Software Conversion & Rebuilds
for Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane businesses.
We convert Access databases, desktop applications, Excel workbooks and FileMaker systems into modern web applications. Your business logic stays. Your data migrates. The technology underneath gets a complete upgrade.
Perth-based. Australia-wide. Fixed-price quotes. Full code ownership.
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Convert Your Old Software to a Modern Web Application
You have an Access database, a desktop application, a set of Excel workbooks, or a FileMaker system that runs a chunk of your business. It works — but it is slow, fragile, single-user, and stuck on one machine. The person who built it is gone and nobody wants to touch the code.
We convert old software to modern web applications. Same business logic, same data, same workflows — but browser-based, multi-user, cloud-hosted, automatically backed up, and connected to your accounting software, CRM and everything else. Your team gets a system that does the same job without the daily headaches.
HELLO PEOPLE is a Perth-based development company. We have converted Access databases, VB6 applications, Delphi tools, FoxPro systems, FileMaker databases, Excel workbooks and custom desktop software for businesses across Australia. The process is always the same — audit the old system, plan the conversion, build in phases, migrate the data, and keep the old system running until the new one is proven.
Why businesses convert their old software
These are the conversations we have every week with business owners who have reached the limit of their current system.
Trapped on one computer
The system only runs on a specific PC. Staff queue up to use it, or keep their own copy that never syncs back. Remote access means RDP or a VPN that barely works. If that PC dies, the business stops.
Crashing and corrupting
The Access database needs "compact and repair" every week. The desktop app freezes when two people try to use it. You have lost data before and you know it is only a matter of time until it happens again.
Nobody left who can change it
The developer retired. The IT guy who understood the macros left. The last quote for a minor change was thousands of dollars from a specialist in a dying technology. You are stuck.
Get Started
Tell us what needs converting
Access database, desktop app, Excel system, FileMaker — describe what it does and we will come back with an honest assessment and a clear path forward.
What we convert
Different old systems, different conversion paths. Pick a tab to see how each one works.
Convert Access database to web application
This is the conversion we do most often. Your Access database — with its forms, queries, reports, macros and linked tables — becomes a proper web application. Same business logic. Same data. No more file corruption, no more single-user locks, no more "compact and repair."
We rebuild your forms as responsive web pages with the same fields, validation rules and workflow logic. Reports become live dashboards and exportable PDFs. Macros become server-side automation.
Your data migrates cleanly. Every record, every relationship, every historical entry. The team gets a system that feels familiar enough to pick up quickly, without the Access headaches.
Convert desktop application to web app
VB6 tools, Delphi systems, WinForms apps, FoxPro databases, PowerBuilder interfaces — if it only runs on Windows, we convert it to a web application that runs everywhere.
We do not just copy the old interface into a browser. We redesign the experience for modern screens while keeping every piece of business logic intact. Faster navigation, cleaner layout, mobile-friendly if needed.
The conversion includes user authentication, role-based access, proper database architecture and API connections to your other systems. Everything the desktop app could never do.
Convert Excel spreadsheets to a proper system
Your "system" is actually a collection of Excel workbooks with formulas, macros, VBA scripts and pivot tables that someone built five years ago. It works — barely — but it does not scale, it is not multi-user, and one wrong edit breaks everything.
We convert your Excel workflows into a structured web application with a proper database, input validation, calculated fields, dashboards and audit trails. The same data, the same logic, but reliable and shareable.
Common conversions: quoting calculators, project trackers, inventory managers, commission calculators, scheduling tools and reporting workbooks.
Convert FileMaker databases to web application
FileMaker served its purpose, but the licensing is expensive, the platform is stagnating, and the pool of FileMaker developers shrinks every year. Time to move to standard web technology.
We rebuild your FileMaker solution as a web application — preserving your layouts, scripts, relationships and value lists as modern equivalents. The data migrates across completely.
The result is a system you fully own (no FileMaker licence fees), accessible from any browser, connected to your other platforms, and maintainable by any web developer.
