Case Study: Migrating a Legacy VB6 Data Processing System to a Modern .NET Environment

When a healthcare organization approached us with a 15+ year-old data processing system built in Visual Basic 6 (VB6), the challenges were immediately clear. Their legacy system consisted of approximately 50 individual applications—each critical to their day-to-day operations but increasingly difficult to maintain, scale, or support.

The Problem

VB6, once a popular development platform, has long been outdated. The customer faced multiple hurdles:

• Developer availability: With modern developers less inclined to work with legacy technologies, staffing the system had become a growing problem.
  

• Scalability issues: As the volume of data and users grew, the system struggled to keep up.
  

• Fragmentation: Managing 50 separate applications made the system cumbersome, inefficient, and difficult to evolve.

It was clear the client needed a modern solution that would not only match the current functionality but also be easier to maintain and scale in the future.

Our Solution

We took a ground-up approach to rebuild the entire data processing system in C# using the .NET framework. Rather than replicate the fragmented structure of 50 standalone applications, we designed a unified, extensible platform that could handle the same workflows, only more efficiently and with far greater flexibility.

Key aspects of the new system included:

• Consolidation: All 50 VB6 apps were replaced by a single, modular .NET system.
  

• Modern architecture: Designed with scalability and maintainability in mind.
  

• Future-proofing: The new platform allows for easier updates, enhancements, and onboarding of new development talent.

Once development was complete, we transitioned ownership of the new .NET system to the customer’s internal software development team. Thanks to the system's modern codebase and more streamlined structure, their team is now equipped to maintain and extend the platform without relying on external support.

This project highlights the long-term value of modernizing legacy systems. By moving away from outdated technologies like VB6 and embracing modern development practices, organizations can unlock greater efficiency, ensure long-term sustainability, and empower their internal teams for the future.

Ready to modernize your legacy systems? Reach out today!