Software Maintenance Services for Critical Java Applications
Patching, dependency upgrades, incident response and small changes, handled by engineers who know your system. Coverage, responsibilities and the monthly budget are agreed in writing before support begins.
Long-running systems, and the engineers who stay on them
- Since 2013
- FastPost in productionBuilt and evolved for Legerity for nearly ten yearsFastPost case study
- 7%
- annual engineer attritionThe people who learn your system stay on itAbout Stratoflow
- Starting point
- Onboarding, scoped in the written ballpark after the scoping call.
- Coverage
- Business-hours or critical-system coverage, agreed in the support contract.
- Term
- Six-month minimum, then monthly with 60 days notice.
- Commercial model
- Monthly retainer based on the systems covered, the coverage hours and the change budget.
Application support and maintenance services we provide
One retainer covers the work that keeps a Java application secure and running, handled by engineers who know its code.
Monitoring and incident response
Logs, metrics and alerts reviewed, escalation paths set up and runbooks kept current. Incidents are investigated within the agreed coverage and their follow-up actions recorded.
Security and dependency maintenance
Vulnerability findings triaged and exposure assessed, with patches or mitigations planned and updates tested against the application before release.
Runtime and framework upgrades
Support status tracked across Java, frameworks and libraries. Routine updates are planned; larger migrations are flagged early and scoped on their own.
Small changes and operational reporting
An agreed engineering budget for fixes and minor improvements. You get a weekly report on incidents, maintenance and budget use, a monthly summary and a quarterly review of risks and priorities.
Stratoflow was instrumental in the completion of several projects of Tier 2. Other than developments, they also handled the technical support and maintenance of the applications. The team has been reliable, flexible and has displayed excellent technical capabilities in the workplace.
How we take over support of your application
Support starts only after we have mapped the application and agreed with you, and with any outgoing team, that it is ready.
Discuss the systems
Identify the systems, business impact, current support arrangements and required coverage. A written ballpark for onboarding and support follows within a week.
Onboard the application
Two to three weeks, usually, to review architecture, dependencies, deployment and observability. You receive findings, risks and a proposed support scope.
Agree the support contract
The contract names the systems covered, coverage hours, incident priorities, response and restoration targets, maintenance duties and the change budget. The monthly fee is confirmed after onboarding.
Handover and review
Access, runbooks, monitoring and escalation contacts are prepared with the outgoing team where there is one. Support starts once both sides agree it is ready.
Coverage, SLAs and the monthly retainer
Onboarding is billed time and materials against the written ballpark. It establishes what can be supported, what needs remediation and the recurring fee. You keep its findings whether or not you continue with support.
The monthly retainer reflects the number of systems, their criticality, required coverage and the engineering days reserved for small changes. Business-hours coverage and a 24-hour on-call arrangement have different staffing requirements; availability and terms are confirmed in the proposal.
The contract distinguishes response from restoration and defines how incident priority, coverage hours and external dependencies affect targets. It also records escalation, reporting and any agreed service-credit terms. Changes beyond the included budget are discussed and priced before work proceeds.
When managed support is the wrong arrangement
Unsupported versions
If the application runs on Java or Spring versions that no longer receive fixes, maintenance alone will not close that gap. Modernization comes first, and support starts from the upgraded baseline.
Weekly feature work
If the system changes every week and needs feature work more than maintenance, our engineers can join your team and work from your backlog.
Slow or costly under load
If the main problem is latency, throughput or the cloud bill, measure and fix it first, then hand the improved system over to support.
Questions about software maintenance and support
Do you provide application maintenance services for systems another vendor built?
Yes. We first get access to the code, environments and deployment tooling. Gaps in documentation or knowledge become onboarding findings and go into the handover plan.
What if the system uses unsupported Java or libraries?
Onboarding identifies unsupported components and the risk they create. We agree interim measures and an upgrade plan; larger migrations may need a separate modernization project.
How quickly are security issues addressed?
Priorities and response targets are agreed in the contract. We assess exposure and available mitigations, then test and deploy patches when suitable releases are available. Findings that cannot yet be resolved remain visible in the maintenance plan.
What counts as a small change?
A change that fits the agreed engineering budget and support scope, such as a report adjustment or integration fix. Work involving substantial design changes is estimated and agreed separately.
How does the engagement end?
The initial term is six months, followed by monthly support with 60 days notice. Handover responsibilities, documentation and access changes are defined in the agreement so your next support team can take over.
What do your application support services cover?
Security patching and dependency upgrades, incident response in agreed hours, monitoring you can see and a monthly budget for small changes. Application support and software maintenance run under one retainer with SLAs, so the engineers who fix an incident know why the code is shaped the way it is.
Java maintenance guides from our engineers
- Java
Java End of Life Dates, 2026 to 2033: What Ends When, and What October Changes
Every Java LTS in use today loses Oracle extended support between 2029 and 2033, and Oracle JDK 21 stops being free in production in October 2026.
- Java
Spring Boot 4 Migration Guide: Why the Spring Cliff Comes Before the Java Cliff
Every Spring Boot 3.x branch left open-source support in June 2026: what 4.0 changes, when paid support is worth it, and how to move from 3.5 or 2.7 in deployable steps.
- Custom Software
Software Maintenance in the SDLC: Types, Process, Costs and Best Practices
The last SDLC phase and the most expensive: maintenance types, process, the share of budget it takes and eight practices.
Plan support for your Java application
Tell us which systems need support, who runs them today and the coverage your business needs.