Rebuild old software from the ground up
Sometimes the old system is too tangled to convert piece by piece. The architecture does not map to modern patterns, the code is undocumented, or the underlying technology is so old that conversion tools cannot read it.
A full rebuild means we design a new system informed by everything the old one does — but built on modern architecture from scratch. We audit the old system, map every workflow, identify what to keep and what to improve, then build it properly.
Built on Laravel, React, Node.js, .NET or whatever fits. Hosted on AWS or Azure. Proper API layer, role-based access, automated backups and room to grow. Data from the old system is cleaned and migrated in full.
Data extraction, cleanup and migration
The data in your old system is worth more than the software. Customer records, transaction history, job logs, product catalogues — decades of business information that has to come across accurately.
We extract data from Access, Excel, FileMaker, SQL Server, MySQL, flat files, CSVs, XML exports — whatever format the old system stores it in. Then we clean it: remove duplicates, standardise formats, fix broken relationships, validate references.
Your historical data arrives in the new system in better shape than it left the old one. Nothing gets lost. Audit trails and references are preserved.
Legacy database migration that preserved 15 years of data
We migrated a sporting club from Microsoft Access to a modern web platform. Fifteen years of member data, registrations and competition records — safely moved and now cloud-accessible.
Read the full case study →What changes when you convert to a web application
Same business logic, completely different experience. Here is what your team gets after the conversion.
Access it from anywhere — not just that one PC
Your converted system runs in a browser. Chrome, Safari, Edge — any device, any location. Staff on site, at home, in the car park, at a client's office. No VPN, no Remote Desktop, no terminal server.
That single-user lock on the Access database? Gone. The VPN that drops out every afternoon? Not needed. The laptop that has to stay in the office because it is the only one with the software? Free to go.
Everyone works at the same time without file locks
Access databases lock when one person is using them. Desktop apps run on one machine. Your team takes turns, waits, or keeps a second copy that never gets merged back in.
A converted web application handles dozens of users simultaneously. Everyone sees the same live data. Changes appear instantly. No file locks, no conflicts, no "close it so I can get in."
Integrated with your accounting, CRM and everything else
The old system sits in a silo. Getting data out means exporting a CSV and reformatting it in Excel. Getting data in means typing it twice.
The converted system connects to Xero, MYOB, Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Stripe — via API. Data flows automatically. An invoice in the system creates a bill in Xero. A new customer in HubSpot appears in your dashboard.
Automatic backups instead of hoping someone remembers
Right now, your data lives on a local drive or a single server. If it crashes, if it corrupts, if someone accidentally deletes a table — how far back is your last backup? Do you even have one?
Cloud-hosted web applications back up automatically. Daily snapshots, point-in-time recovery, redundant storage. Your data is safer than it has ever been.
Built on technology that developers actually know
Finding someone who can maintain a VB6 app, tweak an Access database with 80 linked macros, or debug a Delphi form is getting harder and more expensive every year.
Converted systems are built on Laravel, React, Node.js, .NET — technology with massive developer communities, regular updates and long-term support. You are never stuck again.
How we price conversion projects
We audit first, quote second. No guessing, no hourly billing.
Free 15-minute call
Tell us what the old system does — Access database, desktop app, Excel workbook, FileMaker. We will give you an honest steer on whether to convert, rebuild, or take a phased approach.
Fixed-price quote
After a free consultation and paid discovery phase (where we audit the existing system in detail), you get a fixed-price proposal for the conversion. No hourly billing. No scope creep.
Staged conversion
We convert one module at a time. The old system stays live for everything that has not been converted yet. Each phase delivers working software. You pay in milestones tied to completed modules.
How We Convert Old Software
The old system stays live until the new one is proven. No downtime. No data loss. No big-bang switchover.
We had an Access database that four people shared — if you could call it sharing. Someone was always locked out. It crashed at least once a month. The web app does exactly the same thing but from any browser. All four of us work in it at the same time now. The data came across perfectly and it has not crashed once.
Software conversion by industry
Every industry has its Access databases, desktop apps and Excel workbooks that have been running the show for too long. Here is how we handle each one.
