Software maintenance services and application support
We take responsibility for bespoke business software that is already in service: keeping it secure, fixing what breaks and improving it steadily, whether or not we built it.
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 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. 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.
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.
From £450 a month
We respond by the next working day
- 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.
From £950 a month
We respond the same working day
- 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.
From £1,900 a month
We respond within two working hours for critical faults
- 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
Prices exclude VAT and depend on the size and condition of 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.
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.
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
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.