# Software Maintenance and Support UK

Source: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/software-maintenance/
Updated: 2026-10-10

> dijitul developments maintains bespoke software and web applications for UK businesses, including systems we did not build: security patches, PHP and framework upgrades, dependency updates, monitoring, tested backups, bug fixes and small improvements. The aim is software that stays secure and changeable instead of drifting into legacy. Every maintenance arrangement is a fixed-price quote after a free chat.

## Problems this solves

- Nobody has updated the application since it launched
- You only hear about problems when a customer complains
- The developer who built it has moved on and you have no one to call
- Small changes pile up because each one needs a new quote and a new supplier
- You are not sure whether backups would actually restore
- Security warnings arrive from your host and you do not know what they mean

## Key facts

- Covers security patches, dependency updates, PHP and framework upgrades, bug fixes and small changes
- We maintain systems built by other developers as well as our own
- Uptime, error and performance monitoring with alerts
- Backups are tested by restoring them, not just assumed to work
- Dependencies are checked regularly for known vulnerabilities with composer audit and npm audit
- Planned upgrades keep you on supported versions, avoiding big painful jumps later
- Hosting and day-to-day support can also come from our sister site, dijitul support

## Why software needs maintenance

Software does not wear out, but everything around it changes. PHP versions reach end of life, frameworks release security fixes, payment gateways and accounting APIs change their authentication, browsers drop old features, and certificates expire. A system left alone for a few years becomes a legacy system, and bringing it back costs far more than keeping it current would have.

Maintenance is the steady, unglamorous work that prevents that: small, regular updates that are easy to test, instead of one large upgrade when something finally breaks.

## What maintenance covers

- **Security updates**: framework, library and CMS patches applied promptly, tested on staging first
- **Dependency management**: regular `composer audit` and `npm audit` checks, with abandoned packages replaced before they become a problem
- **Platform upgrades**: PHP, Node.js, database and framework versions moved ahead of end of life. See PHP upgrades.
- **Integration upkeep**: keeping connections to Xero, Stripe, Shopify, Microsoft 365 and similar APIs working as those APIs change
- **Monitoring**: uptime checks, error tracking such as Sentry, slow query logging and disk and queue alerts
- **Backups**: checking they run, keeping copies off-site and restoring them to prove they work
- **Bug fixes and small improvements**: the steady list of changes every live system gathers

## Staying ahead of end-of-life dates

Every piece of your stack has a support window: the PHP version, the framework, the database server, the operating system, Node.js if you use it, and each major library. We keep a simple register of those dates for your system and plan upgrades well before they arrive, so they can be done calmly in a normal release instead of as an emergency.

As an example, php.net lists 31 December 2026 as the end of security support for PHP 8.2. A maintained application on 8.2 would already have its move to 8.4 or 8.5 planned, tested on staging and scheduled. An unmaintained one tends to discover the problem when the host switches the old version off.

Maintenance is mostly quiet, which is the point. In a typical month we review the monitoring and error reports, apply security and dependency updates on staging and release them once checked, work through the small changes on your list, and confirm that backups have run. On a regular schedule we restore a backup to a test environment to prove it works. You get a short written summary covering what changed, anything we noticed, and what is coming up, so there are no surprises.

## Taking on software someone else built

Much of our maintenance work is on systems built by other developers or agencies. We start with an onboarding health check: secure and document all access, confirm backups, put the code in a Git repository you own if it is not already, set up a staging environment and monitoring, and note the most pressing risks. If the system is in poor shape, we will say so and suggest a code audit or rescue first, rather than quietly maintaining something unsafe.

## How requests and releases work

Requests come in by email or a shared ticket board, are logged with a clear description, and are prioritised with you. Urgent issues such as outages and security problems go to the front. Routine changes are grouped into releases that go through staging and are deployed through a repeatable process, never by editing files on the live server. Every change is recorded, so there is always a history of what changed, when and why.

You get a regular summary: what was updated, what was fixed, what the monitoring showed, and anything coming up, such as a framework version reaching end of life in the next year.

## Development and support, together

dijitul developments looks after the code: upgrades, fixes, integrations and new features. For managed hosting, helpdesk-style support and website care, our sister service dijitul support provides day-to-day cover, and the two work together so you have one team that knows your system end to end. If you only need one part, that is fine too.

Every maintenance arrangement is set out in writing with a fixed-price quote after a free chat, so you know what is included and what is not.

## What we deliver

- An initial health check and onboarding: access, backups, monitoring and documentation
- A maintenance plan setting out update frequency, monitoring and how requests are handled
- Regular dependency and security updates, tested on staging before release
- Uptime, error tracking and performance monitoring
- Backup checks with periodic test restores
- A log of all changes and a regular summary report
- Planned upgrades for PHP, frameworks and server software ahead of end of life

Technologies: PHP 8, Laravel, Node.js, Composer, Sentry, Git, MySQL, Linux

## FAQs

### Do you maintain software you did not build?

Yes, it is a large part of our maintenance work. dijitul developments starts with an onboarding health check: access, backups, code in Git, staging and monitoring. If the system needs serious attention first, we say so and recommend an audit or rescue before taking it on.

### What is included in a software maintenance plan?

Typically security and dependency updates, PHP and framework upgrades ahead of end of life, monitoring, backup checks with test restores, bug fixes and small improvements, plus a regular report. dijitul developments agrees the exact scope with you in writing before it starts.

### How quickly do you respond to problems?

Response expectations are agreed in writing as part of each maintenance arrangement, based on how critical the system is to your business. Monitoring alerts us to many problems before your users notice. Outages and security issues always take priority over routine changes.

### Can maintenance include new features?

Small improvements usually fit within maintenance. Larger features are scoped and quoted separately at a fixed price, so maintenance stays predictable. dijitul developments will tell you which category a request falls into before starting work.

### Do you provide hosting as well?

Hosting and day-to-day support are available through dijitul's sister services, which work alongside dijitul developments. You are also welcome to keep your existing host; we maintain applications on most Linux hosting, cloud platforms and managed services.

### How is software maintenance priced?

dijitul developments quotes a fixed price for an agreed maintenance scope after a free chat and a look at the system. Larger upgrades or new features are quoted separately, so there are no open-ended bills.

## Pricing and contact

Every project gets a fixed-price quote after a free initial chat and a short scoping stage. You own the code and the data. Book a free chat: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk