.NET upgrade assessment: a sized plan for moving to modern .NET
We examine a .NET Framework application, or one on an older .NET version, and give you a written plan for moving it to current .NET: what moves easily, what has to be replaced and the size of each stage.
At a glance
- Price
- £2,500 fixed
- Typical duration
- 1 to 2 weeks
- VAT
- Prices exclude VAT
Who this is for
Anyone responsible for a .NET Framework application who has been told, or suspects, that it needs to move to modern .NET and wants to know what that means before spending money on it.
The answer varies widely from one application to the next. .NET Framework 4.8 is still supported, so there is often no deadline. But third-party libraries increasingly support modern .NET only, some older Framework versions are out of support, and parts of the Framework were never carried forward. An MVC application with its layers cleanly separated may move in weeks. One built on Web Forms with WCF services behind it is a staged programme over months. From the outside the two look the same. Our .NET Framework page sets out the background.
The assessment also covers applications already on modern .NET but on a version that is out of support or close to it. That move is a much smaller job, and the report says so plainly.
What you end up with
A written report in two parts. The summary tells a non-technical decision-maker what the move involves, the stages in order, the size of each and what we recommend. The detail behind it lists every project and dependency with its status: moves as it is, moves with changes, or has no equivalent and must be replaced.
The plan is staged so that the application stays in service throughout. Shared code moves first, then one area at a time, which is the approach we describe under legacy software modernisation. Each stage is sized. The report marks which stages are defined well enough to be quoted at a fixed price and which depend on an unknown that should be resolved first.
If the right answer is to stay where you are, the report says that.
After the assessment
The report is yours to act on with your own team, another supplier or us. If we carry out the migration, each stage is quoted separately, so you can stop after any of them.
An application in the middle of a migration still needs looking after: fixes, security updates and the changes the business asks for. That is a separate monthly arrangement, described under software maintenance.
Talk to us
Describe the system and what you need. You will hear back from someone who can answer technical questions.
Discuss this project 0800 433 7990What the assessment covers
- Inventory of projects
- Every project in the solution, the framework version it targets and how the projects depend on each other.
- Third-party dependencies
- Each library and component, whether a version for modern .NET exists, and what could replace it if not.
- What moves easily
- Business logic, data access and other code that usually converts with modest changes.
- What has no equivalent
- Web Forms pages, WCF services and other Framework-only technology that has to be replaced, with the options for each.
- A staged plan
- The order in which to move things so the application stays in service, with each stage sized.
- Which stages suit a fixed price
- The stages defined well enough to quote at a fixed price, and those that need an unknown resolved first.
How the assessment runs
A short call
You tell us what the application does, what prompted the question and what you need to be able to decide.
Access
You give us read access to the source code and, where possible, to the build and hosting set-up.
Analysis
We build the solution, run automated compatibility analysis and read by hand the areas that tools cannot judge.
Report
A written report with a summary for decision-makers, the inventory and the staged plan.
Walk-through
A call to go through the plan and answer questions.
What moves the price
- Size of the solution and the number of separate applications.
- The number of third-party components that need individual investigation.
- Mixed technology in one system, such as Web Forms, WCF and desktop clients together.
Not included
- Carrying out the migration. Each stage is quoted separately once you have decided how to proceed.
- A review of security, backups and hosting. Those are covered by the code audit.
- Database and operating system upgrades, although the report records their support status.
A good fit when
- The application is on .NET Framework and you want to know what moving to modern .NET would involve before committing to it.
- You are on an older .NET version, such as .NET 6 or .NET 8, and need to reach the current long-term support release.
- You need a sized plan for a budget or a board decision.
- A library or hosting platform you depend on is dropping support for your version.
Probably not for you if
- You do not hold the source code.
- You want a general view of the system's condition, including security, backups and hosting. That is the code audit.
- The application is on .NET Framework 4.8, stable and rarely changed. Staying put is a reasonable decision and you may not need an assessment to make it.
Questions we are asked
Do we have to migrate after the assessment?
No. One possible conclusion is that the application should stay on .NET Framework 4.8, which is still supported. If that is our view, the report says so.
Do we have to use CodeFirst for the migration?
No. The report is yours and is written so that any competent .NET team could follow the plan.
How is this different from the code audit?
The audit looks at the condition of the whole system: security, backups, hosting, code quality and ownership. The assessment answers one question in depth: what it would take to move to current .NET, in what order and at what size.
Can the migration itself be done at a fixed price?
Often, one stage at a time. The report says which stages are defined well enough to fix a price for and which need an unknown resolved first.
Which version of .NET would we move to?
The current long-term support release, which is .NET 10. It is supported until November 2028.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.