Are outdated software platforms impacting your organisation’s performance? Are you worried that they will be too expensive or problematic to replace? We can help you to securely transform your operations through the innovative use of technology, without replacing the entire digital infrastructure you have heavily invested in.
Our solutions and services deliver real and impactful change. We offer industry-specific digital and control technologies and a wealth of knowledge. Our skilled engineers support secure digital transformation across many sectors including power generation and manufacturing. Read on to discover how we can help you to reinvent your operating model to be smarter, safer and more efficient.
What is Digital Transformation?
Digital transformation, sometimes referred to as DX, is a strategy to enable business innovation. It involves integrating digital technology into all areas of operation including process, production and customer interactions. It fundamentally changes business operations to be more data-driven, increasing throughput, uptime and performance while reducing operating costs and overheads.
An organisation’s approach to digital transformation will depend on the types of legacy components it relies upon, especially within industrial control system (ICS) environments. While a complete upgrade would be desirable, the reality is that many businesses need to work with their existing technology. The planning stage should carefully balance how to integrate newer technology with existing processes and devices while maintaining security.
We can deliver a digital transformation strategy and development roadmap that works with your existing legacy systems, to guide your organisation through the process.
Legacy Systems Integration
In heavily regulated industries it is often preferable to integrate new technology with legacy systems rather than undertake a complete systems update. A large percentage of organisations retain legacy equipment, hardware and software to meet production needs. Integration can avoid costly downtime and huge financial outlay but it requires specialist expertise in modifying complex legacy components. That’s where we come in!
If legacy systems are continuing to keep things running, it can be hard to justify the cost of upgrading. However, this can be a false economy due to security compromises, operational barriers and commercial consequences. Unmodified legacy systems require a significant amount of upkeep and get more expensive as equipment ages. Integration is a way of adapting to meet the demands of today’s business world without starting from scratch.
We have many years of experience of providing software, hardware and operating system support and maintenance for companies dependent on their legacy components. Our team of software engineers specialise in obsolescence management, reducing and controlling technical risk in complex infrastructures and environments.
We can help you to plan for the future with legacy integration solutions that don’t impact your operational capability or safety, creating replacement solutions and upgrades. From design through to installation, we ensure seamless integration with existing systems.
Our core digital transformation and legacy integration capabilities
We understand your industry. Our engineers can help you find the right balance between digital transformation and legacy systems through strategic planning and capabilities including:
- Thorough audit and assessment of your current systems to identify opportunities to update, consolidate or add new functionality
- Supporting obsolete equipment that is too complex or expensive to replace
- Maintaining and repairing hardware
- Making modifications and bug fixes to system software, improving adaptability and agility
- Replacing obsolete peripherals through the use of modern hardware and software platforms
- Producing future-proofing solutions using specifications of original equipment or software, or through the use of reverse engineering by analysing the communications interface
- Working with our engineering hardware team to improve the reliability of failing hardware
- Obtaining difficult to source obsolete components through our specialist supply chain
- Providing cross-platform modern user interfaces to legacy back end systems, for example, control and indication, public and customer portals
- Experienced in providing a diverse range of interface types – web-based, touch screen, bespoke software interfaces
- Bespoke hardware interface repair and modification
- Increasing security and reliability of systems
- Training for teams and businesses on new integrated features and cybersecurity
Our capabilities in action - integrating new technology with old systems
We have the capability and know-how in emulator software to solve problems, bridging the gap between devices. When one of our major clients required the replacement of an obsolete human interface device on a legacy system, we were happy to help.
Due to a shortage of spares, an alternative software solution was required to be produced. As a result, we developed a windows based software package designed to work with touchscreen hardware, to emulate the physical device.
The provided solution was designed and tested to accurately emulate the behaviour of the original device and is now successfully used in place of the original.
Industrial cybersecurity and secure digitalisation
As enterprises modernise their industrial processes by connecting them to the cloud, they are exposing themselves to risks such as ransomware and extortion attacks. This is a huge problem that can lead to damaged brand reputation, huge cost implications, negatively impacted customer service and business difficulties, if left unaddressed.
Secure digitalisation is achieved through having a robust cybersecurity and risk management programme in place. Because digital transformation is built around data, cybersecurity plays an important and significant role in legacy integration. The vulnerability of legacy applications is a challenge exacerbated by software vendors ceasing to support older equipment or application programming interfaces.
We support and strengthen industrial cybersecurity for enterprise and critical infrastructure. Our many years of experience of looking after industry-leading systems has been focused on highly secure environments such as nuclear power stations, manufacturing plants and cargo-handling operations. Hear from our customer, EDF Energy, below:
“We are delighted to be working with Like Technologies on our ongoing cybersecurity improvement project across our existing fleet of power stations. Like Technologies’ niche industry experience and knowledge of EDF’s processes and protocols makes them an ideal partner for this project. They will provide a valuable resource to support on-going projects.”
Tim Dalke – EDF Energy
We help our customers to gain a greater understanding of the risks facing industrial networks and how to mitigate them. Our sector-specific technical security risk assessments are pragmatic, insightful and cost effective. We can also provide more general security consultancy services to help support tactical or strategic initiatives. We are happy to work alongside your existing IT department or provider and can provide company-wide training to ensure there is a secure culture within your team.
We can optimise your business performance
Whether your priorities are cost-saving, operational issues, quality assurance, supply chain improvement or other metrics, our highly experienced engineers can make a significant and positive impact on your business.
Our extensive technical knowledge of a wide variety of programming languages, frameworks and tools enable us to take on projects of any scale or complexity. We delight in providing optimal solutions for organisations facing tough challenges.
Could your organisation benefit from digital transformation? We can provide bespoke legacy integration and industrial cybersecurity solutions. Get in touch today by visiting our contact page or calling us on 01524 811383.