The business software you depend on, cheaper to run and safer to change.
CodeFirst is a UK software company for IT managers and senior managers at medium and large organisations. We take over business systems that someone else built, reduce what they cost to run and bring them up to date in stages, so the business keeps working. For new work, we build to an agreed scope at a fixed price.
Our software is used by teams at
Is your system built on any of these?
Vendor support on 14 October 2026. When support ends the security fixes stop, even though the software carries on working.
Who we work with
IT managers and senior managers at organisations of 50 people or more, with business software in daily use that has become costly or worrying to run.
We are not the right fit for startup MVPs, prototypes or early-stage apps that are not yet in use.
- IT managersLooking after systems someone else built, and wanting them cheaper to run and less of a worry.
- Operations, finance and other managersRunning a department that depends on a system nobody can confidently change any more.
- Medium and large organisationsUsually 50 people or more, with a system the business cannot do without.
What we do
Three kinds of work, usually for the same clients over many years.
Keep it running
Maintenance and support for systems already in service, including ones we did not build.
Bring it up to date
Modernisation in stages, so the business keeps working while the oldest parts are replaced.
Build something new
New software built to an agreed scope, with the price fixed before work starts.
Where are you now?
Most people arrive with a situation, not a service in mind. Each page sets out the options and what we would do first.
All solutions- Your developer has leftThe person who built or maintained the system has gone, or is about to.
- Your supplier has stopped supporting itThe company that built or supports the system has closed, been sold or gone quiet.
- You want to change software supplierThe supplier is still there, but you want to move the system elsewhere.
- Nobody knows how it worksAn inherited system with no documentation and nobody left who understands it.
- It runs on unsupported softwareThe database, framework, server or browser it depends on is out of vendor support.
- You have outgrown an Access databaseAn Access database that corrupts, runs slowly over the network or depends on one person.
- The business runs on spreadsheetsQuoting, scheduling, job tracking or stock run on Excel files one person understands.
- The system has become slowScreens take many seconds, reports time out and overnight jobs overrun.
- Your old systems do not talk to the new onesAn old in-house system has to exchange data with a new ERP or Microsoft 365, and nobody left knows how it works.
- A tool built with AI that the business now relies onStaff built a tool with AI, the business relies on it and IT has inherited it
- Older systems keep costing more to runSupport fees, licences, servers and staff time keep rising for a system that does no more than it did.
Technologies we take on
Mostly Microsoft platforms from the last twenty-five years, and the systems built on them.
Databases
SQL Server upgradesHow a takeover works
Taking on a system built by someone else is most of what we do. The order matters: we do not change anything until we can build, release and restore it.
Taking over an existing systemWe review what you have
You describe the system and what worries you. We look at the code, hosting and data and tell you what we found, in plain language.
We take control of access and backups
Source code, servers, domains, accounts and third-party services are moved under your ownership, and we prove a backup can be restored.
We prove we can release
We build the system from source and ship one small, safe change. Until that works, nobody can honestly promise to fix anything.
We stabilise it
The faults that hurt most are fixed first, along with anything out of support that exposes you to risk.
We maintain and modernise it
A monthly arrangement covers support. Larger improvements are scoped and priced separately, in the order that suits the business.
Fixed-price projects
Work we do often enough to price in advance. Scope, price and acceptance checks are agreed before we start.
| Package | Typical price | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Code auditAn independent written assessment of a system's condition, risks and options. | Price on request | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Access database to web applicationAn Access database rebuilt as a multi-user web application on SQL Server. | Price on request | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Spreadsheet to web applicationA critical Excel workbook rebuilt as a web application for several users at once. | Price on request | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Customer portalA secure portal where customers see and act on their own data in your system. | Price on request | 6 to 10 weeks |
| System integrationTwo systems connected so data is entered once, with failures reported. | Price on request | 2 to 5 weeks |
| .NET upgrade assessmentA written, staged and sized plan for moving an application to current .NET. | Price on request | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Emergency software supportAn engineer on a failed system for a fixed fee, client or not. | Price on request | The first four hours |
| Developer absence coverWe learn your system and cover faults while your developer is away. | Price on request | A handover session, then up to two weeks of cover |
Clients and case studies
Rated 5.0 out of 5 on Clutch.
- Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) and the institutions using OpenIRISScientific research. Over 550 research facilities and more than 6,000 instruments and services in use
- LogtekSupply chain services. Takeover, cloud migration, ongoing maintenance and new features
- Top VetVeterinary services. 20,000 veterinary practices listed
“Improved performance, resilience and reduced costs. What a way to start what is now a long-standing relationship.”
“We have found CodeFirst extremely professional. Their SQL Server technical experts are of the highest standard and I would definitely recommend them.”
- Founded
- 2012
- Longest client relationships
- More than ten years
- Office
- Birmingham
- Led by
- Graham Church, founder
Insights
- Fixed price and software cost When fixed-price software development works: what to agree
Fixed-price software development works when the deliverable is clear and both sides agree how change will be handled. Here is what to settle before you sign.
- Legacy software and maintenance When to replace legacy software, and when to keep it
A legacy system that still does its job is an asset. Here is how to tell when to keep maintaining it, when to modernise it in stages and when to replace it.
- Legacy software and maintenance What is software maintenance? The four types explained
Software maintenance is the work that keeps software working, secure and useful after it goes live. The four types explained, with examples and checks to make.
Our office in Birmingham
We work with organisations across the UK. Meet us in Birmingham, or we will come to you.
Tell us about your system
Say what it does, what it is built on and what is worrying you. We will reply with what we would look at first and whether we are the right people to help.