Classic ASP for Insurance: Modernizing Legacy Policy Renewal Portals

Every time an insurance broker clicks "Renew" on a Classic ASP portal, a developer somewhere prays the VBScript doesn't hit a null pointer exception in a server-side include from 2004. These systems are the backbone of the $6 trillion global insurance industry, yet they are built on technology that reached "end of life" before most current junior developers were born.

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt isn't just a number on a balance sheet; it’s the friction that prevents an insurance carrier from launching a new policy type in weeks rather than years. In the context of classic insurance modernizing legacy systems, the risk isn't just technical—it's existential. When your renewal portal is a spaghetti-mess of

files and inline SQL, you aren't just maintaining code; you're managing a liability.

TL;DR: Legacy insurance portals built on Classic ASP are major security risks and operational bottlenecks. Traditional manual rewrites take 18-24 months and have a 70% failure rate. Replay accelerates this by using Visual Reverse Engineering to convert video recordings of legacy workflows into documented React components, reducing the modernization timeline from months to weeks.

The Economic Reality of Classic Insurance Modernizing Legacy Projects#

The insurance sector is uniquely burdened by its own history. Unlike a fintech startup that begins with a clean slate, a Tier-1 carrier might have 40 years of actuarial logic baked into systems that no one fully understands. According to Replay's analysis, 67% of these legacy systems lack any form of up-to-date documentation.

When an enterprise decides to move forward with a classic insurance modernizing legacy initiative, they typically face the "Modernization Paradox": you cannot afford to keep the old system, but you cannot risk the downtime of a manual rewrite.

Comparison: Manual Rewrite vs. Replay Visual Reverse Engineering#

Video-to-code is the process of recording a user performing a specific workflow—like a policy renewal—and using AI-driven automation to transform those visual interactions into clean, structured React code and TypeScript definitions.

Why Classic ASP is the "Final Boss" of Insurance Tech Debt#

Classic ASP (Active Server Pages) relies on VBScript or JScript executed on the server. In the late 90s, this was revolutionary. Today, it’s a nightmare for three reasons:

1. •The Talent Gap: Finding developers who can safely modify VBScript without breaking global state is becoming impossible.
2. •State Management: Classic ASP uses
   text

   Session
   and
   text

   Application
   objects that are notoriously difficult to scale in modern cloud environments like AWS or Azure.
3. •Security: These systems were built before the era of modern XSS, CSRF, and SQL injection protections.

Industry experts recommend that classic insurance modernizing legacy strategies move away from "Big Bang" rewrites. Instead of trying to document the code (which is often obfuscated or lost), focus on the behavior. If a user inputs a driver's age and the premium changes, that behavior is the "Source of Truth," regardless of what the underlying VBScript says.

Learn more about legacy transformation strategies

A Technical Blueprint for Classic Insurance Modernizing Legacy Portals#

To modernize a policy renewal portal, we must decouple the UI from the legacy backend. This allows for a phased migration where the modern React frontend talks to the legacy database through a shim or a new API layer.

Step 1: Visual Extraction with Replay#

Instead of reading 10,000 lines of ASP code, you record a broker completing a renewal. Replay’s "Flows" feature maps the state changes, the API calls, and the UI components.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of extracting the architectural intent and UI patterns from a running application without needing access to the original source code.

Step 2: Generating the Component Library#

Using the recorded data, Replay generates a Design System. In the insurance world, this means standardizing "Policy Cards," "Coverage Toggles," and "Premium Calculators."

Here is an example of what a modernized, type-safe React component looks like after being extracted from a legacy ASP table-based layout:

typescript
// Modernized Policy Renewal Component
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Button, Card, Input, Toggle } from '@/components/ui';

interface PolicyProps {
  policyId: string;
  currentPremium: number;
  expiryDate: string;
}

export const PolicyRenewalCard: React.FC<PolicyProps> = ({ 
  policyId, 
  currentPremium, 
  expiryDate 
}) => {
  const [autoRenew, setAutoRenew] = useState(false);

  return (
    <Card className="p-6 shadow-lg border-l-4 border-blue-600">
      <h3 className="text-xl font-bold">Policy: {policyId}</h3>
      <p className="text-gray-500">Expires on: {expiryDate}</p>
      
      <div className="mt-4 flex justify-between items-center">
        <span className="text-lg">Premium: ${currentPremium.toFixed(2)}</span>
        <Toggle 
          label="Enable Auto-Renew"
          checked={autoRenew}
          onChange={setAutoRenew}
        />
      </div>

