First the migration tool failed. Today the industry solution is called SKAI 4.
How ODYSYS AG did not port its established .NET desktop solution D3, but reimagined it, and why this path pays off for vendors of industry solutions.
A successful industry solution that reached its limits.
ODYSYS AG has been developing software for the crane and heavy-load industry for over 25 years: planning, dispatch, control and order processing for equipment and vehicle rental. The central product is the industry solution D3, developed in .NET, established in the market, functionally deep, grown over years.
But D3 is a desktop application. Customers increasingly expected what they know from other applications: access through the browser, modern interfaces, location-independent work. Exactly the situation many software vendors know: the software earns money, but yesterday’s technology slows down tomorrow’s business.
The first attempt: the migration tool. Failed.
ODYSYS took the path many take first: getting the existing desktop application to the web as quickly as possible with a migration tool. The attempt failed.
Many share the experience behind it: a tool translates technology, but it reimagines nothing. Twenty years of grown desktop screens do not get better in the browser, only rendered differently. Processes, interaction concepts and business model stay where they were.
Does that sound familiar? For exactly this situation there is our Legacy Future-Check: 749.00 €, with a results guarantee.
To the Legacy to Innovation journey →Reimagined, in stages. Here is how it went.
Architecture sparring
The entry point was not a large project, but ongoing sparring: together with the ODYSYS team we analyzed the architecture, modules and dependencies of D3 and defined the order in which modernization delivers value.
Our architecture sparring →The desktop-web hybrid PoC
Before investing heavily, a proof of concept proved feasibility: the new web application and the existing WinForms application run together as a hybrid. Customers keep working without interruption while SKAI 4 grows module by module.
Our PoC offer →AI-supported generation of the web screens
Instead of rebuilding hundreds of screens by hand, we generate the new web interfaces with AI support following our AI Assisted Software Engineering process: with architecture guidelines, reviews and quality assurance, no reckless prompting. That makes the rebuild economical where it would once have been unaffordable.
Delivery in stages: SKAI 4 takes shape
Today we develop SKAI 4 continuously: Blazor and ASP.NET Core instead of WinForms, processes instead of rebuilt paper forms. Every stage ends with working software that ODYSYS can show and sell to its customers. That way the modernization pays for itself.
Delivery in stages →Business-model sparring
For us, modernization is not a pure technology exercise: with ODYSYS we discussed pricing and licensing models, shaped the module cut and shortened the feature lead time to the customer. No migration tool offers that.
An industry solution with a future, and a partnership with substance.
“With Quality Bytes we had a partner who was technically deep in the matter, who thought along with us and stayed on board after the release.”
Our founder now sits on the supervisory board of ODYSYS AG
Trust can hardly be shown more strongly: we do not only advise on architecture, at our customer ODYSYS our founder sits on the supervisory board.
By the way: it all started with an app.
The entry point into the collaboration was not a large modernization contract, but the D3 driver app, in use by over 1,000 drivers every day today. To the driver app case study →
The first step costs 749.00 €, or nothing.
If your industry solution is in a similar situation, the Legacy Future-Check is your entry point: a clear recommendation on how to move forward with your software. With a results guarantee: a recommendation or free of charge.
Request the Future-Check · 749.00 €Ready for 30 minutes that create clarity?
30 minutes, free, no obligation. You’ll talk to someone who understands your software. In the end you’ll know whether we’re the right fit. If not, we’ll tell you openly.
Quality Bytes GmbH · Brunnenstraße 21 · 53498 Bad Breisig
+49 2633 4899 430 · info@qualitybytes.de