Silverlight by Microsoft is an application framework for writing and running Rich Internet Applications, with features and purposes similar to a web application but with much better user interactivity experience. Silverlight applications enable richer interactive web experiences via vector graphics, media, and animation.
The run-time environment for Silverlight is available as a plug-in for most web browsers. A few years ago Microsoft announced the overall support end date for Silverlight 5 to be October 2021. With the Silverlight end-of-life deadline fast approaching, the only option for businesses is to quickly migrate to a newer technology platform.
There is no one path to app modernization; your business priorities shape the modernization process. It is critical to assess your legacy application portfolio and how the new model aligns with business priorities. Some of the key challenges businesses can face while migrating from Silverlight are as follows:
Silverlight end-of-support deadline: Silverlight support is soon coming to an end. Organizations need to plan a seamless move to a modern framework within the next year or so. Waiting is not an option here especially as acquiring resources at the last moment can be expensive.
Defining an approach: Businesses can find it challenging to decide the most suitable approach. When deciding on the migration path, they need to take into consideration critical parameters like the complexity of the application, modernization objectives, and the availability of skills and resources.
Ensuring functionality and user experience: The interactive nature of a rich client app built using Silverlight is not readily available in modern frameworks. This poses another challenge for business and may require quite a bit of an engineering effort to bring the new application to work similar or better than the existing application.
Modernization time and cost: Developers may need additional time to modernize large and complex apps. This can prove to be costly for a business. Using pre-defined tools and accelerators can help speed up the process and reduce both modernization time and cost.
Building security measures: Systems and applications that incorporate sensitive business data have to deal with security and compliance issues. It is important to considering security as an important component in the modernization process.
Nous has in-depth experience in defining strategies and deploying the right set of technologies to build and run successful app modernization programs. We have done over twenty Silverlight modernization programs over the past two years, making us one amongst a select few in the market today. We offer expert Silverlight migration services and have developed multiple proprietary tools/accelerators to help organizations to speed up the process and even provide a cost saving of 30-50% depending on complexity.
