App rewrites take months
Changing login code across old frameworks, vendor apps, and custom portals slows the identity project down.
Legacy identity modernization
Migrate Legacy Applications to Modern Identity Platforms Without Rewriting Apps
Put Datawiza Access Proxy in front of legacy applications to add SSO, MFA, policy, and audit with Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Amazon Cognito, Google Workspace, or another identity provider. Start app by app without changing source code.
Why migration stalls
Legacy app identity projects can become bigger than planned
Security gaps remain open
While teams wait for app changes, important applications may still lack SSO, MFA, consistent policy, and audit.
Users keep seeing fragmented login
Employees, partners, and customers may still juggle old login flows while modern IdP projects move forward elsewhere.
Future IdP changes create more work
Hard-coded app integrations make it painful to change identity providers or policy models later.
How it works
Migrate access at the proxy layer
Place Datawiza in front of the app
Route browser traffic through Datawiza Access Proxy before requests reach the legacy application.
Connect the modern IdP
Use Entra ID, Okta, Cognito, Google Workspace, Ping, Duo, or another identity provider for authentication and MFA.
Apply policy before access
Evaluate user, group, app path, and rollout rules before allowing traffic through.
Forward approved requests
Keep the application behavior stable while modern identity controls happen in front of it.
Best fit
Where proxy-based legacy app migration fits
Use this pattern when the application is important enough to protect now, but not easy to rewrite or replace. Datawiza lets teams modernize access first and handle deeper app modernization later.
For related patterns, see Datawiza Access Proxy and no-code MFA.
Good candidates include
Legacy employee portals, admin tools, and internal web apps
On-premises applications moving to Entra ID, Okta, Cognito, or another IdP
Vendor or custom apps that do not support SAML, OIDC, OAuth, or MFA natively
Apps that need centralized SSO, MFA, authorization policy, and audit
Organizations migrating away from older gateways or legacy IAM systems
Rollout
Modernize app by app, without a big-bang cutover
Start with one high-risk app
Pilot with one legacy app, validate routing and policy, then expand the same pattern.
Deploy where the app runs
Use Datawiza-hosted deployment or run the proxy in your cloud, private cloud, or on-prem environment.
Manage policies centrally
Control access rules, headers, routes, and audit from a central management console.
Keep rollback clear
Because the app itself is not rewritten, teams can plan routing and DNS changes with a simpler rollback path.
FAQ
Legacy application migration FAQ
Do we need to rewrite application login?
No. Datawiza sits in front of the application and enforces modern identity controls before requests reach the app.
Can we use our current identity provider?
Yes. Datawiza can integrate with common identity providers such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Ping, Amazon Cognito, Google Workspace, and others.
Is this only for on-premises applications?
No. The same access-layer pattern can support on-premises, private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid applications when traffic can be routed through the proxy.
Can we migrate gradually?
Yes. Most teams start with one application, validate the user experience and policy model, then repeat the pattern across more applications.
Modernize one legacy app first
Bring one legacy application. Datawiza can show how SSO, MFA, access policy, and audit fit in front of it without rewriting the app.