Cloud & Infrastructure
Legacy Application Hosting
Many organizations depend on software that cannot move to SaaS right now. Mayer Networks can host appropriate legacy applications in its private cloud so you can retire aging physical servers while you plan application modernization properly.
Why the application is still here
The software is not the problem. The timing is.
No SaaS version exists
The vendor never shipped one, or the cloud version is missing features the organization relies on.
Replacement is years away
A migration project is planned and funded, just not this year.
Wired into process
The application is tied into workflow, reporting and integrations built around it over a decade.
The hardware is failing now
The server is out of warranty and the software decision is not ready to be made.
What we host
The applications that keep one server alive
ERP and accounting
Financial and resource-planning systems tied to a Windows server and a database the vendor specifies.
Government applications
County and municipal records, assessment, permitting and specialized state systems.
Practice management
Healthcare and legal practice systems whose vendors support one server version and no other.
Manufacturing software
Production, scheduling and shop-floor systems that predate anything resembling a cloud version.
Custom software
Applications written years ago for this organization specifically, and still essential to it.
Remote desktop delivery
Users reach the hosted application through a desktop or published-application session rather than a VPN.
The outcome
Keep the application. Retire the hardware.
An organization moves email to Microsoft 365, files to SharePoint and collaboration to Teams, then discovers one application still requires a Windows Server. That single application becomes the reason a physical server stays in the building, along with its power, cooling, warranty and eventual replacement cost.
Hosting the application environment breaks that link. The hardware risk goes away now, and the replacement decision gets made when the business is ready rather than when a disk fails.
- No server replacement quote
- No closet full of production hardware
- Backup and recovery designed in
- Remote access without a VPN detour
- Multi-location access to one environment
- Monitoring and patching underneath
How we treat it
A bridge, not a hiding place.
Contained, not exposed
The application runs on the platform it requires, segmented from general traffic, with access controlled and logged.
Recovery tested against the application
Backups are validated against the application and its database rather than the file system alone.
Reviewed over time
We host an application as long as it can be run at an acceptable level of risk, and we revisit that assessment with you.
Where an application presents unreasonable risk, or requires an unsupported operating system or specialized hardware we cannot accommodate, we say so and propose alternatives instead of accepting the work.
Vendor coordination
Your software vendor keeps supporting the software.
Many line-of-business vendors require specific infrastructure, and they are entitled to. We confirm the vendor's position on a hosted deployment before migrating, then build to the Windows Server version, database, storage, memory, networking and remote-access requirements they state.
Confirmed before we move
The vendor's supported-deployment position is checked first, not discovered afterwards.
Built to their requirements
Platform version, database, sizing and access are provisioned to the vendor's stated guidance.
A clean boundary
The vendor supports the application. Mayer Networks supports the infrastructure underneath it.
How it is delivered
Part of Infrastructure as a Service
Can legacy software be moved to the cloud?
Often yes. Applications that run on supported Windows Server versions can usually be hosted and delivered through Remote Desktop. Applications requiring unsupported operating systems or specialized hardware need individual evaluation.
Will hosting our old application make it secure?
Hosting improves the infrastructure around the application, power, redundancy, backup, monitoring and access control. It does not fix vulnerabilities inside outdated software, which is why hosting is a bridge rather than a permanent answer.
Will the software vendor support a hosted deployment?
Many do. We confirm the vendor's position before migrating.
What about applications needing special hardware?
Devices such as dongles, scanners or serial equipment require evaluation; some can be accommodated and some cannot.
How long can we host a legacy application?
As long as it can be operated at an acceptable level of risk. We review that assessment with clients over time.
The Application Can Stay. The Server Does Not Have To.
Mayer Networks will review whether your application can be hosted safely, confirm the vendor's position and give you a realistic migration window.