      <Button 
        className="mt-6 w-full" 
        onClick={() => console.log('Initiating Renewal...')}
      >
        Renew Now
      </Button>
    </Card>
  );
};

Step 3: Handling Complex State logic#

Classic ASP often mixed business logic with UI logic. In a classic insurance modernizing legacy project, we use React Hooks to encapsulate that logic. For instance, an insurance premium calculator that used to be a 500-line VBScript file can be modernized into a clean, testable hook.

typescript
// usePremiumCalculator.ts
import { useMemo } from 'react';

export const usePremiumCalculator = (baseRate: number, riskFactor: number, discounts: number[]) => {
  const finalPremium = useMemo(() => {
    const totalDiscount = discounts.reduce((acc, d) => acc + d, 0);
    const riskAdjusted = baseRate * riskFactor;
    return riskAdjusted - (riskAdjusted * (totalDiscount / 100));
  }, [baseRate, riskFactor, discounts]);

  return { finalPremium };
};

Moving from 18 Months to 18 Days#

The average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months. By the time the project is finished, the business requirements have changed, and the "new" system is already accruing technical debt.

Replay changes the math. By automating the extraction of the UI and the documentation of the flows, the "discovery" phase of a classic insurance modernizing legacy project is reduced by 90%. You aren't starting from a blank screen; you're starting with a fully documented React library that mirrors your existing business processes.

According to Replay's analysis, insurance companies that utilize visual reverse engineering see a 70% average time savings. This allows teams to focus on the high-value work: improving the user experience and integrating modern AI for claims processing, rather than manually transcribing old HTML tables into Flexbox.

Building Design Systems from Legacy UI

Security and Compliance in Regulated Environments#

For insurance providers, security is non-negotiable. Modernizing a Classic ASP portal isn't just about a prettier UI; it's about moving to a stack that supports:

• •SOC2 & HIPAA Compliance: Modern frameworks make it easier to implement granular access controls.
• •On-Premise Deployment: Replay offers on-premise solutions for carriers who cannot move their data to the public cloud.
• •Audit Trails: Unlike legacy ASP logs which are often cryptic, modern React/Node.js stacks provide clear, structured logging for every policy change.

When executing a classic insurance modernizing legacy plan, architects must ensure that the new system isn't just a "skin." It must be a foundational shift toward a more secure, maintainable architecture. Replay’s Blueprints (Editor) allow architects to review the generated code and ensure it meets corporate security standards before a single line is deployed to production.

The Role of AI in Legacy Modernization#

We are currently in the midst of a paradigm shift. Manual coding is no longer the bottleneck; the bottleneck is understanding. Replay’s AI Automation Suite acts as an "architect in a box," interpreting the visual recordings and suggesting the most efficient React architecture.

It recognizes that a specific dropdown in a legacy portal is actually a "Carrier Selection" component and maps it to the appropriate data structure. This level of semantic understanding is what allows Replay to turn 40 hours of manual work into 4 hours of supervised automation.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How does Replay handle server-side VBScript logic that isn't visible in the UI?#

While Replay focuses on Visual Reverse Engineering (the UI and client-side behavior), it documents the API interactions and data shapes that the VBScript produces. This allows developers to see exactly what the legacy backend expects, making it significantly easier to write modern replacement microservices or "shims" that bridge the old logic with the new React frontend.

Is the generated React code maintainable, or is it "spaghetti" code?#

Replay generates clean, human-readable TypeScript and React code that follows modern best practices (functional components, hooks, and modular CSS). Because the system is built for Enterprise Architects, the output is designed to be the foundation of a long-term codebase, not a temporary fix.

Can we use Replay for portals that require a secure login (VPN/MFA)?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated environments including Financial Services and Government. The recording process can be performed within your secure environment, and Replay is SOC2 compliant and HIPAA-ready. We also offer an On-Premise version for organizations with strict data residency requirements.

Does Replay replace our existing developers?#

No. Replay is a force multiplier. It removes the "drudge work" of manual UI reconstruction and documentation—tasks that most senior developers dislike. By automating the first 70% of the modernization journey, your team can focus on complex integrations and delivering new business value.

Conclusion: Stop Rewriting, Start Replaying#

The "Big Bang" rewrite is a relic of the past. For insurance carriers looking to remain competitive, the path forward is through intelligent automation. By focusing on classic insurance modernizing legacy strategies that leverage visual reverse engineering, you can protect your business logic while shedding the technical debt that holds you back.

The $3.6 trillion technical debt doesn't have to be your problem. With Replay, you can turn your legacy liability into a modern asset in a fraction of the time.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay