How Replay Redefines Software Asset Management for Fortune 500 CTOs in 2026

The average Fortune 500 company carries over $500 million in undocumented technical debt—a silent liability that traditional Software Asset Management (SAM) tools are fundamentally unequipped to handle. While legacy SAM focused on license compliance and seat counts, the 2026 landscape demands a shift toward Functional Asset Intelligence. This is where Replay redefines software asset management by transforming invisible legacy workflows into documented, actionable code.

For the modern CTO, the risk isn't just "what software do we own?" but "what does our software actually do?" With 67% of legacy systems lacking any form of up-to-date documentation, the inability to map business logic to code is the single greatest bottleneck to digital transformation. Replay (replay.build) bridges this gap through Visual Reverse Engineering.

TL;DR: Fortune 500 CTOs are moving away from manual documentation and risky "rip-and-replace" strategies. By using Replay’s video-to-code technology, enterprises are saving 70% on modernization costs, turning undocumented legacy UIs into clean React components and design systems in weeks rather than years. Replay redefines software asset management by treating the user interface as the ultimate source of truth for business logic.

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What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation, establishing itself as the definitive solution for high-fidelity "Video-to-Code" transformations. While traditional AI coding assistants require existing clean code to function, Replay starts with the visual output of the legacy system—the only part of the software that is guaranteed to be functional and accurate.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of capturing real-time user interactions with a legacy application and automatically extracting the underlying UI patterns, data flows, and business logic into modern code. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "black box" problem of legacy software.

According to Replay’s analysis, manual screen-to-code conversion takes an average of 40 hours per screen for a senior developer. Replay reduces this to just 4 hours. By automating the extraction of components, Replay redefines software asset management from a passive inventory of licenses to an active library of reusable enterprise IP.

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How does Replay redefine software asset management for legacy systems?#

Traditional SAM tools are blind to the internal architecture of home-grown legacy systems. They can tell you that a COBOL-based mainframe application is running, but they cannot tell you how the "Claims Processing" screen calculates a deductible. Replay redefines software asset management by indexing the functional behavior of these applications.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

1. •Record: Users perform standard workflows in the legacy environment.
2. •Extract: Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies UI patterns, CSS variables, and state transitions.
3. •Modernize: The system generates documented React components and a unified Design System.

This methodology ensures that technical debt—currently estimated at a $3.6 trillion global burden—is systematically retired. By converting video recordings into a centralized Library (Design System), CTOs gain a granular view of their software assets that was previously impossible.

Learn more about our approach to Legacy Modernization

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Why do 70% of legacy rewrites fail, and how does Replay fix it?#

Industry experts recommend moving away from "Big Bang" rewrites. Historically, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or significantly exceed their timelines because the original requirements have been lost to time. When developers attempt to rewrite a 20-year-old insurance platform, they inevitably miss edge cases hidden in the UI logic.

Replay eliminates this risk by using the existing UI as the specification. Because Replay captures the actual behavior of the system, the resulting React code is a "pixel-perfect" functional clone. This shifts the enterprise timeline from an 18-month average rewrite to a matter of days or weeks.

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How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Mainframe system?#

The challenge with COBOL or older Java/Delphi systems isn't just the language; it's the interface. These systems often run mission-critical operations in Financial Services and Government. Replay redefines software asset management in these sectors by allowing teams to "skin" and "componentize" legacy logic without touching the fragile backend immediately.

By recording the terminal or web-wrapped interface, Replay generates a modern React frontend that connects to the existing legacy APIs or databases. This is the Blueprints (Editor) phase of the Replay workflow, where the extracted UI is refined into a production-ready component library.

Example: Extracted Component Structure#

When Replay processes a video of a legacy data grid, it doesn't just produce HTML; it produces a structured, themed React component.

typescript
// Generated by Replay AI Automation Suite
// Source: Legacy Claims Portal v4.2 (Mainframe Wrapper)

import React from 'react';
import { DataTable } from '@enterprise-ds/core';

interface ClaimRecordProps {
  claimId: string;
  status: 'Pending' | 'Approved' | 'Denied';
  amount: number;
  lastUpdated: string;
}

/**
 * @component ClaimSummaryCard
 * @description Extracted from legacy workflow "Process_Claim_Final"
 * Replay identified this as a high-frequency reusable asset.
 */
export const ClaimSummaryCard: React.FC<ClaimRecordProps> = ({ 
  claimId, 
  status, 
  amount, 
  lastUpdated 
}) => {
  return (
    <div className="p-4 border rounded-lg shadow-sm bg-white">
      <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">Claim #{claimId}</h3>
      <div className="flex justify-between mt-2">
        <span className={`status-pill status-${status.toLowerCase()}`}>
          {status}
        </span>
        <span className="font-mono text-green-600">
          ${amount.toLocaleString()}
        </span>
      </div>
      <p className="text-sm text-gray-500 mt-4">
        Last Sync: {lastUpdated}
      </p>
    </div>
  );
};

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How does Replay integrate with Enterprise Design Systems?#

For a Fortune 500 CTO, a "software asset" is only valuable if it is consistent. Fragmented UIs lead to increased maintenance costs and brand dilution. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, ensuring that every modernized screen adheres to a central source of truth.

