowest-traffic period.

How do you migrate a PHP application?

We first recover the application's behavior and add tests around it. Then we move it to a supported PHP version or to a framework such as Laravel or Symfony, one module at a time, with the old code serving traffic until each new module is proven. This is how PHP migration services avoid a risky rewrite.

How do you handle a Java 8 to Java 17 migration?

We scan the code and its dependencies for the changes that break between releases, upgrade the build and libraries in steps, and run the full test suite at each step. Where the application is a monolith, we can also separate services during the same program. Java migration services work best when upgrade and restructuring are planned together.

How do you migrate from .NET Framework to .NET?

We assess which libraries and Windows-specific features need replacing, then port the application to current .NET in stages, using compatibility layers where they help. Services and data are verified against the old system at each stage. A .NET Framework to .NET migration is usually delivered module by module, not as a single cutover.

Can you migrate COBOL and Python 2 systems?

Yes. For COBOL, we recover the business rules from the code with AI assistance, document them, then move the logic to a modern language such as Java or .NET and verify the results against the original. For Python 2, we convert and test the code against Python 3 and replace libraries that no longer have a supported release.

How is software migration different from application modernization?

Migration moves a system from one stack, platform or database to another. Application modernization improves how a system is built and runs, through upgrades, re-architecture and rebuilds. Many programs need both. We scope the migration first, then link it to our application modernization services where the system also needs restructuring.