Application support and maintenance services for bespoke software
Application support and maintenance for bespoke software means one team that fixes faults when they happen and does the planned work that stops them: security and platform updates, upgrades before support dates pass, monitoring, tested backups and small changes. We hold that responsibility for IT teams under a monthly arrangement with a scope agreed in writing, for systems we built and for systems we did not.
What happens each month
Maintenance is a loop. The same five activities repeat whether or not anything has gone wrong, which is how problems get caught early.
Software does not stop needing attention
A business system that works is easy to ignore. It was paid for years ago, people know how to use it, and nothing appears to be wrong. Meanwhile the platform underneath it ages. The database version goes out of support, a browser update breaks a screen, the server operating system stops receiving security fixes, and the one person who understood the code moves on.
Maintenance is the work of stopping that drift. Done properly it is mostly invisible: the system keeps working, small problems are dealt with before they become outages, and when the business needs a change there is someone who knows the code well enough to make it safely.
Application support and maintenance in one arrangement
Some suppliers sell application support, meaning a help desk that responds to faults, separately from maintenance, meaning the planned work of updates and upkeep. We do not split them. A team that only reacts never gets ahead of the faults, and a team that only does planned work is not there when something breaks.
What application support and maintenance includes
Every arrangement covers the same ground; the plans differ in response times and in how much change work is included.
- Fault diagnosis and fixes, with recurring faults given a permanent repair
- Security and platform updates to frameworks, libraries, servers and databases
- Upgrades planned before a component reaches the end of its support
- Monitoring of errors and slow-downs from logs, so problems are seen before users report them
- Backups that are tested by restoring them, not just taken
- Small changes: new fields, reports, rule changes and integrations
- Database care for SQL Server: indexing, query tuning, growth and maintenance jobs
- Documentation of how the system is built, released and monitored, kept current
- Accounts, servers and domains held in your name, with a record of who has access
- A monthly summary of what was done and what we recommend next
Response times are agreed by plan and by the severity of the fault, and written into your support agreement after the assessment. Severity is defined by its effect on the business, not its technical cause, so whoever reports a fault can class it without knowing the code. Our page on how we run a system we support sets out the severity levels, the release process, the monitoring and the monthly report.
In continuous service since 2014
The longest-running system we support is OpenIRIS, the booking and billing system for shared research equipment that we have developed and supported for the Friedrich Miescher Institute since 2014. In the 12 months to October 2026 it handled more than 690,000 bookings by more than 20,000 researchers across over 550 research facilities. It is maintained the way we maintain every system: work in weekly sprints, an automated test suite that runs every night, and production errors and performance monitored, while it is moved to a new platform one feature at a time.
What we take responsibility for
We act as the technical owner of the system. That means we know how it is built, how it is released and what it depends on, and we are the people you call when something is wrong. It also means we tell you what is coming: a component nearing the end of its support, a database that will outgrow its server, a part of the code that is becoming expensive to change.
Support and upkeep are covered by a monthly arrangement with a scope agreed in writing. Response times and hours of cover are written into a service level agreement; our guide to what a software service level agreement should include explains what to look for in one. Larger pieces of work, such as a version upgrade or a new module, are scoped and priced separately so that you can see what each one costs before agreeing to it.
Systems we did not build
Most of the software we maintain was written by another supplier, an in-house team or a single developer who has since left. We are used to arriving without documentation and with only partial knowledge of how the system is deployed.
Access, credentials and any personal data in the system are handled as our security page describes, under a data processing agreement.
We do not start by changing things. We start by making sure the system can be built from its source code, released in a controlled way and restored from a backup. Once those three things are proven, fixing and improving it becomes routine. Our takeover process explains the steps.
When maintenance is not enough
Sometimes the assessment shows that parts of a system are beyond economic repair: built on a platform with no upgrade route, or so tangled that every change breaks something else. When that happens we say so, and set out the options for modernising it in stages while it stays in use. If you want a view before speaking to anyone, our ten-question check gives a first answer.
Talk to us
Describe the system and what you need. You will hear back from someone who can answer technical questions.
Discuss your maintenance needs 0800 433 7990What a maintenance arrangement covers
- Fault diagnosis and fixes
- When something breaks we find the cause, fix it and release the fix. Recurring faults get a permanent repair, not another patch.
- Security and platform updates
- Frameworks, libraries, servers and databases are kept on supported versions, so security fixes keep arriving.
- Monitoring and backups
- Errors and slow-downs are picked up from logs and monitoring before users report them, and backups are tested by restoring them.
- Small changes and improvements
- New fields, reports, rule changes and integrations are handled as part of the arrangement or quoted individually, as you prefer.
- Database care
- Index and query tuning, growth management and maintenance jobs for SQL Server databases, including very large ones.
- Documentation that stays current
- Build instructions, release steps and system notes are kept up to date, so the system never again depends on one person's memory.
Support plans
Three levels of cover. The right one depends on how much the business loses when the system is down, which we work out with you after the assessment.
Essential
Keep it safe and running.
Fits A stable system that changes rarely but has to stay secure and working.
