Service

Cloud Application Development on Azure and AWS

We build cloud-native applications and modernise legacy systems for Azure and AWS — with automated infrastructure, sensible costs and the resilience your business needs.

• See related work

Cloud done deliberately

Moving to the cloud does not automatically make software faster, cheaper or more reliable. A server copied into Azure or AWS unchanged often costs more than it did on-premises. The benefits come from designing — or redesigning — applications to use managed services, scale automatically and recover from failures without human intervention.

What we do

Cloud-native application development

New applications built on managed platform services: Azure App Service and Container Apps, AWS ECS and Lambda, managed databases, queues, blob storage and identity. You spend less time patching servers and more time shipping features.

Legacy modernisation and migration

We move older .NET Framework, desktop and on-premises applications to the cloud in stages:

1. Rehost where speed matters and the app is stable
2. Replatform to managed databases and app services for quick operational wins
3. Refactor the parts that change often or need to scale, typically into modern .NET on containers

We assess each application and recommend the right step rather than rewriting everything.

Infrastructure as code

All environments are defined in Bicep or Terraform and deployed through CI/CD pipelines. Staging matches production, new environments take minutes, and every change is reviewed and traceable.

Cost optimisation

We right-size resources, use autoscaling and reserved capacity, tidy up orphaned resources and set budgets and alerts. Cost reviews frequently find savings of 20–40% on existing cloud estates.

Reliability and security

• Multi-zone deployments and automated backups with tested restore procedures
• Managed identities and secrets in Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager — no credentials in code
• Network isolation with private endpoints for databases and internal services
• Centralised logging, metrics and alerting with Azure Monitor, CloudWatch or OpenTelemetry

Azure or AWS?

Both are excellent. We usually recommend Azure for organisations already on Microsoft 365 and .NET, and AWS where there is existing investment or specific services needed. Containerised workloads using Docker and Kubernetes keep you portable either way.

Who this is for

• Businesses running critical software on ageing on-premises servers
• SaaS companies needing to scale reliably — see our SaaS development service
• Teams with a cloud bill that has grown faster than usage

• What you get

  • Cloud application or migrated workloads

    Running in your Azure or AWS environment.

  • Infrastructure as code

    Version-controlled templates and deployment pipelines.

  • Architecture and DR documentation

    Diagrams, recovery objectives and tested restore procedures.

  • Cost and monitoring dashboards

    Budgets, alerts and operational dashboards configured.

• Industries we serve

  • Finance

    Secure software for lenders, brokers, accountancy practices and fintech teams: client portals, workflow automation, reporting and integrations with financial systems.

  • Healthcare

    Patient booking apps, clinic management systems and secure portals for private clinics and healthcare providers, built with privacy and reliability first.

  • Manufacturing

    ERP, production planning, inventory and shop-floor software for manufacturers who want accurate costing, traceability and real-time visibility of production.

  • Logistics

    Fleet tracking, driver apps, dispatch and warehouse software for logistics, courier and distribution companies that need live visibility and proof of delivery.

Benefits

Why invest in cloud application development

• Less infrastructure to manage

  Managed services remove patching, hardware refreshes and much of the operational burden.

• Scales on demand

  Autoscaling handles seasonal peaks without paying for idle capacity all year.

• Lower, predictable costs

  Right-sizing, reservations and budgets bring cloud spend under control.

• Faster, safer releases

  Infrastructure as code and CI/CD make deployments repeatable and reversible.

Capabilities

What we build and deliver

• Cloud-native architecture

  Designs using managed compute, databases, messaging and storage services.

• Containers and serverless

  Docker, Kubernetes, Azure Container Apps, AWS ECS and Functions/Lambda where they fit.

• Infrastructure as code

  Bicep or Terraform templates for every environment, deployed via pipelines.

• Identity and secrets

  Managed identities, Key Vault or Secrets Manager and least-privilege access.

• Monitoring and alerting

  Centralised logs, metrics, tracing and actionable alerts.

• Backup and disaster recovery

  Automated backups, geo-redundancy and regularly tested restore plans.

Process

How we deliver

A transparent, milestone-based process with working software at every stage.

• Cloud readiness assessment

  Inventory applications, dependencies, costs and risks; recommend rehost, replatform or refactor per app.

• Landing zone setup

  Configure accounts or subscriptions, networking, identity, policies and cost controls.

• Build or migrate

  Develop cloud-native services or migrate workloads in waves, starting with lower-risk systems.

• Cutover and validation

  Data sync, performance testing and planned cutover windows with rollback options.

• Optimise and operate

  Cost reviews, reliability improvements and managed operations if required.

Technologies

Technology we use for this service

• Microsoft Azure

  We design, build and run applications on Microsoft Azure: App Service, containers, Azure SQL, Functions and Azure OpenAI, with security and cost control built in.

• Amazon Web Services

  We build and operate applications on Amazon Web Services, using managed containers, databases, serverless functions and storage with sound security and cost practices.

• Docker & Kubernetes

  Containers with Docker and orchestration with Kubernetes for consistent environments, repeatable deployments and scalable hosting across Azure, AWS or private infrastructure.

• .NET

  We use Microsoft .NET to build fast, secure and maintainable business software: web APIs, ERP and POS back ends, background services and cross-platform apps.

• PostgreSQL

  PostgreSQL is our open-source database of choice for SaaS platforms and cost-sensitive systems, with strong reliability, JSON support and vector search for AI features.

Related work

Projects we've delivered

• Modern POS System for a Regional Retail Chain

  A cloud-connected point-of-sale platform with offline tills, central pricing and real-time stock visibility, built for a 60-store retail chain replacing ageing on-premise terminals.

• Smart Education ERP

  A unified education management platform for schools, colleges, universities, and multi-campus institutions, covering admissions, attendance, timetabling, fee management, examinations, academic records, and parent and student portals in one integrated system.

• Manufacturing ERP Rollout

  A custom ERP for a mid-sized metal fabrication manufacturer, connecting sales orders, production planning, inventory, purchasing and finance in one system.

Case studies

Results from similar engagements

• Retail Chain POS Modernisation

  How a 60-store retail chain replaced ageing on-premise tills with an offline-capable cloud POS, cutting checkout times by 35% and ending overnight price syncs.

• AI Support Assistant for a B2B SaaS Company

  How a B2B SaaS company deployed a grounded AI support assistant that resolves 42% of conversations on its own and hands the rest to agents with full context.

What our clients say

• We used to lose half a day's takings every time a store's broadband went down. Since the new tills went in, outages barely register, and head office can change a price at lunchtime and see it on every shelf-edge promotion by the afternoon.

• Parents now have one app instead of four, and our office teams have stopped spending Monday mornings chasing absence calls. The migration was the part we worried about most, and the trial runs meant there were no surprises on go-live day.

• The assistant resolves the repetitive how-do-I questions and hands everything else to us with a proper summary. Our agents spend their time on the tricky tickets now, and customers get answers at 2am without us adding a night shift.

Solutions

Related software solutions

• Custom SaaS Platform

  A production-ready SaaS foundation — multi-tenancy, authentication, billing, admin and APIs — that we customise into your own software product, so you launch sooner.

• POS Software

  Configurable point of sale software for retail and hospitality: fast checkout, multi-store stock, offline mode, loyalty and real-time reporting, tailored to how you sell.

• AI Business Automation

  AI business automation platform that reads documents, classifies requests and runs multi-step workflows across your systems, with human approval where it matters.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

• Should we rehost or rebuild our application for the cloud?

  It depends on how often the application changes and how critical it is. Stable systems can often be rehosted or replatformed quickly; systems that change often or need to scale usually benefit from refactoring. We assess each application individually.

• Will moving to the cloud reduce our costs?

  It can, but not automatically. Savings come from managed services, autoscaling and good cost governance. We model expected costs before migration and set budgets and alerts afterwards.

• Do you work with both Azure and AWS?

  Yes. We are strongest in Azure for .NET-centric organisations and also build and run workloads on AWS.

• How do you avoid downtime during migration?

  We migrate in waves, synchronise data ahead of cutover, schedule switchovers in low-traffic windows and keep a tested rollback plan for each step.

Insights

Further reading

• How Much Does Custom Software Development Cost?

  What drives custom software development cost: scope, integrations, team, compliance and support, with indicative ranges by project type and tips for controlling your budget.

• Native vs Cross-Platform App Development: How to Choose

  Native vs cross-platform app development compared: Swift and Kotlin versus Flutter, .NET MAUI and React Native on performance, cost, UX, team skills and maintenance.

• ERP vs CRM: What's the Difference and Which Do You Need?

  ERP vs CRM explained: what each system does, how they differ, where they overlap, when you need one or both, and how to integrate them without duplicating data.

Planning a cloud move?

Speak with our cloud engineers about modernising your applications or reducing your cloud bill.

Speak with our cloud engineers about modernising your applications or reducing your cloud bill.

Contact

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