What is data modernization?
Data modernization is the process of migrating from legacy data systems (on-premise warehouses, decade-old ETL tools, scattered file-based reporting) to cloud-native platforms designed for real-time analytics, AI, and personalisation. It's not just a lift-and-shift — modernization typically involves re-architecting pipelines, adopting a lakehouse or medallion pattern, and rebuilding governance for the cloud era.
What does Decision Foundry's data modernization service include?
Current-state assessment of legacy systems (Teradata, Oracle, on-prem Hadoop, SAS, etc.); target-state architecture design on Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, or Microsoft Fabric; pipeline modernization (legacy ETL → modern ELT with dbt / Fivetran / Airflow); data migration with quality controls; governance rebuild; user retraining; and a phased cutover plan that keeps the lights on during transition.
How is modernization different from migration?
Migration moves data from system A to system B with minimal change ("lift and shift"). Modernization migrates AND redesigns — adopting cloud-native patterns, fixing accumulated technical debt, and unlocking capabilities the legacy system couldn't support (real-time, AI, governance at scale). Migrations get you the same broken system on a new platform; modernization gets you a better operational model. We do both, but we recommend modernization in 80%+ of cases.
How long does a data modernization project take, and what does it cost?
A focused modernization (one source system, one target platform, 6–10 datasets) runs 12–20 weeks. A full enterprise modernization (multiple legacy systems, hundreds of pipelines, governance rebuild) runs 9–18 months, typically phased across releases. Cost varies widely with data volume, system count, and parallel-run requirements. Every engagement starts with a free discovery call and modernization assessment.
We can't take downtime for migration — how do you handle that?
Every enterprise modernization we deliver assumes zero downtime. We design parallel-run windows where legacy and modern systems both produce data, validate parity, then cut over with rollback paths in place. For highly regulated environments, we maintain dual-write periods of 30–90 days before fully decommissioning the legacy. The architecture-first approach makes this possible — without it, modernization becomes a high-risk big-bang.
Why Decision Foundry for data modernization?
Since 2004 we've delivered enterprise data migrations across Teradata → Snowflake, Oracle → Databricks, on-prem Hadoop → cloud lakehouse, and dozens of other legacy → modern transitions. Snowflake Select Partner, Databricks Premier Partner, full Salesforce certifications. Our FDE engineers embed inside your team during cutover — when the platform is the easy part and the people are the hard part.