“Thanks for all the work Softjourn has done to help the bank stand up the new platform. We greatly appreciate the contributions.”
Migrating a Bank’s Core System to a Modular, Multi-Vendor Architecture
How Softjourn helped a financial institution modernize its banking infrastructure with a custom integration layer and multi-vendor system migration.
ABOUT THE CLIENT:
Challenge
The client needed to migrate from a legacy core banking system nearing end-of-life to a modern, scalable architecture integrating 30+ third-party systems—without disrupting daily operations.
Solution
Softjourn developed a robust integration layer, aligned technical requirements across vendors, and supported a seamless migration to a modular, multi-vendor infrastructure.
Benefits
- Seamless transition from legacy system
- Unified 30+ vendor integrations
- Scalable, modular architecture
- Full data integrity preserved
Introduction
A community-focused financial institution committed to delivering innovative banking services while maintaining strong regulatory compliance recognized the need to evolve its core technology to support long-term scalability and flexibility.
The engagement began when engineering leadership at the bank — who had previously collaborated with Softjourn on successful modernization projects — recommended our team for the initiative.
With firsthand experience of our financial systems expertise, they trusted Softjourn to collaborate closely during a critical upgrade of the institution's core technology infrastructure. That early trust laid the groundwork for a strong, solutions-driven partnership.
The bank partnered with Softjourn to support a major migration effort, from a legacy core multi-banking platform to a modern, modular architecture powered by multiple best-in-class vendor systems.
- Client's Head of Data and Integrations
The Challenge
The legacy core banking platform had supported operations for years but was increasingly limiting the institution’s ability to adapt to evolving customer expectations and fintech innovation.
The platform was approaching end-of-life, raising concerns about long-term system stability and vendor support. This introduced a pressing need to migrate to a modern, scalable solution to avoid service interruptions and reduce operational risk.
To future-proof the business, the institution planned a full transition to a custom solution that would integrate components from dozens of specialized providers.
Implementing this vision required not only deep technical expertise but also a partner who could coordinate across multiple systems, teams, and vendors.
Softjourn adapted quickly, delivering Salesforce-based websites and stepping into a key role in designing and implementing the institution’s new core system.
With dependencies across 30+ third-party systems, Softjourn implemented vendor engagement strategies to manage integrations, testing, and alignment, reducing the risk of delays.
With multiple systems involved — including loan origination, debit cards, teller platforms, and accounting systems — the migration had to be carefully executed with minimal disruption to daily operations and no compromise on data integrity.
The Solution
Softjourn integrated with the client’s core engineering team, providing specialized expertise in migration support and system integration. Although initially brought in to support implementation, Softjourn gradually earned deeper involvement by demonstrating technical insight and strategic value.
We developed a robust integration layer that serves as the central hub for data flow between more than 30 vendor systems. This architecture supports seamless interoperability across many core banking functions, while serving as a flexible foundation for ongoing integration and future automation.
Our team delivered the integration layer architecture, coordinated technical requirements across vendor systems, executed comprehensive integration testing, and provided migration support during deployment.
We ensured that data migration preserved historical records, routing numbers, and year-to-date interest calculations. We also supported customer experience continuity by integrating with digital banking platforms and enabling features like auto-enrollment.
Throughout the engagement, Softjourn maintained close alignment with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring technical excellence, clear communication, and project transparency.
The Benefits
By partnering with Softjourn, the client executed a complex migration to a modern, scalable core banking infrastructure without major disruptions to customers or staff.
The integration layer continues to serve as a reliable backbone for daily operations, while the modular architecture provides a foundation that can accommodate future system additions and upgrades.
Key Benefits:
- Smooth and disruption-free transition from the legacy platform
- Unified integration of 30+ vendor systems
- Seamless data migration, preserving all historical records and customer data
- Operational integration layer enabling real-time communication
- Strong collaboration between vendors and stakeholders
- Access to Softjourn’s cross-functional engineering team
- Rapid hiring of specialty engineers through Softjourn’s talent network
Conclusion
The client’s migration marked a major step forward in its digital transformation journey, and Softjourn was proud to play a central role.
With deep understanding of financial systems and a commitment to long-term partnership, our team delivered a flexible platform that will support continued innovation.
The client continues to work with Softjourn on additional projects, including strengthening engineering processes and cloud infrastructure, preparing for FDIC and PCI-DSS audits, and developing custom AWS infrastructure —building on the trust and collaboration developed during the migration.
Partnership & Recognition
