Hissbesiktningar i Sverige AB is a Swedish inspection company specialising in lifts and lifting equipment. Their inspection engineers carry out approximately 15,000 inspections every year throughout Sweden to ensure that all lifting equipment is safe and meets regulatory requirements. We have helped Hissbesiktningar to migrate their system from MS Access to web.
For many years, Hissbesiktningar relied on a Microsoft Access-based system that handled everything from scheduling to report generation and communication with authorities. The system had served the company well in its early years and had been crucial to its ability to grow. Over time, however, it had become difficult to maintain. Several developers had modified it in various ways, the database was not fully normalised, and even minor changes risked causing other functions to stop working.
Hissbesiktningar realised that the system had reached the end of its life and decided that it was time to modernise before the old platform became a technical debt that would hinder future development.
The challenge
The old system was central to Hissbesiktningar’s operations, but it had aged so much that something had to be done. It was almost impossible to maintain, given the old technology and how it was built. Inspection engineers connected remotely from iPads via Windows Remote Desktop to enter their results – a solution that was cumbersome to use in the field. At the same time, administrators at the head office spent a lot of time correcting data, generating certificates and notifying the authorities when lifts had to be taken out of service.
Hissbesiktningar needed a modern, reliable and secure platform that could streamline operations, support inspectors working offline and create a solid foundation for future improvements.
The beginning of the collaboration
Mikael Kerslow, Hissbesiktningar’s external IT manager, recommended Gislen Software because he had previously worked with a company that used our services. He believed we could deliver a cost-effective, high-quality solution that would meet their expectations. That’s how our collaboration began.
After a thorough review, our team proposed a complete rebuild using .NET Core and React, with GraphQL for efficient data consultation and a modern architecture that would ensure scalability and maintainability.
Step 1: Customer and maintenance portal
The first phase focused on rebuilding the portal for Hissbesiktning’s customers, property owners, service companies and maintenance staff. The old portal had been written in PHP, but after evaluating it, we concluded that modernisation would only provide a temporary solution. Instead, we completely rebuilt the portal using .NET and React, creating a faster, more secure and more user-friendly platform.
Step 2: Inspection application – From Access to web
The next step was to replace the Access-based inspection application used by administrators and inspectors. We analysed all the features of the old system and conducted a series of workshops with Hissbesiktnar’s staff to understand their needs, identify problem areas and design improved workflows.
These collaborative meetings helped us overcome challenges caused by a lack of documentation and the denormalised older database structure.
The new system, launched in 2025, now supports the entire workflow, including:
- Customer and property management
- Inspection planning and scheduling
- Reporting of results directly from both the web and iPad
- Generation of reports and automated communication to authorities
- Integration with Hissbesiktningar’s invoicing and accounting system
- Management of re-inspections
- Customer and service company portal for status tracking and new inspection requests
iPad app for inspectors
To support inspectors working in areas with limited or no internet connectivity, Gislen Software has developed a new dedicated React Native iPad app with full offline functionality. Inspectors can perform inspections completely offline, and data is automatically synchronised when the connection is restored. Device registration and approval on the server side ensures that only authorised iPads can access company data, providing an important extra layer of security.
Data migration
One of the most technically demanding parts of the project was migrating data from the old denormalised Access database to a new normalised structure – while maintaining data accuracy and integrity throughout the process.
We feel we can trust the data in the new system. We automatically get better support and the number of corrections has decreased significantly
Results
The transition to the new system has gone smoothly. During the first month after launch, the inspection engineers carried out approximately 1,300 inspections, demonstrating rapid acceptance and system stability.
Thanks to direct data entry at source, data quality has improved dramatically and administrative corrections have been greatly reduced. Management now has access to clear dashboards and reports, enabling them to plan work more efficiently, respond more quickly to customer needs and simplify communication with the authorities.
The new platform has also opened doors for future growth and digital innovation.
Continued collaboration
Since delivery, we have continued to work closely with Hissbesiktningar through follow-up workshops, online meetings and on-site visits in Sweden. The system is currently hosted on the company’s own servers, but will soon be moved to the cloud for improved scalability and reliability.
We are continuing our dialogue with Hissbesiktningar about further improvements that will increase productivity, user experience and customer value.
About Gislen Software
Gislen Software helps companies modernise older systems and build reliable digital platforms that last. It doesn’t have to be MS Access to Web, but we can help with the migration and modernisation of many different technologies. We combine Scandinavian quality standards with deep technical expertise and a collaborative approach that ensures long-term value for our customers.
Contact us to find out how we can help you migrate or modernise your IT systems.