Migration and Takeover of Existing Projects
Taking over existing shops and websites from another provider or from internal management is one of our most common entry points. The following questions address the handover process and common concerns.
- Can you take over a shop built by another agency? Yes, taking over existing projects is one of our most common entry points. You need neither rebuild the shop nor switch to us as your developer to get professional maintenance. We begin with a technical audit in which we soberly assess the shop's condition, identify existing security gaps and outdated components, and derive a prioritized action plan from them. With externally developed shops that contain custom modifications, this inventory is decisive because it surfaces hidden dependencies before the first update is applied. After onboarding is complete, we assume full maintenance responsibility, including monitoring and security updates. We are happy to take the first step in a non-binding conversation.
- What happens during onboarding of an existing project? Onboarding follows a fixed sequence: a technical audit for the inventory, cleanup of critical issues, setup of staging environment and monitoring, creation of system documentation and finally the SLA agreement. This structured start ensures that we do not update a foreign system blindly but first truly understand it. The process typically takes two to four weeks depending on project complexity. This time is well invested, because the documentation and the monitoring we build up pay off across the entire contract period and later enable a seamless handover to a substitute technician. How the concrete transition into regular operation looks is coordinated individually; you can find the building blocks in our services overview.
- Do I need the source code or access from my previous agency? Ideally yes. For a clean takeover, we need access to the server (SSH), the database, the hosting panel and the CMS backend. If your previous agency developed custom plugins or individual modifications, access to the source code of these extensions is additionally very helpful, since otherwise we first have to reconstruct how they work. In reality, handovers are rarely complete, especially when the separation from the previous provider was not smooth. Should individual access be missing, we can find alternative paths in most cases, for example via the hosting provider or by analyzing the running system. Which documents are really necessary for your case and how we bridge gaps is something we clarify concretely in the initial consultation.
- What happens if my shop already has security issues? Then cleanup takes priority. In this case, onboarding begins with prioritized resolution of the acute security issues via our emergency support before we think about regular maintenance. A shop that is already compromised or has an open critical gap is not simply absorbed into the standard process. Only when the system is in a demonstrably stable and secure state, meaning cleaned, patched and monitored, does it transition to regular maintenance. We document the entire cleanup transparently and communicate the resulting costs in advance, so that you stay in control even in the stressful moment of an incident. How such an emergency unfolds is described on the emergency support page.
- Can I keep my hosting provider? In most cases yes. We work with common hosting providers and adapt our maintenance processes to the respective server environment instead of making a migration a condition. For many clients, it is an important argument not to have to touch an existing, working infrastructure without need. If the current hosting clearly does not fit the shop, however, for example due to chronic overload, missing backup options or outdated server software, we raise this openly and advise you on alternatives. Where needed, we handle the server migration as a one-time service, carefully planned and with a fallback option. What is sensible for your setup is something we assess during the audit; a first estimate is available in the initial consultation.
- How long does taking over an existing project take? Complete onboarding typically takes two to four weeks. During this time we run the audit, clean up critical points, set up staging and monitoring and create the system documentation. The range depends mainly on the complexity of the shop and the completeness of the handed-over access. In urgent cases, for example when the takeover happens directly after a security incident, we proceed in two stages: we implement the most critical measures within a few days via emergency support, while regular onboarding continues in parallel. This way no gap arises in which your shop is left unmonitored. We set the concrete timeline for your project after an initial review.