Modernization
APIs and user interface: open your system without rewriting the core
When the core works but the screens are old or the system can't integrate with anything, rewriting is not always where to start. We open the system with documented APIs and build the new interface on top.
The problem
An isolated system holds everything else back
Without APIs, every integration is solved with files, double data entry or direct database access. The old interface makes it hard to work from a phone or outside the office, and every new channel ends up as another patch.
How we do it
From a closed system to a connectable one
APIs on the current system
Documented APIs are designed on top of the existing rules and data, with access control and usage logging.
A new interface per workflow
The web or mobile interface is built workflow by workflow, starting with the one your team uses most.
Integration with other systems
The APIs connect the system with the ERP, portals, customer applications or AI agents, without direct database access.
A path to migration
With the APIs as a boundary, core modules can be replaced later without the new channels noticing.
In our own migration, the new system ended up with 581 API operations.
Illustrative scenario
A field-service system that needs an app for technicians
Imagine a desktop service-order system and field technicians who today report by phone so someone in the office can enter the data.
- The order, assignment and closing rules the system already applies are specified.
- An API is published to query, assign and close orders, with role-based permissions.
- A mobile web application for technicians is built on that API.
- The current system keeps running in the office while you decide whether its modules get migrated later.
Illustrative scenario: A hypothetical example to explain the method: it does not describe a client or a measured result.
What you keep
A system that can be connected
Documented APIs, a new interface and a clear boundary for continuing to modernize module by module.
Frequently asked questions
Do the APIs change my current system?
As little as possible. They rely on the existing rules and data and are tested against current behavior.
Can it be used to connect AI agents?
Yes. A well-governed agent queries through permissioned tools, not through direct database access. See the ERP query agent.
Can I change only the interface?
Yes, as long as the rules stay in a single place. If the logic lives in the screens, it is first extracted into a specification.
Next step
Start with a measured sample: 5 to 10 screens of your system turned into a verifiable specification, with tests and an inventory of differences.