Modernisierung von Altsystemen - Wert erhalten, Hürden überwinden

For many companies, regardless of their area of operations, staying ahead of the curve means modernizing outdated systems. Many businesses, especially those with older software, are finding themselves in a tough spot. Their systems, which may have worked well in the past, are starting to show their age, becoming harder to maintain, scale, and adapt to new demands. This is especially true for companies still using legacy monolithic architectures, where all parts of an application are bundled together in one large, interconnected unit.

The challenge? These monolithic systems may have served companies well when they were at the start or operating under simpler conditions, but as businesses grow and the digital landscape changes, these old setups begin to struggle. They’re inflexible, slow to change, and prone to causing problems if one section of the system goes down. As a result, more and more organizations are turning to a new way of designing their software: microservices.

But what is a Monolithic Architecture?

A monolithic architecture is a single-tiered application where all components are interconnected and interdependent. These systems tend to grow large over time, making updates, scaling, and debugging increasingly complex. While monoliths may be efficient for small-scale applications, they can become a bottleneck for growth as they require the entire application to be deployed for any changes, leading to slow development cycles.

Ok, now what is a Microservices Architecture?

A microservices architecture is an approach that breaks down the application into smaller, loosely coupled services. Each service is responsible for a specific function of the application and can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. This approach facilitates faster iteration, enhances fault tolerance, and allows teams to use different technologies for different services, optimizing each component for its function.

Why and when should companies migrate from Monolith to Microservices architectures?

Migrating from a monolithic architecture to microservices is often driven by the need to increase scalability, flexibility, and development speed. As companies grow and their applications evolve, they often find that a monolithic architecture, where all functionalities are tightly coupled into a single codebase, can become an obstacle to further growth. Here’s why and when companies should consider this migration:

Scalability limitations: Monolithic systems are difficult to scale efficiently. If one component requires more resources, scaling the entire system becomes costly and inefficient. Microservices, on the other hand, allow for independent scaling of specific services based on demand, providing greater resource optimization and performance.
Development bottlenecks: In a monolithic system, all developers work on the same codebase, which can slow down development as the codebase becomes large and complex. Teams often face deployment delays because changes in one part of the system can impact other components. Microservices enable smaller, more focused teams to develop, test, and deploy services independently, accelerating development cycles.
Flexibility and technological diversity: Monolithic architectures are generally built using a single technology stack, which can limit the ability to adopt new technologies. In contrast, microservices allow teams to choose the best technology for each service. For example, a company might choose Node.js for a real-time component and Python for data analytics within the same system.
Faster time-to-market: Microservices enable continuous delivery and integration, allowing companies to deploy new features or updates faster. This agility is essential for industries that require constant innovation to maintain a competitive edge.
Reduced risk: Monoliths have a higher risk of system-wide failures. If one component fails, it can bring down the entire system. Microservices architectures minimize this risk by isolating failures to the affected service, thus ensuring better system resilience.

When is the right time to migrate?

When scaling becomes challenging: If your monolithic application cannot handle increased traffic or data load efficiently, it’s a good time to migrate.
When development becomes sluggish: As your codebase grows, if deployments take too long or involve too much risk, microservices can bring agility.
When there’s a need for technological flexibility: If adopting new frameworks or technologies becomes difficult due to the constraints of your monolithic system, microservices offer the flexibility needed.
When operational stability is critical: If your company’s uptime is critical, and the risk of one service failure impacting the entire application is high, microservices help isolate issues and improve system reliability.

The key is to plan the migration carefully, evaluating the specific needs and complexities of your existing architecture to ensure a smooth transition.

How to approach the migration from a Monolith to a Microservices Architecture

Successfully migrating from monolithic to microservices requires careful planning and a clear understanding of your business goals. The transition should be iterative, starting with identifying the most critical services that will benefit from being split out into microservices. Gradually, the entire system can shift to this new architecture without disrupting business operations.

At Ascendro, we specialize in guiding companies through this transition, ensuring that the migration is seamless and aligned with your long-term business objectives. Our dedicated software development team works closely with your internal teams to design and implement microservices architectures that improve scalability, enhance flexibility, and support rapid growth.

Scaling for the future – How we helped companies from manufacturing and automotive migrate from monolith to microservices

Carsharing Platform Modernization & Cloud Migration

We collaborated with a multinational automotive manufacturer to modernize their carsharing platform, transitioning from a monolithic architecture to a more agile, scalable microservices-based system on AWS. This transformation enabled the platform to seamlessly handle higher user demand, providing faster and more reliable service to users. By implementing cloud-based infrastructure, the manufacturer achieved not only significant improvements in performance but also reduced the operational costs associated with maintaining and scaling their legacy system.

The migration brought a major boost in system agility, allowing the business to quickly introduce new features and updates without disrupting service. This resulted in faster time-to-market for new functionalities and improved user experience. Furthermore, our role as the project management hub ensured effective coordination between multiple stakeholders, which was critical in maintaining the platform’s uninterrupted operation throughout the migration process.

High availability architecture transformation

With the help of our team, SciCan successfully transformed its legacy system into a high-availability (HA) infrastructure on AWS, significantly improving the application’s reliability and scalability. This migration allowed SciCan to dynamically adjust to varying levels of demand, ensuring smooth and continuous service for users. By implementing an autoscaling solution, the system can now handle higher traffic volumes without interruption, resulting in a more seamless user experience and reduced downtime.

Additionally, this increased efficiency enabled SciCan to reduce costs by optimizing resource usage, while still ensuring that their systems are prepared for future growth.

Legacy systems, particularly monolithic architectures, can become a significant barrier to growth as businesses scale and adapt to modern digital demands. The migration to microservices architectures enables our clients to meet rising demands, improve user experiences, and reduce operational costs while future-proofing their systems for continued growth.

Whether your goal is to scale more efficiently, speed up development, or enhance system resilience, we can bring our expertise and tailored solutions to the table, which help you make legacy system modernization a smooth and successful journey. Ready to take the next step? Let’s chat about how we can help modernize your systems and drive your business forward.