Monthly care, October
One page Updates Server operating system moved to its current release
Security fixes Access removed for two people who left the company
Small improvements Orders can be exported to a spreadsheet
Software takeover & support
We take over the software your customers rely on and make it safe to change again.
For companies with paying customers whose software was built by another agency, freelancers or a team that has moved on.
Software takeover and support is for companies whose product already has paying customers but was built by another agency, freelancers or a team that has moved on. LNOKS takes over the code, servers and accounts, fixes what is most likely to hurt customers first, then keeps the product running and growing. The first two weeks end with the biggest risks in plain language, two or three agreed fixes live in your product and a fixed-price plan for what comes next. Products we have taken over include EZBuild, an AI platform for US home builders, an AI research and writing assistant for students, and AuthorPilot, a course app for two US book publishers. It starts with a first call.
Is this you?
Signs this is the right service.
- 01
Updates break things your customers notice, and nobody can say why.
- 02
The agency or freelancer who built it has gone quiet, raised prices or left.
- 03
Only one person knows how to put out a new version, and nobody has checked the backups.
- 04
A customer or investor has sent a security questionnaire you cannot answer.
Scope
What taking over includes
We take over a product another team built and make it yours again. Control first, then safety, then growth.
Former supplier
Code Servers Accounts Domains
Nothing left with them
Your company
Nothing in your name yet
Held by a former supplier
Take control
Access in your name
Code, servers, accounts and domains gathered in one place and owned by your company, not by a former supplier.
Example list
- Medium Admin pages load slowly Team time Fixing first
- Low Broken link in the footer Looks Fixing first
- High Some card payments fail at checkout Revenue Fixing first
- Medium Server software is out of date Security Fixing first
- High Password reset emails never arrive Customers Fixing first
Problems as we found them
Take control
The riskiest problems first
The issues most likely to hurt customers or revenue are fixed before anything else.
- Change made by an engineer
- Checked reviewed and tested
- Tried on a copy not the live product
- Customers see it live
Customers are on
Version 2.3
Ready for the next change
Make it safe
Updates you can trust
Every change is checked and tried on a copy of the product before customers see it, and a bad update can be undone.
Backups this week
Running normally- Mon Tested
- Tue Tested
- Wed Tested
- Thu Tested
- Fri Tested
- Sat Tested
- Sun Tested
Backups are tested, not just taken
Make it safe
Backups and alerts
Backups that are tested, and an alert to the right person when something stops working.
Sample report
Keep it moving
Monthly care
Updates, security fixes and small improvements each month, with a short written report.
First, the basics
- Access in your name
- Riskiest problems fixed
- Updates tried on a copy
- Backups tested, alerts on
Then, new features
Waiting for the basics
- Saved baskets
- Order tracking
- Trade pricing
The basics come first, then new features
Keep it moving
New features when it is safe
Once the basics hold, we continue building what your customers ask for.
The first result
The first two weeks
We start with two weeks that end in a clear picture and working fixes, not only a report. EZBuild began with a two-week trial sprint on the real product.
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The ten biggest risks
Written for the people who run the business.
1 Customers can be charged twice Money2 Backups have never been tested Data3 Passwords sit inside the code Security+ 7 more, each in plain words
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Fixes you choose with us
Live in your product by day 14.
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A fixed-price plan
For making the product safe to change.
Example plan Fixed price1 Make updates safe2 Take back control3 Bring the foundations up to date
Handover checklist
What a safe handover covers.
The steps we follow on every takeover, whether or not the previous team helps. Nothing changes until your data is safely copied and your company holds every key.
Before day one
- We list everything your product depends on: the code, where it runs, your web address, app store accounts, payments and any other services it uses.
- We check that every one of those accounts belongs to your company, and move it to you if it doesn’t.
- Each person on our team gets their own login, so access can be removed one person at a time.
In the first two weeks
- We change the passwords and keys the previous team had, and remove access nobody needs any more.
- We copy all your data and files and check the copy can be restored (a tested backup) before we change anything.
- We check that the code you were handed is really what your customers are using.
