Ongoing Support Retainers
A monthly retainer for software that still runs your business: hosting checks, patches, small fixes and a plain-English note each month.
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We support the software nobody else will.
Your developer or vendor is gone and your software still runs your business. In two weeks we know it, document it, put backups and access in your hands, and tell you in plain English what needs fixing and what it costs.
After a 30-minute call, you get a one-page fixed-price proposal within 24 hours.
Sound familiar?
Software that still works, with nobody looking after it
- The developer or vendor who built it is gone, unreachable or will not touch the old technology.
- It runs on a version that is no longer supported, and your host has sent a date.
- Something broke, or a login nobody can find locked you out.
- A hosting, license or renewal bill arrived and nobody knows what it pays for.
- The one person who understood it is leaving.
- You are buying or selling a business and the software is part of the deal.
Any one of these is a good reason to write to us. See who we help.
How it works
Four steps from "we have a problem" to "someone owns it"
1
Tell us what you have
Send a few lines about the software and what is happening. We reply by email.
2
Takeover Assessment
About two weeks, fixed price. We learn it, document it, and move backups and access into your accounts.
3
Plain-English readout
A report and a 45 to 60 minute readout: what it is, what to fix and what each fix costs.
4
Ongoing care, if you want it
A monthly retainer keeps it running. The assessment fee is credited toward your first three months.
Every engagement starts with a written scope and a fixed price. If something is broken right now, Rescue fixes the one named failure first.
Services
Everything we offer
Takeover Assessment
In about two weeks we learn your software, document it, move access into accounts you own, and price every fix. Fully credited toward a retainer.
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Rescue for Broken Software
Your site or app is down, a host expired or access is lost. One named failure, one fixed fee, started within two business days.
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Software Health and Continuity Review
A stand-alone written review of your software: what it is, how long it can run, what it costs to keep, and a priced fix list. No retainer required.
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Fixes and Runtime Upgrades
Priced fix projects from your assessment, and upgrade packs that move old PHP, Python, .NET or Django applications to a supported version.
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AI for Existing Software
Add AI features to a system we already know: from one two-week quick win to a full feature pack, on your own AI provider account.
Learn moreRetainers
Someone who answers when you write
Old software, still doing its job, with a provider behind it. Prices are in USD with a fixed scope, and we do not bill hourly.
Keep-Alive
$2,000 per month
3-month minimum, then month-to-month
- Hosting, backup and access checks
- Patch and dependency pull requests
- Up to 6 small fixes a month
- Business-hours email and a monthly note
Support Plus
$4,500 per month
3-month minimum
- Everything in Keep-Alive
- About 12 hours a month of fixes and small changes
- Next-business-day priority
Own-It
$8,500 per month
By request, 3-month minimum
- About 30 to 40 hours a month of development
- AI-assisted, human-reviewed
- Optional on-call add-on at $2,000 per month
Every retainer starts with a Takeover Assessment, credited in full toward your first three months. See all pricing.
What you get
A report you can read without a technical background
The assessment ends with a plain-English summary, a system map, the documentation we wrote and a priced list of fixes, each with the evidence behind it.
A 45 to 60 minute readout walks through it. A verbal-only option is available, and you have 14 days for questions.
Who we help
Businesses whose software outlived the people who built it
Associations, manufacturers, distributors and professional-services firms running a custom portal or application from a vendor or freelancer who has moved on. Aging software companies whose last developer is leaving. Owners who are buying or selling a business.
How we work
Plain about how the work is done
- AI-assisted, human-reviewed. We tell you how AI is used on the first call, and a person reviews every change.
- Changes arrive as pull requests or documented steps, never as silent edits.
- You own the access. Credentials live in a vault in your name.
- No production change without your written approval.
- Scope in writing and a fixed price before work starts.
We do not offer security assessments or security testing. If you need one, we will point you to a specialist. About us.
FAQ
Common questions
We take over and support software that nobody else will. If your developer or vendor is gone and the software still runs your business, we learn it, document it, move backups and access into accounts you own, fix what needs fixing, and then support it month to month.
Start with a Takeover Assessment. In about two weeks we learn the system, document it, put backups and access in your hands, and give you a plain-English report with a price on every fix. If something is broken right now, start with Rescue instead.
About two weeks from kickoff to readout. Larger or unusual systems are scoped before we start, so you know the timeline and the price up front.
Use Rescue. You name the one failure, we start within two business days, work up to 12 hours for a fixed $4,500 fee, restore service and write down what we found. Bigger work is quoted before we do it.
Takeover Assessments are $3,500 (small) or $7,500 (standard). Retainers are Keep-Alive at $2,000 per month, Support Plus at $4,500 per month and Own-It at $8,500 per month. Rescue is $4,500. Prices are in USD with a fixed scope, and the pricing page lists every option.
Blog
Notes for people who inherited software
October 24, 2026
End-of-Life PHP: What It Means for Your Business
Your application runs on a PHP version that is no longer supported. What that actually means in practice and how upgrades are planned.
October 24, 2026
Keep-Alive Retainer or Hire a Developer?
Should you hire a developer, use a freelancer or pay for a monthly retainer? An honest comparison for software that mostly needs to keep running.
October 24, 2026
Your Vendor Will Not Take Your Calls
A software vendor that goes quiet leaves you with an application you cannot change and nobody to ask. Here is what that usually means and what to do.
Tell us what you have
In two weeks we know it, document it, and keep it running. Send a few lines about your software and we will reply by email.