AI-assisted application modernization
Your legacy systems pass the torch without losing the knowledge. RELÈVE modernizes your legacy applications (COBOL, PowerBuilder, VB6, Delphi, MS Access, older Java) by combining generative AI, validation by senior architects and traceable governance. Starting point: a 4-week, fixed-price Diagnostic with no commitment to what comes next.
The situation
Your legacy systems: essential, yet holding you back
Years of investment, business-critical processes, and technical debt that grows every quarter. Four signals show up in almost every organization we meet.
Scarce skills
COBOL, PowerBuilder, VB6, Delphi, MS Access, older Java: the experts are retiring and the market is not replacing them.
Undocumented knowledge
Business rules live in the code and in the heads of a few people. Every departure is an irreversible loss.
Rising costs and risks
Maintenance keeps getting more expensive, security is hard to guarantee, and compliance is increasingly difficult to demonstrate.
A brake on growth
Integrations that cannot be built, data locked in, new markets out of reach: change is no longer an option, it is an obligation.
Our conviction
AI speeds up the work. People guarantee the quality.
Generative AI tools read, document and translate old code at unprecedented speed. But a successful modernization is not measured in generated lines: it is measured in business rules preserved, compliance demonstrated and teams that take ownership of the result. RELÈVE combines three inseparable ingredients.
Artificial intelligence
Accelerated analysis, documentation and code generation across the whole application portfolio.
Human expertise
Critical validation by architects and business analysts at every phase. Our experts keep the decision.
Structured governance
End-to-end traceability, auditability and compliance, from initial analysis to testing.
The RELÈVE offer
A controlled path to the systems you need next
Three service streams, adapted to each client’s maturity and application portfolio. They can be combined or taken separately.
Core systems modernization
1
AI-assisted rewriting (Delphi, PowerBuilder, VB6, COBOL to modern stacks)
2
Rehosting or replatforming depending on the chosen scenario
3
Reverse engineering to recover lost business rules
Application integration
1
Connect your applications without changing existing structures
2
APIs, events and secure data exchanges
3
Controlled coexistence during the transition
Application portfolio management
1
Automated inventory and documentation of the portfolio
2
Prioritization by value, risk and effort
3
Multi-year roadmap and governance
A 7-step approach, validated by people
AI is used where it adds the most: discovery, documentation, generation and testing. Our experts keep the decision at every step.
Every AI-generated deliverable goes through documented human validation before it is committed. No blind cutover.
Discovery
Inventory, analysis and documentation of existing systems.
Strategy
Target architecture and scenario validation.
Plan
Delivery priorities and project governance.
Generation
AI-accelerated code, reviewed line by line by our experts.
Quality assurance
Validation of quality, compliance, security and performance, with automated testing.
Deployment
Preparation and support through go-live.
Post-implementation
Knowledge transfer and operational continuity.
The results
What RELÈVE changes for you
Less risk, more speed, and knowledge that stays inside the organization.
Reduced risk
A documented, governed approach validated at every step. Every scenario is tested before it is committed.
Acceleration without compromise
AI absorbs the repetitive analysis and translation; our experts focus their time on the validations that matter.
Knowledge preserved
The business rules and technical expertise buried in your systems are captured and documented before they are lost.
Full traceability
From initial analysis to compliance testing, every decision and every generated line is auditable.
Security and sovereignty
Your data stays under your control
Three deployment modes, one governance and security framework. You choose where the AI tools run; code and data never leave the agreed perimeter.
Three deployment modes
1
Your sovereign environment
The AI tools run on your premises; code and data never leave your perimeter.
2
Your approved AI environments
We work inside the platforms your organization has already authorized, such as dedicated cloud instances.
3
PlanAxion-managed environment
An isolated workspace, built to your security and compliance criteria, to get started quickly.
RELÈVE governance framework
Shared by all three modes
Regulatory compliance
Included
Control of sensitive data
Included
Full traceability of the work
Included
Auditable processes
Included
Automated and human validations
Included
Alignment with your internal standards
Included
Trajectories
From legacy to sustainable platforms
Examples of trajectories we support. Every target is chosen with you, never imposed.
Source technologies
Starting point
COBOL and mainframe
PowerBuilder
Delphi
Visual Basic 6
MS Access
Older Java and .NET
Proprietary databases
Modernization targets
Chosen with you
Languages
Modern Java, .NET, Python, TypeScript
Architecture
APIs and microservices
Hosting
Cloud (Azure, AWS, GCP) or sovereign
Data
Modern relational databases
Interfaces
Web and mobile
Delivery
DevOps, CI/CD and automated testing
Living documentation generated and maintained throughout the engagement, then handed over to your teams.
Why PlanAxion
The rigour of large integrators, the agility of a human-scale firm
PlanAxion Solutions is an independent IT advisory firm based in Montréal. Each of our partners brings more than 25 years of experience in solution architecture, ERP and technology project management.
Proximity and commitment
A leadership team involved in every engagement, fast decisions, a direct relationship. Not an anonymous service centre.
A pool of qualified experts
Our consultant placement practice gives fast access to rare profiles: architects, business analysts, specialists in older technologies.
Applied AI, already proven
Our AI Workshop helps organizations prioritize their AI use cases in 4 weeks. RELÈVE is its natural extension.
Bilingual, here and abroad
Delivered in French and English, from Montréal, for organizations in Québec, across Canada and internationally.
Where to start
The RELÈVE Diagnostic: 4 weeks to decide with full knowledge
A short, low-risk engagement that delivers concrete value, whether you continue with us or not.
W1
Week 1: scoping
Interviews, access to source code, inventory of the scope.
W2
Weeks 2 and 3: AI-assisted analysis
Automated code documentation, mapping of business rules and dependencies.
W4
Week 4: recommendations
Costed modernization scenarios, risks, roadmap and estimate.
You leave with
5 deliverables
1
Up-to-date documentation of your application
2
A map of your critical business rules
3
2 to 3 modernization scenarios compared
4
A roadmap and a budget order of magnitude
5
A modernization prototype on a targeted module
Duration: 4 weeks. Fixed price. No commitment to what follows.
Frequently asked questions
What to know about AI-assisted application modernization
Straight answers on the method, the role of AI, data security and where to start.
What is AI-assisted application modernization?
Does AI replace the architects and analysts?
Where do the AI tools run and what happens to our data?
How long does the RELÈVE Diagnostic take and what does it deliver?
Do we have to commit to the next phase after the Diagnostic?
How are lost business rules recovered?
Do you work in French and English?
What is the difference between rewriting, rehosting and replatforming?
Next step
Let’s pass the torch together
A 45-minute conversation is enough to understand your application portfolio and priorities. Then the RELÈVE Diagnostic documents, maps and proposes scenarios in 4 weeks. You choose the trajectory, with us or with the deliverables in hand.
Three steps, no imposed commitment
1
45-minute conversation: understand your application portfolio and priorities
2
RELÈVE Diagnostic: 4 weeks to document, map and propose scenarios
3
Informed decision: you choose the trajectory, with us or with the deliverables in hand