100% legacy systems documented and mapped
A leading North American telecommunications provider, serving tens of millions of customers, was struggling with aging core systems and a growing innovation gap. Many of its critical Business Support Systems (BSS) and Operational Support Systems (OSS) were decades old, running on legacy mainframe and monolithic architectures. Over years of rapid growth and piecemeal updates, these systems had become complex and poorly documented. Vital knowledge about their inner workings lived only in the minds of veteran engineers. This presented a serious risk – as senior experts retired or moved on, the company risked losing critical application know-how, leaving newer teams in the dark when issues arose. The diminishing legacy expertise industry-wide further exacerbated this problem, raising alarms about continuity and stability if key individuals left.
At the same time, market pressures were mounting. Customer expectations for digital, real-time services were at an all-time high, especially with the emergence of 5G, IoT and a broader industry evolution from “SIMs to Solutions”. The telecom provider needed to modernize its IT infrastructure to stay competitive – improving agility, reducing high operating costs of legacy platforms, and accelerating the rollout of new services. However, any modernization initiative seemed daunting. Leadership feared that touching the brittle legacy systems could cause downtime or service disruptions. Previous attempts to modernize had stalled due to lack of visibility into the legacy codebase and unclear ROI. Without proper documentation or insight, planning a major overhaul felt like flying blind. The challenge was clear: how to break free from legacy constraints and innovate, without putting current operations at risk. In case you want to talk to an expert
To address these challenges, the provider partnered with NexGenTek, engaging their SDLC Run Book solution – an AI-driven modernization accelerator designed to illuminate and document complex legacy systems. The approach started with a comprehensive audit of the telecom’s software landscape. NexGenTek’s team secured read-only access to the provider’s source code repositories across all major platforms (from mainframe COBOL programs to modern Java and .NET applications). Their proprietary Run Book engine then went to work: it parsed millions of lines of code across disparate systems, using artificial intelligence to automatically generate up-to-date developer documentation, detailed architecture diagrams, and even training materials for staff. In essence, the Run Book “reconstructed” the missing knowledge about how systems functioned and interacted. All this was delivered in a structured, accessible format, which instantly gave teams a single source of truth. Notably, this initial documentation cycle was rapid – most organizations complete the first Run Book cycle in about three months with minimal internal effort required, and the telecom provider’s case was no exception. The engagement was designed to be non-intrusive, requiring no code changes or downtime; it simply analyzed what was already there, so as to avoid any disruption to customer services during the process.
Equally important was the human side of this solution. Along with the AI-generated documentation, NexGenTek’s experts facilitated knowledge transfer workshops and created tailored training programs for the provider’s IT teams. This ensured that tacit knowledge from seasoned engineers was captured and merged with the explicit documentation. The solution didn’t stop at documenting the current state – it also produced a modernization roadmap. With full visibility into the legacy estate, the Run Book identified which components could be safely refactored or retired and recommended an incremental, phased modernization plan.
For example, some high-risk, high-value modules were earmarked for early transformation into microservices, while low-value or redundant components (previously hard to spot) were slated for decommissioning. By advocating a step-by-step refactoring (supported by the new documentation), the plan allowed the provider to start modernizing in small increments – mitigating risk and building confidence at each step.
Throughout the solution, NexGenTek acted as a strategic partner: their consultants reviewed the AI’s outputs with the client’s architects to ensure accuracy, and they coached teams on adopting new DevOps practices and tools in parallel. In short, the SDLC Run Book solution provided the telecom with a clear blueprint of its systems and a guided path forward – turning the once intimidating modernization journey into a manageable, data-driven process.
Armed with a complete Run Book, the telecommunications provider experienced a dramatic turnaround in its software development and modernization efforts. The immediate benefit was complete visibility and clarity. What was once an opaque tangle of legacy code became a well-documented architecture. Teams no longer had to scramble through mystery code or rely on tribal knowledge; developers stopped working “blind” and could trace application logic confidently, while architects gained a clear view of interdependencies, making planning and problem-solving far more predictable. According to the provider’s Head of IT, it was like “turning chaos into a system we can actually manage.” Routine bug fixes that previously took days of detective work could now be completed in hours. New feature development accelerated as well – with the fear of breaking something greatly reduced, the company’s release cycle went from a slow quarterly cadence to a more agile monthly schedule. The organization’s overall SDLC maturity leapt forward, shifting from reactive maintenance to proactive improvement.
Among the notable results were:
The Run Book engagement successfully documented the entirety of the provider’s core applications (spanning dozens of systems and thousands of programs). This comprehensive knowledge base was delivered in just 3 months, a task that might have taken a year or more if done manually.
With structured documentation and training materials in place, new developers now ramp up in nearly half the time. Existing teams likewise report spending far less time (an estimated 40% reduction) searching for information or deciphering legacy code, and more time building new features.
By identifying duplicate or obsolete components, the company was able to decommission certain legacy modules, eliminating unnecessary maintenance and licensing costs. This is projected to save over $3 million annually in legacy system upkeep. Equally important, the risk of knowledge loss has been mitigated – the departure of a veteran engineer no longer threatens critical operations, since their knowledge is now institutionalized.By identifying duplicate or obsolete components, the company was able to decommission certain legacy modules, eliminating unnecessary maintenance and licensing costs. This is projected to save over $3 million annually in legacy system upkeep. Equally important, the risk of knowledge loss has been mitigated – the departure of a veteran engineer no longer threatens critical operations, since their knowledge is now institutionalized.
With a clear roadmap in hand, the provider kick-started several modernization initiatives that had long been on hold. Early wins (like refactoring a customer billing module into a cloud-native microservice) have built executive confidence in the transformation. The company is now leveraging the Run Book’s insights as a foundation to adopt modern DevOps pipelines and even plan a migration of select systems to the cloud. In the fast-paced 5G era, the organization is finally positioned to innovate at the speed of the market, without being held back by its legacy constraints.
“Working with NexGenTek has been nothing short of transformative for our organization. In the beginning, we were understandably hesitant to touch our legacy systems – they’re the backbone of our telecom operations, and any mistake could affect millions of customers. But NexGenTek’s team gave us confidence from day one. Their Run Book approach shined a light into systems we’ve treated as black boxes for decades. Suddenly our teams have full clarity on how everything works, and that’s incredibly empowering. We can make changes knowing we’re not going to break things and even plan big upgrades that we wouldn’t have dared attempt a year ago. The results really speak for themselves – faster deployments, fewer outages, and a roadmap to keep improving. NexGenTek didn’t just deliver a document; they’ve helped instill a culture of knowledge-sharing and forward thinking. It’s been an absolute game-changer for our IT strategy, and ultimately, for our customers. ”— Chief Technology Officer