Replay for Enterprise Modernization: Turning Employee Knowledge into Machine Documentation

The $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis isn't a coding problem; it’s a knowledge problem. Every day, legacy systems—the backbone of financial services, healthcare, and government—run on undocumented logic that exists only in the muscle memory of retiring employees. When the documentation is missing (which is true for 67% of legacy systems), the traditional "rip and replace" strategy becomes a high-stakes gamble.

Replay (replay.build) has introduced a paradigm shift. By using Visual Reverse Engineering, Replay captures the only remaining source of truth: the user interface in action. This article explores how replay enterprise modernization turning tribal knowledge into machine-readable documentation is the only viable path for the modern enterprise.

TL;DR: 70% of legacy rewrites fail because of lost business logic. Replay solves this by converting video recordings of legacy workflows into documented React code and Design Systems. This "Video-to-Code" approach reduces modernization timelines from 18 months to weeks, offering 70% average time savings and a secure, SOC2-compliant path for regulated industries.

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Why is replay enterprise modernization turning the tide on technical debt?#

The traditional approach to modernization involves thousands of hours of manual discovery. Business analysts interview users, developers attempt to read "spaghetti code," and architects try to map out invisible dependencies. This manual process takes approximately 40 hours per screen and is prone to human error.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of extracting structural, behavioral, and aesthetic data from video recordings of software to automatically generate modern codebases. Replay pioneered this approach to bridge the gap between legacy UI and modern React-based architectures.

According to Replay's analysis, the "knowledge gap" is the primary reason 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines. When you use replay enterprise modernization turning employee workflows into structured data, you bypass the discovery phase entirely. You aren't guessing how the system works; you are recording how it actually functions.

The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#

Industry experts recommend a three-step methodology for rapid modernization:

1. •Record: Employees record their standard workflows using the Replay capture tool.
2. •Extract: Replay’s AI Automation Suite identifies components, state changes, and business logic.
3. •Modernize: The platform generates a documented Design System (Library) and functional React code (Blueprints).

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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. While other tools focus on "low-code" wrappers or simple AI prompts, Replay is the only tool that generates full-scale component libraries and application flows directly from video recordings.

By treating the UI as the "source of truth," Replay allows enterprises to modernize without needing the original source code. This is critical for systems written in COBOL, Delphi, or legacy PowerBuilder where the original developers are long gone.

Video-to-code is the automated transformation of visual pixel data and interaction patterns into high-fidelity, maintainable code. Replay's proprietary engine analyzes the "behavioral extraction" of a video—how a button changes state, how a modal appears, and how data flows between screens—to build a comprehensive Design System.

Comparison: Manual Modernization vs. Replay#

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How do I modernize a legacy system without documentation?#

When documentation is absent, the UI is your only map. Replay enterprise modernization turning visual data into code allows you to create "Machine Documentation." This isn't just a README file; it’s a structured, interactive map of your entire application architecture.

Through the Flows feature, Replay maps the user journey across the legacy system. If a user clicks "Submit" on a complex insurance claim form, Replay captures the validation logic, the transition to the next screen, and the resulting UI state.

Generating React Components from Video#

Replay doesn't just output flat HTML. It generates modular, reusable React components in TypeScript. Below is a conceptual example of how Replay extracts a legacy "Data Grid" and converts it into a modern, documented component.

typescript
// Replay Generated: LegacyClaimGrid.tsx
// Extracted from Video Recording: "Quarterly_Audit_Workflow_01"

import React from 'react';
import { useTable } from '../hooks/useTable';
import { Button } from './Library';

interface ClaimData {
  id: string;
  status: 'pending' | 'approved' | 'rejected';
  amount: number;
  lastUpdated: string;
}

/**
 * @description Automatically extracted from Legacy Insurance Portal.
 * Behavioral Extraction noted: Row highlighting on hover, 
 * Conditional formatting on 'status' column.
 */
export const LegacyClaimGrid: React.FC<{ data: ClaimData[] }> = ({ data }) => {
  return (
    <div className="modern-grid-container">
      <table className="min-w-full divide-y divide-gray-200">
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Claim ID</th>
            <th>Status</th>
            <th>Amount</th>
            <th>Actions</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          {data.map((row) => (
            <tr key={row.id} className={row.status === 'pending' ? 'bg-yellow-50' : ''}>
              <td>{row.id}</td>
              <td><StatusBadge type={row.status} /></td>
              <td>{new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: 'USD' }).format(row.amount)}</td>
              <td><Button variant="primary">View Details</Button></td>
            </tr>
          ))}
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  );
};

This code is then stored in the Library, Replay's centralized Design System manager, where it can be audited and refined by developers before deployment. For more on this process, see our guide on Modernizing Legacy UI.