- We put out one update in a safe test copy of the product (staging) and write down every step, so updates no longer depend on one person.
- We set up warnings that tell a named person as soon as something stops working (monitoring and alerts).
- You get a plain-language list of the biggest risks, each with what it would take to fix.
After that
- Updates go out on a regular schedule, each one checked by a second engineer and tested before customers see it.
- Every month: software updates, security fixes and a short written report.
How it works
How a takeover runs
Each step has its own agreed scope. You decide after each one whether to continue.
-
First two weeks
We get access, learn how the product is built and released, list the biggest risks and ship the first agreed fixes.
-
Make it stable
We work through the plan: safer updates, tested backups, alerts and the fixes that matter most. Fixed scope, agreed in advance.
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Keep it running
Monthly care for the product, or a dedicated team if you are still building new features.
Not included
- Round-the-clock on-call support.
- Security certification or penetration testing. We can tell you where your product stands today and refer you to specialists for the rest.
- A rewrite, unless the evidence shows the product cannot be fixed; that is priced separately.
Proof
Work we have delivered.
Projects where we delivered this kind of work.
-
Taking over and growing an AI platform for residential contractors
LNOKS took over development of EZBuild, an AI operating system for US home builders and remodelers, from a previous vendor, with no handover: production releases on a fixed two-week rhythm, infrastructure in the company's own accounts and a subcontractor app live on the App Store and Google Play.
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Taking over and modernising an AI research and writing assistant for students
PaperTiger helps students plan, research and write essays, theses and dissertations. LNOKS took over the product from a previous vendor, fixed what was broken and gave students a status and grade for each paper, course codes with grading criteria, and an AI-suggested research framework.
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Taking over and improving a course app for book publishers
A course app taken over from another company, fixed and extended for two book publishers who teach new authors online.
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Taking over and launching a venue discount app in Georgia
A half-built venue discount app taken over, finished and launched on iOS and Android, with panels for admins and venue managers.
Client reviews
What clients say about working with us.
Read on Clutch
“Our app now works well and the users are very happy with it. The glitches have all been resolved and it runs smoothly, as do the new features we requested. They're organized and extremely quick to respond.”
AuthorPilot
A course app taken over from another company, fixed and extended for two book publishers who teach new authors online.
Expertise
The expertise behind this service.
Capabilities we use across services, with the projects that show them.
Digital service products
Built around the way you already teach clients.
Shown in
AuthorPilot · Pressure Points Guide
Operations systems
One system for your projects, orders and approvals, built around how your team already works, so deadlines, materials and sign-offs stop living in notes.
Shown in
ToBeModern · EZBuild
Relevant services
Services often combined with this one.
Before you enquire
Questions about takeover & support.
No. A handover helps, but we have started from the code alone. EZBuild had no handover to rely on, and deployments ran on the previous team's personal credentials. We began from what was in the main code repository. Our handover checklist lists what to collect from your current developer.
It can happen. On one CRM we took over, the live servers, the test copy and the code repository held three different versions. We matched them up before changing anything.
No. We fix and extend what you have unless the evidence shows it cannot be saved, and we would show you that evidence first. A rebuild is priced separately.
A list of the biggest risks in plain language, two or three fixes you choose with us live in your product by day 14, and a fixed-price plan for the next step. If nothing can be released safely yet, making release safe is the first fix. We agree the scope with you before we start.
We take on products built with Python (Django), PHP (Laravel), React and React Native, and we build our own work on Node.js and TypeScript. For other technologies, we tell you on the first call whether we are the right team.
Yes. The code, servers and accounts belong to your company, and we work in your accounts wherever possible.
No. We agree response expectations and working hours up front. If you need round-the-clock cover, we tell you on the first call that we are not the right team.
If you want us to. Several clients have kept working with us for years: ToBeModern since 2022 and InstantResponse since 2024.
The first step is a call. After it, we propose a fixed price for the first two weeks, based on the size of your product.
Tell us about the software you want us to take over.
On the first call we clarify the problem, what you already run and a sensible next step.
