Legacy programs, i. e. programs which have been developed with an outdated technology make-up for the vast majority of programs in many user application environments. It is these programs which actually run the information systems of the business world. Moving to a new technology such as service oriented architecture is impossible without taking these programs along. This contribution presents a tool supported method for achieving that goal. Legacy code is wrapped behind an XML shell which allows individual functions within the programs, to be offered as web services to any external user. By means of this wrapping technology, a significant part of the company software assets can be preserved within the framework of a service oriented architecture.