VB6 migration services for business future-proofing
Why choose VB6 migration?
Visual Basic version 6.0 is a programming language and environment by Microsoft, first pioneered in 1998.
Back then, Visual Basic was among the most popular technologies for building Windows-based applications. Simple syntax, the not-so-steep learning curve, drag-and-drop capabilities, and familiar, BASIC-like scripting Visual Basic has brought to the table attracted programming beginners and masters.
But gone are the glory days of the programming language that’s behind most large enterprise applications.
Reasons for migrating from VB6 to .NET
Discontinued support
One reason business leaders are now moving towards VB6 to .NET migration is the discontinued support.
Visual Basic’s mainline support was terminated in 2008, which means no updates, no patches, no bug-fixing. Security vulnerabilities, compatibility issues, bug accumulation, talent shortage, and many other challenges – the consequences are serious.
Obsolete stack
Another reason strategic leaders increasingly approach VB to NET conversion is the obsolete technology.
Visual Basic’s tech stack is from the 1990s – the world has since greatly evolved and introduced better options. Multi-threading capabilities, cross-platform support, OOP, LINQ, memory management, garbage collection – these and other features aren’t available if you still rely on outdated programming languages.
Security risks
Security hazards are another serious problem that pushes more companies to migrate VB6 to .NET code.
The challenges VB6 applications might cause typically include:
- Increased probability of experiencing data breaches & leakage
- Reduced support for modern encryption protocols
- No fixes for known security vulnerabilities
- Viruses, worms, malware, phishing, insider threats, password attacks, and other common threats
- Not supported third-party components
- Regulatory non-compliance
Compatibility issues
Last but not least, compatibility shortcomings are also bringing companies to migrate VB6 to C# or .NET code.
The challenges VB6 applications are sharing generally include:
- No compatibility with modern Windows versions
- No compatibility with modern cloud solutions
- More problems with modern UI frameworks and resolutions
- More issues with modern APIs integration
- Troublesome virtualization and containerization
- Difficult maintenance
Visual Basic migration process
- Project discovery:
- Legacy assessment to understand application size and complexity
- Scope assessment to understand the budget and timeline, tasks, roles, and more
- Project planning:
- Migration planning to agree on resources, risk management, and other key processes
- Technology selection to decide on architecture
- Environment preparation
- Code conversion:
- We migrate VB6 code, in particular by using an automated VB6 to C# or .NET converter
- We refactor VB6 code to align with current best practices
- Data access layer migration
- API integration and management
- Thorough testing
- Application deployment
- Post-deployment support and maintenance
- Performance monitoring and optimization
Visual Basic migration services
Architecture redesign
VB6 applications have monolithic, tightly-coupled architectures, which means limited flexibility and scalability. When providing architecture redesign, we handle architecture rethinking and restructuring to align with the .NET environments, which favors loosely-coupled designs, in particular architecture layering and microservices.
We cover:
- Architecture assessment and analysis
- Architecture formulation and concurrent concern separation (business logic, data access, and more)
- Pattern selection (MVC, MVVM, or microservices)
- Architecture design prioritizing maintainability, flexibility, scalability, and performance
Database migration
Being a VB migration partner company, we can also convert database infrastructure from older legacy systems.
We provide:
- Schema analysis
- Schema conversion
- Index and key migration
- Procedure and trigger migration
- Database testing
- Performance optimization
UI/UX modernization
We redesign the application’s user interface to improve overall accessibility and enhance user experience.
We provide:
- Visual design
- Interaction design
- Responsive design
- User-centered updates
- Accessibility adjustments
- Performance optimization
Codebase migration, code refactoring and optimization
Codebase migration is performed to convert the application either into .NET equivalents or functional C# code. Further refactoring and optimization are introduced to ensure the application follows modern best practices and performs as expected.
We deliver:
- Code reusability
- Code readability and clarity
- Better maintainability
- Greater reliability and stability
Data migration
Part of VB6 migration services provided, we can also transfer essential information in older, outdated formats to more modern systems.
