Retiring, or moving on from systems you built?
If you are a developer or a small supplier with clients who depend on software you wrote, we can take those systems on. Your clients are looked after, and you stop being the person who is called when something breaks.
The systems nobody else knows
A lot of business software in this country is looked after by one person. You built an Access database for a client fifteen years ago, or a stock system in VB6, or a web application that has run quietly ever since. The client relies on it and relies on you, and there is nobody else who understands it.
That is a responsibility, and it does not end neatly. Retirement, a new job or simply wanting your evenings back all leave the same question: who looks after these systems now?
What we do
Taking over software that someone else built is the centre of our work. We are used to systems with no documentation, written in technology most firms no longer touch, and we do not start by telling the client to rewrite everything. We start by making sure the system can be built, released and restored, and then we keep it running.
We would much rather take a system over from the person who wrote it than after they have gone. An afternoon with you is worth weeks of reading code.
What your clients get
A team, so their system no longer depends on one person. Ownership of their own code, accounts and documentation. A support plan with a published price and a written scope. And the option to leave: everything we produce is kept in a state another team could pick up.
What you get
The knowledge that people who trusted you have been left in good hands. A handover on your terms, at the pace you choose. An introduction fee for each client who moves to a support plan with us, and payment for your handover time if you want it, both agreed in writing before any introduction is made.
How a handover works
A conversation in confidence
You tell us about the systems and the clients, in general terms. Nothing is said to anyone until you decide it should be.
You introduce us, and the client decides
Each client chooses whether to move. Some will want a call with us first, and some will want a code audit so they know what they are handing over.
Handover
You walk an engineer through how each system is built and released and where the awkward corners are. We write it down, and prove we can build and release the system before you step back.
You step back at your own pace
Some people want a clean break on a set date. Others stay available for questions for a while. Either is fine, and it is agreed at the start.
Questions we are asked
Do you buy the business?
No. We do not buy companies or client lists. Each client decides for themselves whether to move, and their agreement is with us directly.
Is there anything in it for me?
Yes. We pay an introduction fee for each client who moves to a support plan with us, and we pay for your time during the handover if you want to be paid for it. Both are agreed in writing before any introduction is made.
Will you take on a system in any condition?
We will look at any system. Every takeover starts with an assessment, and if a system cannot be supported safely as it stands we tell the client what would need to change first.
Most of my clients are on old technology. Is that a problem?
No. Older Microsoft technology is most of what we work on: Access, VB6, Classic ASP, Web Forms, .NET Framework and SQL Server.
Can I hand over some clients and keep others?
Yes. You can also start with one and see how it goes.
I am not retiring. Can I still refer a client I cannot help?
Yes. If a client needs more than you want to take on, or works in something you do not, introduce us in the same way.
What will my clients pay?
Our support plans and their prices are published, so they can see the figures before they speak to us.
Thinking about stepping back?
Tell us roughly what you look after and when you would like to stop. The conversation is in confidence and commits you to nothing.