Priced after assessment
We respond By severity, as set in your support agreement
- Security and platform updates
- Fault diagnosis and fixes
- Monitoring, with backups tested by restoring them
- Documentation kept current
Standard
Keep it running and keep it moving.
Fits A system in daily use that needs regular small changes.
Priced after assessment
We respond By severity, as set in your support agreement
- Everything in Essential
- An agreed amount of change work each month
- A monthly report of what was done and what we recommend
- Database tuning and capacity checks
Priority
For systems the business cannot run without.
Fits A system where an hour of downtime stops orders, production or payments.
Priced after assessment
We respond By severity, as set in your support agreement
- Everything in Standard
- Out-of-hours cover for critical faults, by agreement
- A quarterly review of risks and upcoming end-of-support dates
- A named engineer who knows the system
By the end of the first month
- The system has been built from its source code, and a change released to prove it
- A backup has been restored, not just taken
- Accounts, servers and domains are in your name, with a record of who has access
- A written note of how the system is built, released and monitored
- A list of risks in priority order, including anything nearing the end of its support
The terms
- Month to month. Change plan or cancel with 30 days' notice.
- If you are not satisfied in the first 30 days, tell us and we refund that month's fee.
- The code, accounts and documentation are yours throughout.
- Larger changes are quoted separately, before any work starts.
Response times by severity
A response means someone who knows the system has started work on the problem. Severity is set by the effect on the business, so whoever reports a fault can class it without knowing the code. The response time for each level is written into your support agreement, after the assessment, so that we only commit to cover we can deliver.
| Severity | What it means | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | The system cannot be used, or data is being lost or exposed. | Nobody can log in, or orders are not being saved. |
| Major | An important function has failed, but there is a way round it. | Invoices will not print, but can be exported and sent by hand. |
| Minor | Something is wrong or awkward, and work carries on normally. | A report column is misaligned, or a message is misleading. |
| Request | A question, or a small change the business would like. | Add a field to a screen, or explain how a figure is calculated. |
Cover is Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm UK time. Out-of-hours cover for critical faults is available by agreement. Response times are confirmed in your support agreement.
How an arrangement starts
Assessment
We review the code, hosting, data and release process and report what we found, including anything that needs attention before we can safely support it.
Handover
Access, accounts and backups are brought under your ownership and we prove we can build and release the system.
Agreed scope
We agree in writing what is supported, how to raise a problem, how quickly we respond and what counts as separate work.
Steady state
A monthly arrangement covers support and upkeep. You get a regular summary of what was done and what we recommend next.
Low risk to try
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First month refunded
If you are not satisfied in the first 30 days of a support plan, tell us and we refund that month's fee.
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30 days' notice
Support plans run month to month. Change plan or leave with 30 days' notice, with no minimum term.
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Priced before we start
Every piece of work is quoted in writing before any chargeable work starts. Nothing is added to the bill without your agreement.
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You own everything
The code, the accounts, the hosting and the documentation are in your name, and kept so another team could take over.
What that means in practice
A good fit when
- The system is bespoke and the business depends on it every day.
- The original developer or supplier is no longer available, or no longer responsive.
- You want one accountable team for faults, updates and changes.
- You expect to keep the system for some years and want it to stay current.
Probably not for you if
- You need help with a packaged product such as Sage or Dynamics; its vendor or reseller is the right place.
- You need general IT support for PCs, email and networks.
- You have no access to the source code and no means of obtaining it.
“Improved performance, resilience and reduced costs. What a way to start what is now a long-standing relationship.”
Questions we are asked
What is application support and maintenance?
Application support is responding when something goes wrong with a business application or a user needs help with it. Application maintenance is the planned work that keeps it healthy: security and platform updates, upgrades before support dates pass, monitoring, backups and small changes. For a bespoke system the two belong together under one agreement with response times, hours of cover and an agreed scope.
Will you maintain software that another company built?
Yes. Most of the systems we maintain were built by someone else. We start with an assessment so that both sides know what state the system is in before we take responsibility for it.
What does software maintenance cost?
It depends on the size and condition of the system and how quickly you need us to respond. After the assessment we quote a fixed monthly fee for an agreed scope, with larger changes priced separately.
What is the difference between software maintenance and application support?
The terms overlap and suppliers use them loosely. Application support usually means responding when something goes wrong or a user needs help. Software maintenance is the planned work that keeps the system healthy: updates, security fixes, performance and small changes. Our arrangement covers both, because one without the other leaves gaps.
What should a software maintenance agreement include?
The systems covered, the hours of cover, how to raise a problem, response times by severity, what counts as a change and is charged separately, who owns the code and accounts, and how either side can end the arrangement. Ask to see how the supplier would hand the system back.
Do you offer a service level agreement?
Yes. Response times, hours of cover and escalation are written into the agreement. We only commit to cover we can deliver, so the terms are set after the assessment.
What if we do not have any documentation?
That is common. Part of the takeover is producing the documentation that should have existed: how to build the system, how to release it, what it connects to and where the risks are.
Can we end the arrangement?
Yes. Plans run month to month and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. The code, accounts and documentation are yours throughout, and kept in a state another team could pick up.
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.