We provide:
- Data mapping
- Data ETL
- Data cleansing
- Data validation
- Data dependencies
- Error handling
Cloud migration
We re-host and re-architect the application to run in the cloud environment and provide better availability, flexibility, scalability, and maintenance.
We provide:
- Security configuration
- Network configuration
- Cloud deployment
- Cloud-based backup and recovery
- Load balancing
- Auto-scaling setup
AWARDS & PARTNERSHIPS
Why choose Abto Software
Broad recognition
Abto Software, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has been repeatedly nominated and awarded by reviewers including Clutch, Techreviewer, TopDevelopers, Selected Firms, Design Rush, and other well-known platforms.
Happy clients
Most clients, making up an impressive 94%, would partner with us once more – check out our rating on Clutch.
Skilled talent
We employ over 70 software developers with expertise in delivering .NET services, in particular:
- A complete VB6 rewrite
- A gradual VB6 migration
- Architecture refactoring
- Hybrid migration to introduce modern components
- Web-based re-platforming
- Cloud-based migration
and everything in between.
A proven track record
On the playing field since 2007, we designed and delivered over 200 .NET projects, in particular:
- A modernized belt-drive system engineering toolkit
- A cleantech’s renewable energy community network
- A platform for fighting child abuse
- A solution for medical practice management
and other .NET applications that attract through performance, flexibility, scalability, and security.
Abto Software’s technology stack
- ASP.NET Core
- WCF
- WinForms
- Dapper
- SignalR
- Entity Core
- WPF
- Xamarin
- Hangfire
- NHibernate
- .NET Framework
- .NET Core & 5+
- Azure Functions
- AWS Lambda
- Azure API Gateway
- Amazon API Gateway
- Azure Kubernetes
- Jenkins CI/CD
- Azure App
- Amazon Kubernetes
- Docker containers
- Amazon EC2
- ASP.NET Core
- WCF
- WinForms
- Dapper
- SignalR
- Entity Core
- WPF
- Xamarin
- Hangfire
- NHibernate
- .NET Framework
- .NET Core & 5+
- Azure Functions
- AWS Lambda
- Azure API Gateway
- Amazon API Gateway
- Azure Kubernetes
- Jenkins CI/CD
- Azure App
- Amazon Kubernetes
- Docker containers
- Amazon EC2
Got questions?
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Get in touch with Abto Software!FAQ
How much does a VB6 migration usually cost?
The budget of the migration project usually depends on several different factors, in particular:
- Codebase size and complexity
- Involved applications and modules
- Data migration
- Codebase maintenance during migration
- Vendor fees
- Licensing cost
- Additional features and improvements
- Post-migration support and maintenance
How long does a VB6 conversion typically take?
The timeline of the migration project, quite similar, also depends on multiple different factors:
- Codebase size and complexity
- Functional changes during migration
- Resource availability
- Third-party integrations and dependencies
- Data complexity
- Tool quality
- Project management and coordination
- Unforeseen issues and bottlenecks
- User training
- Post-migration stabilization and debugging
Can you migrate custom-built VB6 components?
In some specific cases, you need to rewrite the components in another, more modern programming language. But, alternatively, you might also wrap the components by using interoperability tools for compatibility, although that’s only temporarily.
Some considerations worth mentioning:
- Custom components (for example, ActiveX controls) may not be compatible with the .NET framework and newer Windows versions
- Custom components may have third-party dependencies on already outdated libraries
- The core business logic in most custom components can be often reused, but a successful migration might involve additional rearchitecting
- Custom components often require extensive testing to ensure proper function
What are the best target platforms?
The most commonly selected target platform is the .NET framework, and that’s due to:
- Multi-threading capabilities
- Cross-platform support (.NET Core, .NET 5/6/7)
- OOP & LINQ support
- Cross-language interoperability
- Asynchronous coding (async/await)
- Exception handling (try-catch-finally)
And many other features, entirely transforming both the programming experience and the final performance.
Telephone No.16502504555