Modernizing a Legacy Interactive Patient Care System with Dot NET Core Migration

John David

Sparity’s strategic approach and technical expertise enabled the healthcare provider to successfully migrate their Interactive Patient Care System from an outdated Dot NET Framework to a modern, secure, and high-performing .NET Core environment.

Client: Healthcare

Services: dot net to dot net core migration

Year: 2024

Introduction

A leading healthcare provider sought to modernize their Interactive Patient Care System, originally built on the aging Dot NET Framework 4.5.2. The primary goals were to improve performance, enhance security, and ensure long-term scalability by migrating to Dot NET Core 8. The migration project focused on upgrading both the API and Admin Application components while maintaining the continuity of current business operations. Sparity was a trusted partner to execute this critical transformation.

Client Challenges

Legacy System Limitations: The existing system, built over 10 to 15 years ago, had become increasingly difficult to maintain and posed significant compatibility issues with modern technologies.

Third-Party Dependencies: The system relied on several outdated third-party dependencies, which required replacement with updated versions or alternative solutions to ensure compatibility with the latest LTS Dot NET Core version.

System Integrity and Functionality: The migration needed to be executed without disrupting ongoing operations, maintaining all existing functionalities, and preserving the integrity of the data and user interactions.

Complexity of the Upgrade: Migrating critical components, including the MVC application and API, required a careful approach to avoid breaking changes and ensure seamless integration. The entire upgrade was completed within a 6-month timeframe.

Solution

Sparity implemented a comprehensive Side-by-Side Project Upgrade strategy, ensuring minimal disruption to the healthcare provider’s operations. The key steps included:

Conducted an in-depth analysis of the existing system to identify critical components, potential risks, and dependencies.

Developed a migration roadmap that included a phased approach to mitigate risks and ensure smooth execution.

Converted C# libraries and other critical components from Dot NET Framework to Dot NET Core.

Addressed compatibility issues by identifying and upgrading or replacing obsolete third-party dependencies with Dot NET Core-compatible versions. This included job schedulers like Quartz, caching mechanisms such as Redis, and other critical components like authentication and authorization, logging, data synchronization mechanisms, and internationalization/globalization tools.

Upgraded the UpServer MVC application to Dot NET Core, addressing challenges related to Identity management, routing configurations, and caching.

Migrated the UpServer API, resolving issues related to authentication, authorization, and logging. Ensured that all API endpoints were functional and fully compatible with the new Dot NET Core environment.

Conducted extensive Dev Testing to identify and resolve migration issues, including those related to Owin security packages, Entity Framework context, i18n pipeline configuration, and front-end dependencies such as jQuery, Font Awesome, and Bootstrap.

Deployed the upgraded system to a QA environment, where it underwent thorough testing to ensure that all functionalities were intact and performance was optimized.

Deployed the fully upgraded system to the production environment with minimal downtime.
Provided ongoing support to address any post-migration issues, ensuring a smooth transition for the client’s operations.

Benefits

The successful migration to Dot NET Core delivered several key benefits to the healthcare provider:

Enhanced System Performance: The migration resulted in a 25% increase in system performance, providing faster response times and improved user experience.

Improved Security: By leveraging Dot NET Core’s built-in security features, the system is now 50% better protected against modern security threats, ensuring compliance with industry standards.

Long-term Scalability: The upgraded system is now equipped to handle future enhancements and scalability requirements, reducing 35% of technical debt and ensuring that the system remains robust and adaptable.

Operational Continuity: The project was completed without any significant disruption to the client’s ongoing operations, maintaining all existing functionalities while upgrading to a more modern platform.