Service 07
Support for the systems your operation depends on
Software is not finished at launch. It gets used in ways nobody predicted, the business changes around it, dependencies need patching, and data grows until a query that was fast becomes slow. Maintenance is the difference between a system that improves for years and one that quietly decays.
- The problem
- The system works, but nobody is watching it, patching it or improving it — and small issues are becoming permanent workarounds.
- What we do
- We take on ongoing support: fixes, enhancements, monitoring, patching, database care and performance work, on an agreed response commitment.
- Business value
- Problems get fixed instead of tolerated, the system keeps up with the business, and someone competent is accountable for it.
Understanding software maintenance & support
Maintenance covers four different kinds of work, and it helps to separate them. Corrective work fixes defects. Adaptive work keeps the system compatible as browsers, operating systems, APIs and regulations change. Perfective work improves what already exists — usually performance or usability. Preventive work reduces future risk through patching, backups, monitoring and reducing complexity.
Most support arrangements fail because they only fund the first kind. The result is a system that never breaks outright but slowly becomes unpleasant to use and expensive to change. A healthy arrangement reserves capacity for improvement, not just repair.
We also take over systems we did not build. That starts with a review of the code, data and infrastructure so we can tell you honestly what condition it is in before committing to a response time.
Signals this applies to you
- Businesses whose developer or IT staff has left
- Companies running a system nobody currently patches or monitors
- Teams with a backlog of small improvements that never get done
- Organisations that need a defined response commitment for a critical system
What Silver Shark can build
Concrete deliverables rather than categories. Most projects combine several of these.
Bug fixing
Reported issues triaged by real impact, reproduced, fixed at the cause rather than the symptom, and released with a note on what changed.
Enhancements & new features
A reserved block of development time each month so the system keeps pace with the business instead of stagnating.
Monitoring & alerting
Uptime, error rates, job failures and integration health watched automatically, with alerts to a named person.
Database maintenance
Index and query tuning, growth management, archiving, and backup restoration that has actually been tested.
Security updates
Dependency and framework patching on a schedule, plus review of authentication, access control and exposed surfaces.
Performance optimisation
Finding and fixing what got slow as data grew — queries, page loads, batch jobs and integration throughput.
Technical support
A defined channel for your team to report problems, with agreed response commitments by severity.
Taking over existing systems
Handover from a previous developer or in-house staff, starting with an assessment of code, data, infrastructure and risk.
How the work runs
Specific to this service — the general delivery sequence is on every project.
- 01
Start with an assessment
For systems we did not build, a review of code quality, dependency currency, backup status, access control and infrastructure — reported plainly, including anything we would not want to be responsible for.
- 02
Triage by impact
Severity is defined by effect on the business, not by who reported it. Anything blocking operations is treated differently from a cosmetic defect.
- 03
Protect improvement capacity
Retainers reserve time for enhancement and preventive work, so the system does not spend its whole budget on firefighting.
- 04
Leave a trail
Changes are documented and versioned. You should always be able to see what changed, when, and why.
The sequence every project follows
- 01
Discover
Understand the operation before discussing technology.
- 02
Analyse
Decide what should be removed, automated or built.
- 03
Design
Design the data model and the screens people will live in.
- 04
Build
Build the core in usable stages.
- 05
Integrate
Connect the system to everything else that holds the truth.
- 06
Test
Test with your data and your awkward cases.
- 07
Launch
Go live in a controlled, reversible way.
- 08
Support
Keep it working and keep it improving.
Software Maintenance & Support — common questions
Will you support a system you did not build?
Yes, subject to an assessment first. We need to see the code, the data and the hosting to tell you what condition it is in and what a realistic response commitment looks like.
How are support arrangements structured?
Typically a monthly retainer covering an agreed response commitment plus a block of development hours, with anything larger quoted separately. Ad-hoc support is available for systems that do not warrant a retainer.
What counts as an emergency?
Anything preventing the business from operating — the system is down, orders cannot be placed, a scheduled job that finance depends on has failed. Severity levels and response commitments are agreed in writing before the arrangement starts.
Do you handle hosting and infrastructure?
Yes, including deployment, backups, monitoring and server updates, whether the system runs on cloud infrastructure or your own servers.
What if we later want to bring it in house?
Then we hand it over properly: documentation, repository access, infrastructure credentials and a transition period. We do not build dependence on us into the systems we deliver.
Next step
Tell us where software maintenance & support would help.
Describe the process as it runs today — including the parts that are held together by people. We will tell you what is worth building, what is worth automating, and what is worth leaving alone.