Cella is an information lifecycle management platform for legacy application data. It extracts the data from the SAP and non-SAP systems you no longer want to run, holds it in one secure, reportable store, and lets you switch the old systems off for good – so your history stays an asset, not an overhead.
INFORMATION LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT FOR LEGACY DATA Liberate value. Retire risk.
Trusted by 50+ enterprise teams across Europe, the Americas and Asia – built on 30+ years of legacy data experience.
50+
enterprise clients
600+
systems decommissioned
40+
system types
Trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major European multinationals and public sector organisations across Europe, the Americas and Asia – across sectors including energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and government and built on 30+ years of legacy data experience.
The platform
Enterprise legacy data management in one platform
One platform for the whole lifecycle of your legacy data – extract it, work with it, and switch the old systems off.
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Why decommissionLegacy systems cost more than they return
Around 15% of the typical IT budget goes on supporting systems the business has already moved past. Move the data you still need somewhere cheaper and safer, and the savings, risk and compliance benefits follow.
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PlanningA plan built on your actual landscape
We assess the systems in scope, model the business case against what they cost you today, and set out effort and milestones before anything moves.
We often start with your most expense system, and the savings it releases help fund the next, so the programme pays for itself as it scales.
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RealisationExtract, report, switch off
Data in scope is extracted into low-cost cloud storage, reporting is set up and AI-ready, your team takes the controls – and the legacy system is switched off after the agreed period.
Inside the platform
Everything your legacy data needs, in one place
Six capabilities, one Launchpad – so retired data stays as usable as it was in the live system.
Extract and import
All or selected data – structured and unstructured, including SAP archive files – from any source system, with automated features through the Cella data transfer hub.
Report beyond the system
Pre-built reports across every SAP module, a table browser, an SQL command line, plus custom and self-service reporting .
Search and find
Filter by module, table and transaction code across decommissioned and live systems – including SAP S/4HANA – from one place. Ready for AI-powered natural language search and analytics across your data
One Launchpad
Reach every decommissioned system through one Launchpad – access managed per system and module, multilingual, with a built-in help wizard.
Retention manager
End-to-end information lifecycle management for housekeeping and GDPR: retention rules and deletion, governed by an approval workflow with dual 4-eye verification.
Search multiple systems
Mix data sets by searching on multiple systems simultaneously. Extract selected Cella data and analyse with live system data.
Architecture & delivery
Secure and fully managed
Cella is built using a microservices architecture, where each service is independently deployable and scalable. It utilises SAP HANA with a Fiori interface. Security is end-to-end – encryption, audit logging, granular access control by archive, module and company code, and single sign-on – and data can be held across multiple databases and countries, with federated storage where it’s needed.
It’s delivered as Cella Cloud, a fully managed service: we run the infrastructure, application, security and SAP HANA management and roll out new releases, all on a simple subscription (on-premise if required). And because your data keeps its full business context, it becomes a strategic asset rather than a cost – ready for AI-driven natural language search and analysis.
The business case
Turn a cost centre into an asset
Keeping legacy systems running is expensive and carries risk – around 15% of the typical IT budget, plus the risk of unsupported hardware and mounting compliance exposure. Cella changes the maths: by decommissioning the systems and keeping the data, it can remove up to 80% of a legacy system’s total cost of ownership – turning a cost centre into a governed, accessible data asset.
And it funds its own way in. Cella follows a factory approach: we start with your most complex system, and the savings it releases help fund the next, so the programme pays for itself as it scales. Each system moves through two phases – Planning (assessment and business case) and Realisation (extraction, storage, reporting and shutdown).
Archiving vs decommissioning
Data archiving vs system decommissioning
Buyers arrive using the language of data archiving, or system decommissioning – but the two are not the same, and the difference is where the savings are.
- Data archiving – also known as enterprise data archiving – moves inactive data to separate storage while the original application, and its cost, keeps running.
- System decommissioning goes further: the application is fully retired and its data migrated to a standalone platform such as Cella, so the running cost goes with it.
Cella brings data lifecycle management to legacy systems, covering both – retain what you must, dispose of what you should, and decommission the systems you no longer need.
Use cases
Legacy system decommissioning use cases
SAP / HANA
SAP / HANA transition
Retire your old SAP ECC system when you move to S/4HANA or RISE.
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ERP
ERP migration support
Keep accessible, auditable history when you migrate to a new ERP, whatever the vendor.
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COST
Legacy IT cost reduction
Cut up to 80% of the cost of running systems you only keep for the data.
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AI
AI data readiness
Free decades of historical data so it is clean, governed and ready for AI and analytics.
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M&A
M&A carve-outs
Separate, retain and access the right data through mergers, acquisitions and divestitures.
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GDPR
GDPR digital disposal
Dispose of legacy data compliantly, with retention rules, legal hold and a full audit trail.
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Any questions?
Get in touch
Information lifecycle management FAQs
If you have a question, please use our short form to send it over. We’re always happy to chat.
Information lifecycle management (ILM) is managing data from creation through to secure disposal – what to keep, for how long, and when to delete it. Cella applies ILM to legacy application data, with retention rules, legal hold and dual 4-eye approval built in.
Information lifecycle management (ILM) is managing data from creation through to secure disposal – what to keep, for how long, and when to delete it. Cella applies ILM to legacy application data, with retention rules, legal hold and dual 4-eye approval built in.
Information lifecycle management (ILM) is managing data from creation through to secure disposal – what to keep, for how long, and when to delete it. Cella applies ILM to legacy application data, with retention rules, legal hold and dual 4-eye approval built in.
Information lifecycle management (ILM) is managing data from creation through to secure disposal – what to keep, for how long, and when to delete it. Cella applies ILM to legacy application data, with retention rules, legal hold and dual 4-eye approval built in.
As Cella Cloud, a fully managed SaaS on a monthly subscription. On-premise is available if required.
Ready to let go of the cost, not the data?
Talk to our team about decommissioning legacy systems and see how much you could save.