Erick Castillo

Erick Castillo

Azure .Net Developer

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My Work Impact

.Net Developer

October 2025 - November 2025

The Problem

The current system relies on unsupported and end-of-life technologies, which introduces significant risk and operational limitations:

PHP 7.2 is end-of-life, meaning it no longer receives security updates or bug fixes, exposing the application to known and future vulnerabilities.

MySQL 5.7 is no longer supported, increasing the risk of data integrity issues, performance degradation, and security exploits.

Known vulnerabilities remain unpatched, leaving the system susceptible to cyberattacks, compliance violations, and potential service disruptions.

These issues collectively increase security risk, maintenance costs, and technical debt, while limiting the ability to scale or integrate modern features.

The Solution

Modernize the technology stack by upgrading to supported, secure, and actively maintained versions:

Upgrade PHP to a currently supported LTS version (e.g., PHP 8.1 or 8.2) to ensure ongoing security patches and performance improvements.

Migrate MySQL 5.7 to MySQL 8.0 (or an alternative supported database such as PostgreSQL) to gain enhanced security, improved query performance, and long-term support.

Implement a vulnerability management and patching strategy to ensure all dependencies and system components remain up to date.

This modernization will reduce security risks, improve system performance, and ensure long-term maintainability.

Implementation

Assessment & Planning
Audit the existing codebase for PHP 7.2 compatibility issues.
Identify deprecated functions, libraries, and database features.
Review MySQL schemas, stored procedures, and queries for compatibility with MySQL 8.0.
Environment Upgrade

Set up a staging environment with PHP 8.x and MySQL 8.0.

Update application dependencies and frameworks to supported versions.
  • Enable strict error reporting to identify breaking changes early.
  • Code & Database Migration
  • Refactor deprecated PHP functions and syntax.
  • Update database configurations, character sets, and authentication plugins.
  • Run database migration scripts and validate data integrity.
  • Security Hardening
  • Apply all available security patches and updates.
  • Implement automated vulnerability scanning and dependency monitoring.
  • Enforce secure configurations (TLS, strong authentication, least-privilege access).

Testing & Validation

Perform unit, integration, and regression testing.

Conduct performance and load testing.

Validate application behavior against production use cases.

Deployment & Monitoring

Roll out upgrades using a phased or blue-green deployment strategy.

Monitor logs, performance metrics, and security alerts.

Establish a regular patching and update schedule.

Technologies

C# ASP.NET Core SQL Server

Impact & Results

After implementation, the organization will achieve:

Significantly reduced security risk through supported software and active patching.

Improved system stability and performance, with faster execution and optimized database operations.

Regained compliance readiness, supporting audits and regulatory requirements.

Lower long-term maintenance costs due to reduced technical debt and easier upgrades.

Future-ready architecture, enabling scalability, new features, and integrations.

Failure to modernize results in:

Elevated cybersecurity risk

Increased downtime probability

Audit and compliance failures

Rising maintenance and support costs

Limited scalability and feature development

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