TL;DR
- Software Intelligence (SI) enables enterprises to map, analyze, and modernize legacy codebases in minutes.
- Companies like Marsh McLennan are using SI and AI-assisted modernization to reduce technical debt at unprecedented speed.
- CAST’s platform has analyzed over 100 billion lines of code, uncovering critical patterns to inform software transformations.
- SI is now a board-level imperative as it turns slow-moving giants into agile operators.
- Even startups face challenges scaling their “vibe-coded” MVPs—SI can help them too.
A New Kind of Power for the Enterprise Giants
For decades, startups thrived on their agility—rapid iterations, flexible teams, and modern software stacks. Legacy enterprises, in contrast, struggled under the weight of decades-old code, technical debt, and cumbersome modernization cycles.
But that’s changing fast.
Thanks to a new wave of tools known as Software Intelligence platforms, large enterprises can now read and reorganize massive software portfolios with near real-time precision. Instead of spending months deciphering legacy systems, developers can gain instant visibility into architecture, code dependencies, and upgrade opportunities.
“It’s like being handed GPS and satellite imagery after years of navigating by stars,” says Greg Rivera, Product Manager at CAST, a pioneer in the Software Intelligence space.
How Software Intelligence Works
The concept is simple: treat software as a mappable landscape. SI tools scan across millions of lines of code, identifying structural dependencies, code quality flaws, and cloud-incompatible modules. The result is a 3D dashboard that shows engineers exactly what to fix—and in what order—to reduce technical debt and modernize systems.
Whether it’s one legacy app or an entire IT portfolio, companies can now:
- Pinpoint on-prem components that block cloud migration
- Visualize inter-app dependencies
- Identify security vulnerabilities in open-source libraries
- Quantify modernization work by remediation hours and business impact
These insights allow CIOs to prioritize spending, reduce risk, and make data-backed modernization decisions—transforming IT from a cost center into a strategic asset.
SOFTWARE INTELLIGENCE AT ENTERPRISE SCALE
| Metric | Value | Source |
| Lines of code analyzed by CAST | 100+ billion | CAST |
| Reusable code patterns identified | 50,000+ | CAST Labs |
| Technical debt reduction in Marsh McLennan use case | 100s of objects | Marsh McLennan |
| Time saved using SI + AI | Months to minutes | TechCrunch Brand Studio |
| Global IT spending on modernization (2025 est.) | $188 billion | Gartner |
AI + SI: The Modernization Power Combo
Software Intelligence alone is powerful. But paired with AI, it becomes transformative.
Take Marsh McLennan, a global leader in insurance and risk management. The company used CAST’s SI engine to scan its applications, exposing hundreds of objects with embedded technical debt.
This structured code data was then fed into an AI engine, which quickly:
- Remediated legacy flaws
- Prioritized high-impact fixes
- Delivered modernization at scale, in minutes
“What would have taken us months was completed in minutes,” said Paul Beswick, Global CIO and COO at Marsh McLennan.
This real-world application proves the value of combining intelligence and automation. For enterprises, it unlocks AI’s ability to understand and improve code—not just generate new lines.
Startups Aren’t Immune to Tech Debt
While the narrative often pits startups against giants, SI has value for both.
“Vibe coding gets you from zero to one,” says Rivera. “But scaling that MVP usually requires a total re-architecture.”
Early-stage codebases are often rushed, undocumented, and layered in debt. As growth-stage companies prepare to scale, they must modernize or risk collapse under performance bottlenecks and security gaps.
With SI, startups can:
- Audit their code for scalability
- Expose hidden bugs and inefficiencies
- Restructure before going multi-region or enterprise-grade
Whether it’s David or Goliath, everyone needs a map to scale.
SI as a Boardroom Imperative
Enterprise software modernization is no longer just a CIO concern. As software defines business models, SI dashboards are being reviewed in boardrooms, guiding billion-dollar decisions on:
- Cloud migration
- M&A integration
- AI deployment
- Technical debt financing
CAST, for example, has become the go-to vendor for fact-based software insights, helping companies build strategy atop technical truth—not gut instinct.
“When you can finally see the pathway,” Rivera concludes, “you can finally run down it.”
What Comes Next
As more enterprises deploy SI and pair it with AI copilots, the velocity of software change is about to accelerate across the board. Legacy systems will no longer be a drag—they’ll become upgrade-ready, scalable assets.
This shift challenges startups to think bigger, earlier. The old playbook—move fast, refactor later—is no longer enough when giants can now move faster with more resources and zero guesswork.
If software is a battlefield, Software Intelligence is satellite command—and the war for agility has a new front line.