Trades & Construction
Converting Access databases and Excel trackers used for quoting, job management, timesheets and invoicing. The new web app connects to simPRO, ServiceM8 or Xero and works from the field, not just the office.
Professional Services
Converting FileMaker and Access databases used for client management, time billing, document handling and project tracking. Firms with 5 to 50 staff that have outgrown their homegrown system.
Manufacturing & Wholesale
Converting inventory systems, order processing tools, production trackers and supplier databases. Often running on a mix of Access, Excel and old server-based apps that barely talk to each other.
Healthcare
Converting on-premise patient databases, referral trackers and clinical tools to secure cloud-based platforms. Multi-location access, Australian health data compliance, integration with practice management systems.
Mining & Resources
Converting safety reporting, compliance tracking and asset management systems. Often running on old servers with no remote access. Converted systems include offline mobile support for remote sites.
Logistics & Transport
Converting dispatch systems, fleet trackers, route planners and delivery management tools. Excel-based scheduling replaced with real-time web dashboards connected to GPS, driver apps and customer portals.
Why HELLO PEOPLE
We build, not just advise
We write the code, design the interface, deploy the systems, and support them long-term. No subcontracting, no offshore handoffs.
Fixed-price quoting
You get a clear price before we start. No hourly billing that spirals, no surprise invoices at the end of the month.
Built for Australian business
We understand BAS, super, award rates, Australian privacy law, and the tools local businesses actually use — Xero, MYOB, ServiceM8, Tradify.
Senior team, direct access
You talk to the people building your software. No account managers, no project managers relaying messages, no ticket queues.
Full code ownership
You own everything — the code, the data, the hosting. No lock-in. No proprietary platforms you cannot leave.
Common questions about software conversion
Can you convert my Access database to a web application?
Yes. This is one of the most common projects we do. We rebuild your Access forms, queries, reports and macros as a browser-based web application with multi-user support, automated backups, cloud hosting and API integrations. Your data migrates across completely — every record, every relationship, every historical entry.
Can you convert a desktop app to a web app?
Yes. We convert applications built in VB6, Delphi, WinForms, FoxPro, PowerBuilder, FileMaker and other desktop technologies. The business logic is preserved and rebuilt on modern web frameworks. The result works in any browser, from any device, with no installation needed.
Will our data transfer across to the new system?
Yes, completely. We extract every record from the old system, clean and validate the data, and load it into the new system. Historical records, references and relationships are all preserved. The old system is archived (not deleted) so you always have a fallback reference.
How much does a software conversion cost?
It depends on the size and complexity of what you are converting. A focused Access database with 10 forms is a different scope to a desktop application with 50 screens and 20 years of data. We start with a free 15-minute call, then run a paid discovery phase to audit the system in full. After discovery, you get a fixed-price quote.
How long does a conversion take?
A focused conversion — one Access database or one desktop tool — typically takes 10 to 16 weeks. A larger system with multiple modules and complex integrations takes 16 to 24 weeks, delivered in phases so your team starts using parts of the new system early.
Can the old system stay running during the conversion?
Yes. That is always the plan. We build the new system in parallel, migrate data at cutover, and switch module by module. Your team keeps using the old system for anything that has not been converted yet. No downtime, no big-bang switchover.
What if our Access database has complex VBA macros?
We audit every macro and VBA module during discovery. The logic is rebuilt as server-side code in the new web application — same calculations, same validation rules, same automation. We test the output against the old system to confirm the results match.
Do we own the new system?
Yes, 100 percent. Source code, designs, database, hosting accounts — all yours. No licence fees, no per-user charges, no lock-in. You end up with a system built on standard web technology that any competent developer can maintain.
Get Started
Tell us what needs converting
Access database, desktop app, Excel system, FileMaker — tell us what it does and where it hurts. We will come back with a realistic plan. No jargon, no pressure.
Tell Us What Needs Converting
Access database, desktop app, Excel workbook, FileMaker — describe what it does and what is not working. We will come back with a clear next step. No jargon, no pressure.
Prefer a quick chat? Call 0425 531 127 – we're Perth-based and we answer the phone.