PUBLISHED DATE: 2026-09-24 04:00:25
SOLUTION
Legacy Modernization
Assess and transform legacy systems with a specification-led approach that preserves business context, improves traceability and reduces risk of modernization.
What is Sapient Slingshot?
Sapient Slingshot is an enterprise AI software development platform built for modernization and new software delivery. Designed for complex enterprise environments, Slingshot integrates with existing development tools, cloud platforms and LLMs, with agents that support every stage of the modernization journey.
Our modernization approach
Understand
- Extract business rules from existing systems
- Map application logic, data, dependencies and workflows
- Generate specifications and testable scenarios from real system behavior
Transform
- Generate target-state architecture, modern code, tests and data outputs
- Maintain traceability between legacy source, specifications and generated assets
Deploy
- Use parity validation and reconciliation to compare legacy and modernized outputs
- Plan rollback paths and progressive cutover
How Sapient Slingshot supports modernization
Agentic code modernization
Automates discovery, analysis, transformation and test generation.
Software studio
Connects backlog, planning, development, testing and deployment workflows with coordinated execution and reduced context loss.
Enterprise context graph
Maintains a living map of application logic, data, dependencies and workflows to ground AI outputs in the enterprise environment.
Modernization archetypes
Mainframe
COBOL, PL/I, JCL, Assembler, CICS, IMS
Custom applications
Java, .NET/C#, C/C++, Python, PHP, Visual Basic
Data
SQL, PL/SQL, T-SQL, SAS, ETL scripts, Spark
Frontend UI
JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Angular, JSP
Desktop and mobile
VB6, PowerBuilder, Delphi, Swift, Objective-C, Kotlin
MarTech and commerce
SAP Commerce, Salesforce Apex, Adobe Experience Manager Java/HTL, Node.js
This is a sample of supported archetypes and technologies. Publicis Sapient can support additional languages, platforms and modernization needs based on client environment and objectives.
Impact
- Up to 95% accuracy in business rule extraction
- Up to 85% first-time pass rate for code generated
- Up to 5x increase in velocity for new feature releases after modernization
- Up to 80% less expert time required to support modernization projects
Client examples
Healthcare
Modernized legacy COBOL applications used for claims processing for a U.S. healthcare organization into cloud-native systems, accelerating migration by 3x and reducing estimated costs by over 50%.
Banking
Analyzed nearly 3 million lines of COBOL for a global bank’s core banking system, achieving 95% specification accuracy and reducing analysis time per feed from 35 days to 5 days. Cut code-to-spec effort by up to 85% and generated 200+ implementation-ready backlog items.
Energy
Modernized a 24-year-old Java-based customer application for RWE in two days, achieving 35–45% time savings in code generation. Improved test efficiency by 40% and reduced code size while creating a maintainable, reusable application.
Why Slingshot and Publicis Sapient
Specification-led modernization
Extract business rules, dependencies and system behavior before generating target-state code, reducing ambiguity and improving validation.
People plus product
Slingshot accelerates workflows, while Publicis Sapient experts guide architecture, delivery and governance, with human review at critical gates.
Traceability
Provenance links legacy source to specifications, code, tests and outputs, enabling clear mapping back to original systems and changes.
Context-aware AI
The enterprise context graph maps logic, data and dependencies, grounding AI outputs in the client environment.
Production-safe change
Parity validation, dual-run, reconciliation and rollback reduce disruption risk.
Getting started
Begin with a focused 4–6-week engagement to assess modernization feasibility, evaluate Slingshot in your environment, and define a clear path to scale. Contact us today.