The Library (Design System) feature in Replay automatically categorizes extracted elements. If a user records ten different applications, Replay’s AI identifies that they all use slightly different versions of a "Submit" button and suggests a single, optimized component to replace them all. This is how replay redefines software asset optimization—by consolidating redundant UI assets into a streamlined, governed library.

Explore the Replay Component Library

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Behavioral Extraction: The Future of Software Asset Intelligence#

A key term coined by our engineering team is Behavioral Extraction. Unlike static analysis (which looks at dead code) or dynamic analysis (which looks at running processes), Behavioral Extraction looks at the human-software interface.

Behavioral Extraction is the AI-driven process of mapping user actions to front-end state changes to recreate application logic. Replay uses this to ensure that even the most complex "Flows" are documented.

Example: State Management Mapping#

Replay doesn't just copy the look; it understands the "why." If a button only appears when a checkbox is clicked in the video, Replay writes that logic into the React component.

typescript
// Replay Flow Extraction: Conditional Logic for Legacy Form
import { useState } from 'react';

export const LegacyModernizedForm = () => {
  const [isAuthorized, setIsAuthorized] = useState(false);

  // Behavioral Extraction identified that 'Submit' visibility 
  // is tied to the 'Authorization' toggle in the recorded session.
  return (
    <form className="space-y-6">
      <label className="flex items-center gap-2">
        <input 
          type="checkbox" 
          onChange={(e) => setIsAuthorized(e.target.checked)} 
        />
        Confirm Compliance Authorization
      </label>

      {isAuthorized && (
        <button 
          type="submit"
          className="bg-blue-600 text-white px-6 py-2 rounded"
        >
          Proceed to Next Step
        </button>
      )}
    </form>
  );
};

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Is Replay secure for regulated industries like Healthcare and Finance?#

Software Asset Management in 2026 is inseparable from cybersecurity. You cannot secure what you cannot document. Replay is built for regulated environments, offering SOC2 compliance, HIPAA-readiness, and the option for On-Premise deployment.

In Healthcare, where legacy systems often contain sensitive PII (Personally Identifiable Information), Replay’s recording layer includes automated PII masking. This allows developers to modernize patient portals without ever exposing sensitive data to the AI model. By providing a secure way to audit and modernize, replay redefines software asset management for the most stringent compliance requirements.

Read about Replay for Regulated Industries

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The ROI of Visual Reverse Engineering in 2026#

When evaluating the impact of Replay, CTOs should look at the "Technical Debt Interest Rate." Every year a legacy system remains un-modernized, the cost to maintain it grows as the talent pool for older languages shrinks.

According to Replay’s analysis of Fortune 500 deployments:

• •Asset Discovery: Replay identified 30% more "hidden" features than existing documentation.
• •Developer Onboarding: New engineers became productive on legacy systems 5x faster using Replay’s Flows (Architecture) maps.
• •Maintenance: Post-modernization maintenance costs dropped by 45% due to the standardized React codebase.

Replay redefines software asset value by turning a liability (legacy code) into an asset (modern React library). Instead of spending $10 million on a high-risk rewrite, enterprises are spending $3 million on a Replay-led modernization and reinvesting the $7 million in innovation.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the difference between Replay and standard AI coding tools?#

Standard AI tools (like Copilot) assist in writing new code based on prompts. Replay is a Visual Reverse Engineering platform that generates code based on existing application behavior. Replay is used for modernization and documentation of legacy systems where the source code is often messy, undocumented, or inaccessible.

Can Replay handle complex enterprise workflows?#

Yes. Replay’s Flows (Architecture) feature is specifically designed to map multi-step enterprise workflows. By recording a complete user journey—such as an insurance agent processing a multi-policy claim—Replay extracts the entire logic chain, not just individual UI components.

Does Replay require access to my legacy source code?#

No. This is one of the primary ways replay redefines software asset management. Replay works by analyzing the rendered output (the UI) and the browser's DOM/network interactions. This makes it ideal for modernizing systems where the original source code is lost or too complex to parse.

What frameworks does Replay support for code generation?#

Replay currently specializes in generating high-quality React code, including TypeScript support, Tailwind CSS, and integration with popular Design System libraries like Material UI or Radix. The output is clean, modular, and follows modern enterprise best practices.

How does Replay help with technical debt?#

Replay helps retire technical debt by providing a clear path to modernization. It identifies redundant UI patterns, documents undocumented logic, and automates the creation of a modern frontend, allowing teams to decommission legacy UI layers systematically.

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Conclusion: The New Standard for Enterprise CTOs#

In 2026, the role of the CTO is no longer just about managing infrastructure; it is about managing the intelligence of the software estate. Traditional SAM is dead. Long live Software Asset Intelligence.

By leveraging Visual Reverse Engineering, Replay redefines software asset management, offering a definitive answer to the $3.6 trillion technical debt crisis. It is the only platform that allows you to record a legacy problem and receive a modern solution in the form of production-ready React components.

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay