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Few moments are as uncomfortable for a business leader as realising they don’t control their own critical systems. A company (let’s call them CORP) experienced this firsthand when they ended the partnership with a system integrator (SYSINT) due to deteriorating support. They possessed what appeared to be the essential components, the database and base system code, but found themselves locked out of the custom development that SYSINT had done.

This case study documents the restoration work undertaken to recover system access for minimal operations and prepare it for external audit. While we won’t name names or assign blame, the technical and contractual lessons are valuable for any organisation using SaaS solutions.

How we got here

CORP got a quote from SYSINT for a SaaS implementation of a system from another vendor. The quote included support and enterprise features from that vendor plus custom developments targeting the specific workflow of CORP. A decision was made, and the system was up.

Time passed. CORP was running a system that had been released five years earlier. Despite the version upgrade being included in the vendor’s enterprise pack, SYSINT hadn’t performed it—even after pressure from the vendor itself, which sought to prevent a price hike from supporting an older version.

CORP believed the situation was on their side: they owned the database, and the upstream vendor code was properly licensed. Surely, they thought, deploying the platform on another provider would be straightforward—if only they had the integration layer SYSINT had built.

The problem

Although we had the database and could get the vendor code, we didn’t have the developments done by SYSINT to the platform. Some of them, required for CORP operations, were owned by SYSINT. So we had all the data, but no way to access it.

We faced a tight schedule: the audit was due in approximately two months, CORP needed to be ready, and SYSINT offered no cooperation.

The solution

Through reverse engineering, core components of the custom modules were restored. The platform came back online, and data became accessible—at minimum viable levels to satisfy the audit. The customer had enough to work with, and further development ceased.

The aftermath

The audit was completed and passed with flying colours.

It was time for reflection. Even with full support from the vendor, CORP ultimately decided to drop the software, with data migration to a competitor currently underway. Not because the software was bad, nor because CORP lacked official support, but because SYSINT took CORP for granted and decided to put them aside.

Lessons Learned

If you are using SaaS, make sure that you are not locked in with the provider. Ensure that when you decide to leave, you still have access to all your data in a way that you can use it.

Your data isn’t yours if all you have is a SQL dump archive. Before signing with any system integrator or SaaS provider, negotiate escrow arrangements for custom code, document all proprietary modifications, and test your exit strategy annually.