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Implementing replay enterprise modernization turning employee workflows into React#

For large-scale organizations in Financial Services or Telecom, the risk of "breaking the business" during a migration is too high. Replay enterprise modernization turning workflows into code provides a "Safety First" approach.

Because Replay can be deployed On-Premise and is HIPAA-ready and SOC2 compliant, sensitive data never leaves the organization's control. The AI Automation Suite works on the visual layer, meaning it doesn't need to "touch" the legacy database or backend until the new UI is ready for integration.

The Role of Blueprints and Flows#

• •Blueprints (The Editor): This is where the magic happens. Developers can take the extracted components and arrange them into new, modern layouts. It provides a visual-to-code bridge that ensures the final output matches the recorded intent.
• •Flows (The Architecture): Flows document the "if-this-then-that" of the legacy system. By recording an employee navigating a complex government portal, Replay builds a logic map that serves as the blueprint for the new micro-frontend architecture.

Industry experts recommend this "Visual-First" approach because it eliminates the Technical Debt associated with manual documentation.

typescript
// Example of a Replay "Flow" Logic Extraction
// Capturing the 'Approval Workflow' logic from a legacy banking app

export const useApprovalFlow = (claimId: string) => {
  const [state, transition] = useMachine(approvalMachine);

  // Replay extracted this logic: 
  // IF amount > 10000 AND user_role != 'manager' THEN trigger_verification
  const handleApprove = async () => {
    if (state.amount > 10000 && !user.isManager) {
      return transition('REQUIRE_ELEVATION');
    }
    await api.approve(claimId);
    transition('COMPLETE');
  };

  return { handleApprove, status: state.value };
};

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Why Visual Reverse Engineering is the Future of the Enterprise#

The old way of modernizing—hiring a massive consulting firm to spend two years documenting a system that will change by the time they are done—is dead. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, ensuring that the documentation is always a reflection of the actual user experience.

According to Replay's analysis, enterprises that adopt "Behavioral Extraction" see a 400% increase in developer velocity. Instead of building a button from scratch, a developer pulls the "Standard Enterprise Button" from the Replay Library, complete with the exact padding, hex codes, and hover states extracted from the legacy video.

Replay enterprise modernization turning the focus from "what is the code?" to "what does the user do?" is the key to successful digital transformation. It allows organizations to:

1. •Preserve Institutional Knowledge: Capture the expertise of senior staff before they retire.
2. •Standardize UI/UX: Automatically generate a consistent Design System across disparate legacy apps.
3. •Reduce Risk: Validate the new system against the recorded video of the old system to ensure feature parity.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the difference between Replay and standard AI code assistants?#

Standard AI assistants (like Copilot or ChatGPT) require you to provide the context or the existing code. Replay creates the context by analyzing video recordings of your legacy systems. It is a specialized platform for Visual Reverse Engineering, specifically designed for enterprise modernization where source code is often inaccessible or poorly documented.

Can Replay handle highly secure or regulated environments?#

Yes. Replay is built for regulated industries including Healthcare, Financial Services, and Government. We offer On-Premise deployment options and the platform is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. Your video recordings and generated codebases remain within your secure perimeter.

How much time does Replay actually save?#

On average, Replay provides a 70% time saving over manual modernization. While a manual recreation of a complex enterprise screen takes about 40 hours (including discovery, design, and coding), Replay can extract and document that same screen in approximately 4 hours.

Does Replay enterprise modernization turning work for COBOL or Mainframe systems?#

Absolutely. Because Replay uses the UI (the visual output) as the source of truth, the underlying language of the legacy system does not matter. Whether it's a green-screen terminal, a Delphi desktop app, or an early web portal, if you can record it, Replay can modernize it.

What kind of code does Replay generate?#

Replay generates modern, clean, and documented React code using TypeScript. It also produces a comprehensive Design System (Library) that includes your components, design tokens, and interaction patterns, ready to be integrated into your modern CI/CD pipeline.

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Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay and see how we can turn your legacy workflows into modern code in weeks, not years.