Migrating ASP to ASP.NET: Reasons and benefits for business

Classic ASP is a server-side scripting language that was the latest thing in web app development back in the 1990s. Since then, it has been increasingly ousted by ASP.NET as the next-generation technology for the same purposes. Thanks to its advanced features (such as separation of concerns, object-oriented programming model, cross-platform and cloud support, rich tool set, and more), ASP.NET has become a top instrument for creating dynamic, scalable, responsive, and secure cross-browser web products.  

In this article, we will discover the reasons for switching from Classic ASP to ASP.NET and the business benefits such migration will yield. But first, let’s understand the difference between these technologies. 

Classic ASP vs. ASP.NET

Classic ASP is not bad for a budding entrepreneur when starting your journey in an IT-driven business. It is instrumental in building simple web apps and sites with low traffic.  As long as you stay lean and cater to a small consumer pool, this technology will suit you more or less. However, Classic ASP doesn’t take you far on the bonanza road. With the growth of the clientele and expansion of your organization, it won’t be able to cater to all your increasing business needs. 

By contrast, ASP.NET is a more powerful tool for creating complex and elaborate solutions that perform well under heavy traffic and display minimal response time. Besides, attempts to reach a larger consumer audience require broad compatibility of your digital product that should run on various operating systems, and ASP.NET excels at it. Plus, your site or app will likely appeal to a more significant number of users who will appreciate its interactive and user-friendly interface, developed with the help of ASP.NET.  

This simple comparison shows the edge ASP.NET has over its earlier version, so vibrant businesses should consider migrating the Classic ASP app to the younger environment.  

5 reasons for migrating from Classic ASP to ASP.NET

DICEUS has provided .NET consulting services to many companies, so we know the motives that urge them to embrace ASP.NET. 

1. Lack of Classic ASP developers. As Microsoft’s older brainchild ages, it becomes increasingly difficult to find competent specialists. And with years, the choice of experts is only going to shrink. For ASP.NET, the talent pool to choose from is much larger, and it keeps growing as the technology gets more advanced.  

2. Classic ASP’s deficient performance and scalability. The spike in user traffic, the sophistication of business logic, or other challenges handicap the performance of Classic ASP solutions, whose scalability is substandard, to put it mildly. The .NET framework enables handling such issues and guarantees optimal performance of apps no matter how heavy the loads they are subjected to are.  

3. Classic ASP’s primitive development environment. Tools and capabilities available in the .NET’s frameworks (such as Core and MVC) provide an all-embracing framework that simplifies and facilitates SDLC and creates responsive and feature-rich web apps. 

4. Classic ASP’s insufficient security. Potential coding vulnerabilities and subpar security features make Classic ASP susceptible to compromising and penetration threats. Realizing this, ASP.NET’s creators considerably upgraded this aspect of the technology, equipping it with built-in authorization and authentication mechanisms, augmenting its protection against standard web vulnerabilities, and providing support for secure coding routine.  

5. Legacy software should be modernized sooner or later. By migrating an app to ASP.NET, its owners ensure its compatibility with the latest standards in the domain and all current and emerging technologies, including mobile apps, cloud computing, and IoT. 

Given such substantial upsides of ASP.NET, harnessing this technology spells numerous perks for enterprises that embrace it. 

Benefits of ASP.NET for your business

Dozens of web development projects for organizations across various industries that we have accomplished testify to the advantages of ASP.NET. 

• Benefit 1 – Reduced costs thanks to the robust development process. IT products are big-ticket items that require substantial expenditure and take quite a bit of time to create. ASP.NET’s technical characteristics and advanced tools enable a streamlined and accelerated development process, allowing you to cut costs and shorten the time to market. 
• Benefit 2 – Increased user satisfaction score thanks to the high loading speed. Users hate waiting for the site or app to appear on their gadget’s screen and will likely abandon it if it takes more than three seconds. ASP.NET delivers high-performance apps with short load times and excellent response rates even under heavy user load. This is a mission-critical element of a satisfying user experience all digitally powered companies strive to provide. 
• Benefit 3 – More customers thanks to universality. The user interface built with ASP.NET is responsive and interactive on gizmos with any screen size and resolution. Since mobile gadgets are the key devices contemporary people employ to interact with the virtual world, this forte means that the ASP.NET app can be accessible to a broader audience. 

As a result of opting for ASP.NET, app owners quickly obtain a lightning-fast and visually attractive product that caters to diverse user groups and provides them with a smooth and enjoyable user experience. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Well, almost. While implementing a Classic ASP to ASP.NET migration, you should face pitfalls and bottlenecks that await you on the way. 

ASP.NET migration: Challenges to address

What obstacles can you face before and during the migration? 

1. Exposing business rules of the old app. This is the usual story with all legacy products. Being created long ago (and most likely by people who aren’t available), It is even more difficult to pinpoint changes introduced into the initial design over time.  
2. Migration-related risks. Moving complex systems from one environment to another has numerous risks, such as data loss, compatibility issues, functionality gaps, etc. 
3. Time and cost of migration. The complex nature of the app migration conditions the considerable time and resources that the procedure requires. It is not a simple upgrade since the architectures of the two systems are radically different. You should perform an exhaustive audit of the Classic ASP app, create a backup copy, move the data, test the new product, fix bugs, and deploy it. This routine will take quite a time and cost you a pretty penny. 
4. User training. Since the upgraded app may have an unfamiliar UI and new functionalities, you should think of training sessions to introduce users to unknown features, workflows, buttons, etc., and ensure a satisfactory user experience. 

As you see, migrating a Classic ASP app to ASP.NET is a no-nonsense endeavor that requires skills in identifying the main principles of the old solution, devising a professional migration plan, meticulously following all its steps, and thoroughly testing the newly moved product. It is impossible to accomplish without qualified assistance.  

How we can help you: DICEUS expertise

DICEUS has substantial experience developing web apps and providing legacy app modernization and data migration services to fintech, banking, insurance, retail, healthcare, logistics, and other companies. Our in-depth theoretical knowledge and extensive hands-on skillset (including .NET competence) allow us to tackle app migration projects of any complexity within the stipulated time and budget, obtain a product that will meet all your requirements, and guarantee a seamless experience for its users. Contact us to breathe new life into your old-school Classic ASP app. 

The modern IT world is a highly dynamic realm where novel know-how crops up almost every month, rendering obsolete the technologies that were all the rage just a year ago. The same is true about Classic ASP, which loses out to its successor ASP.NET in many technical aspects, making the older technology unsuitable for businesses bent on growth and expansion.   

The unquestionable fortes of ASP.NET serve as a primary motif for legacy app owners to migrate their solutions to the newer technology. Such a switchover has some challenges to overcome. Still, if you hire high-profile app migration experts, you will obtain an upgraded application with optimized performance that will provide a satisfying experience to its users.