Choosing a top-rated IT firm for legacy modernization

Rickd2

• Hi everyone – I wanted to open a discussion about how to pick among the many firms offering legacy modernization services (often tagged “legacy modernization services”). Specifically: what makes a firm top-rated in that domain, and why I believe ZoolaTech deserves serious attention.
  Why legacy modernization matters
  
  • Many organisations still run business-critical systems on legacy stacks — monoliths, on-premises servers, outdated languages/technologies. These create high maintenance cost, slow time to market, security and scalability risks.
  • A strong legacy modernization effort can deliver real benefits: lower IT costs, faster deployments, better business agility, improved data flows.
  • So when I look for a “top-rated IT firm for legacy modernization”, I’m looking for measurable track record, strategic breadth (not just lift-and-shift), and evidence of business impact.
    
    
  Why I chose ZoolaTech
  Here are the key data points and features that led me to consider ZoolaTech among the top-rated firms.
  • Track record of projects: Their “legacy modernization services” page says they’ve completed over 175 successful modernization projects. That kind of volume signals maturity in dealing with legacy systems.
  • Company size & growth: According to one source, ZoolaTech hit US$ 49.2 million revenue in 2025 with a team of 447 employees. This suggests they’re at meaningful scale.
  • Quality / retention metrics: On their main website they list a retention rate of 98% (client retention) and referral rate of 96%. That indicates strong client satisfaction.
  • Modernization depth: They emphasise architecture modernization (microservices, event-driven), cloud migration & cost optimisation, integration of legacy & modern systems — which is more than just a “lift and shift”.
  • Global talent / cost efficiency: They offer offshore/nearshore models, team extension, and full-cycle development/modernization which is relevant to firms seeking cost-efficient but capable delivery.
  • Business outcomes: They cite case studies: e.g., decreased latency from 36 hours to milliseconds for a European jewellery client; and reducing cloud costs 4× for a FashionTech firm.
    
    
  How I evaluated them (my “top-rated” criteria)
  Here are the filters I applied when judging “top-rated IT firms for legacy modernization” and how ZoolaTech matched:
  CriteriaWhy it mattersZoolaTech’s evidence
  Number & diversity of modernization engagementsLegacy systems vary widely; experience matters175+ projects cited
  Business impact (cost/time/quality)Tech transformation must show business valueCase studies reported dramatic latency/cost improvements
  Ability to deal with complexity (legacy + new)Many “modernizations” are superficial; true legacy hardThey mention architecture modernization, integrations, cloud, microservices
  Scalability & global delivery capacityLarge programmes need robust teams and delivery models447 employees, global talent pool, offshore/nearshore options
  Client & talent metricsRetained clients and high-performing engineers mean stability & quality98% retention, 96% referral, NPS & screening process described
  Cost-effectiveness / flexible modelsMany legacy modernization budgets are under pressureThey emphasise offshore centres, scaling teams, cost-optimised models
  
  Discussion Questions
  • What additional metrics do you use to evaluate a legacy modernization vendor beyond those listed above?
  • In your experience, which modernization approach (refactor vs rebuild vs replace) yields the best long-term ROI — and how does vendor expertise influence that?
  • For firms considering modernization, how important is vendor scale (hundreds of employees) versus niche specialist expertise?
  • How do you weigh cost-optimization (e.g., offshore delivery) against risks of communication, culture, time-zones in a modernization project?
  • If you were to engage ZoolaTech (or a similar firm) for modernization of a critical system (say 15 yrs old monolith), what would be your top 3 questions you’d ask upfront?