Software takeover · Adelaide

Your developer has moved on. Your software doesn't have to.

Whether the original developer has closed, gone quiet or just isn't the right fit any more, we take over custom software built by other people, keep it running, and then make it better.

Book a code review How a takeover runs

Fixed-price reviewKnow what you've got and what it needs before you commit to anything.
Nothing stopsYour users keep working while the handover happens behind the scenes.
Most stacksPHP and Laravel, JavaScript, Microsoft Access and VBA, and plenty of others we've met along the way.
One team afterSupport, hosting and development from the same Adelaide office.

Is this you?

Three signs it's time to change developers

Most takeover calls start with one of these.

Sign 01

Support has gone quiet

Requests take weeks to get an answer, there's one person who knows the system, and nobody is sure what happens if they're on holiday, or gone for good.

Sign 02

You don't hold the keys

The source code, the hosting account, the domain and the passwords all sit with the developer. You're paying for a system you couldn't move if you had to.

Sign 03

Every change is a risk

No tests, no staging environment and no documentation, so a small change can take the whole thing down. The business has quietly stopped asking for improvements.

How a takeover runs

Review, handover, stabilise, improve

The order matters. We don't touch the code until we understand it, and we don't improve it until it's safe to change.

Step 1

Review

A fixed-price look at the code, database, hosting and documentation. You get a plain-language report on what you have, what's risky and what it would take to run it properly.

Step 2

Handover

We collect the source code, hosting access, domains, credentials and licences, and deal with the previous developer where that helps. If they won't cooperate, we work with what you can get.

Step 3

Stabilise

Source control, a staging environment, backups and monitoring, plus fixes for anything urgent. Nothing changes for your users except that problems get answered.

Step 4

Improve

A support agreement with written response targets, and a list of improvements in the order that helps the business most. Rebuild only the parts that need it.

The review

What we look at before we take anything on

The same checks we run for technology due diligence, written up for an owner rather than a buyer.

The code

What it's written in, how it's structured, whether there are tests, and how much of it is out of date or unsupported. We're looking for what will break next, not grading someone's homework.

The data

Where it lives, whether it's backed up, and whether it could be moved. Often the data is the most valuable part of the system.

The hosting

Who owns the account, what it costs, how it's secured and what happens if it fails tonight.

The connections

Integrations, third-party accounts, API keys and licences that the system depends on and that may be in someone else's name.

The risks

Ranked, in plain language, with an estimate against each one so you can decide what to fix first and what can wait.

Running on a Microsoft Access database?

That's a takeover we've done many times. We'll keep the database you have today working while we plan what comes next.

Access databases

Worksafe Guardian management portal rebuilt by Codium

Case study · Worksafe Guardian

A live safety platform, rebuilt without touching the app in people's pockets

Worksafe Guardian protects lone workers in healthcare, government and business. Codium took over the platform, rebuilt the API and management portal, and migrated the data from the legacy system, all while the existing mobile app stayed in market and alerts kept flowing to the monitoring centre. We ran the platform for several years before handing it to Worksafe Guardian's own team.

Legacy system replaced underneath an app that never stopped working
Large data migration with no gap in monitoring
Handed over to the client's own team when they were ready

Read the full story

Good questions

Things people ask before they change developers

Can't see yours? Ask us directly.

Do we need the source code?

Ideally, yes, and under most contracts you're entitled to it. If the previous developer won't hand it over, the code can often be recovered from the server you're paying for. Where neither is possible, we assess rebuilding from the working system, which is usually less work than starting from a blank page because the system itself is the specification.

What if the previous developer won't cooperate?

It happens. We'll tell you exactly what to ask for, in what order, so the request is hard to refuse: code, database, hosting, domain and any third-party accounts. Most developers release what they're obliged to once the request is specific.

Will you rewrite it?

Not unless it needs it. Plenty of systems we take over are sound and just unloved. We keep what works, fix what doesn't, and only recommend a rebuild when the platform is end of life or the cost of maintaining it has overtaken the cost of replacing it.

How long does a takeover take?

The review takes one to two weeks. The handover depends on how quickly the previous developer releases things. Once we have access, stabilising a system is usually a matter of weeks rather than months.

What does it cost?

The review is fixed price. After that it's either a support agreement, if the system mainly needs looking after, or a scoped project with a fixed estimate, if it needs work.

Can you host it as well?

Yes. Most systems we take over move onto our managed hosting on AWS, so the code, the environment and the support are all with one team.

Do we own it afterwards?

Yes. The code, the documentation and the infrastructure are yours, and you can take them to another supplier at any time. We set every client up that way, including the ones we inherit.

Stuck with software nobody will touch?

Tell us what it does and who built it. We'll come back with what a review would cover and what it costs.

Book a code review Support agreements

The review is fixed price and standalone. You keep the report, with no obligation to move the system to us.