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Replatforming: what it is, how it works, and why it can make a difference for your digital business

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Today’s users expect seamless, up-to-date, and frictionless digital experiences. Companies cannot afford obsolete platforms, slow websites, or applications unable to adapt to technological evolutions.

To stay competitive, combating digital obsolescence is essential. Replatforming was created with this very goal in mind: offering a concrete, targeted, and sustainable path to transformation.

What is Replatforming?

Replatforming is the process of migrating a website, application, or digital infrastructure from an outdated technology stack to a newer, more modern, and efficient platform. It goes far beyond a visual redesign: it is a technical and strategic project that can involve data, functionalities, architectures, and user experience.

Within IT, replatforming stands midway between rehosting (or “lift-and-shift”), which simply moves an application to a new environment without significant changes, and refactoring, which entails a complete redesign of the system. Replatforming offers a balanced approach: it preserves core functionalities while introducing technical optimizations and improvements to ensure compatibility with modern, often Cloud-based, environments.

Which digital assets are affected by replatforming?

Replatforming can impact several areas of a company’s digital ecosystem.

E-commerce sites are among the main candidates: migrations from platforms like Adobe Commerce/Magento to SaaS solutions such as Salesforce or Shopify Plus are increasingly common thanks to greater scalability and ease of management.

Another key area is legacy applications, often developed in-house on outdated technologies that lack integration with modern systems and are costly to maintain.

Finally, IT infrastructures are often replatformed by moving from on-premise or private cloud environments to SaaS and cloud-based solutions designed for scalability, interoperability, and long-term efficiency.

How to successfully manage a replatforming project

Replatforming requires structure, vision, and careful change management. Here are the 9 fundamental steps for a successful project:

  • Technical and functional assessment – The first step is a thorough analysis of the current technologies, operational features, and criticality levels of existing applications. The aim is to identify inefficiencies, assess business impact, and determine which components truly need migration. This phase provides a clear overview of the application landscape, alongside a preliminary estimate of risks and opportunities.
  • Alignment with business goals – A successful technology project must serve business objectives. This means engaging both IT and business stakeholders, analyzing the business plan, and considering medium-term growth opportunities. The goal is to ensure the new platform effectively supports innovation and scalability without creating bottlenecks.
  • Platform selection – Choosing the right technology is one of the most strategic decisions. The platform must meet current needs while remaining future-proof. Factors to consider include scalability, native features, need for custom development, integration capabilities with existing systems, and long-term management costs.
  • Planning and project management – A detailed operational plan is essential, covering tasks, timelines, resources, and potential risks. A GANTT chart should be used to coordinate availability across both client and provider teams. Strong governance is particularly important when migrating to cloud environments, as these may impact internal workflows.
  • Data migration and SEO – Data transfer is often one of the most complex phases. It involves exporting, transforming, and validating key assets such as products, customers, orders, and content, ensuring they are properly mapped in the new system. From an SEO perspective, managing URLs and 301 redirects is crucial to avoid ranking losses.
  • Customization and development – Depending on business needs, additional development may be required to replicate or improve functionalities. This can involve custom themes, integrations with external systems, or workflow optimization. Modern SaaS platforms allow flexibility to adapt mid-project without compromising delivery.
  • Quality assurance and testing – Before go-live, functional, security, performance, and compatibility tests must be conducted. Testing typically spans one to three months depending on complexity. Accessibility checks should also be included, as they are now a core component of digital quality.
  • Staff training – The project’s success also depends on the internal team’s ability to use the new platform effectively. Structured training sessions, supported by clear documentation (internal wiki, video tutorials, quick reference guides), reduce errors and encourage adoption.
  • Go-live and monitoring – The official launch is just the beginning. Ongoing monitoring, feedback collection, bug fixing, and continuous optimization are crucial to aligning the new environment with evolving business objectives.

The strategic benefits of replatforming

Replatforming is not just a technical update. It is a strategic investment with tangible benefits:

  • Performance and scalability improve thanks to modern infrastructures that handle traffic spikes and growing volumes.
  • User experience becomes smoother, more intuitive, and engaging, with optimized interfaces for both mobile and desktop.
  • Security is enhanced with regular updates and compliance with the latest standards.
  • Integration capabilities expand, enabling automation, efficiency, and a unified customer view.
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is reduced in the medium to long term, with lower maintenance and infrastructure costs.
  • Ease of management frees up resources for innovation.
  • Strategic rethinking of the entire digital ecosystem becomes possible, preparing the business for new markets, models, and customer journeys.

Tinext Experience: your partner for replatforming projects

At Tinext Experience, we guide companies through every stage of replatforming - from strategic consulting to technology selection, from development to data migration, and beyond with continuous support.

With deep expertise in complex projects and technologies such as Salesforce, Magnolia CMS, and Shopify Plus, we design tailored solutions that combine performance, scalability, and ease of management.

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