IBM i · Support & Talent
AS400 Support & RPG Programmers
Experienced RPG developers and IBM i specialists when you need them, plus a plan so you never depend on one person again. SIS supports production, fills skills gaps, and transfers knowledge to the next generation.
- Senior RPG and Db2 for i talent
- Production support with SLAs
- Knowledge transfer built in
The biggest IBM i risk is often a retirement date.
In the 2026 Fortra IBM i Marketplace Survey, IBM i skills became the top concern of IBM i shops for the first time, cited by 69% of respondents and ahead of cybersecurity. Across retail, distribution, and manufacturing, the developers who wrote and maintained core IBM i applications are retiring. Many organizations have one or two people who understand critical RPG programs, nightly jobs, and integrations, and little documentation to fall back on. Hiring replacements is slow because experienced IBM i talent is scarce.
SIS fills that gap in three ways: senior IBM i developers and administrators who join your team for as long as you need them, production support with clear service levels, and structured knowledge transfer that captures what your veterans know before they leave.
The goal is not permanent dependency on a consultancy. It is a stable platform, documented systems, and a blended team of experienced specialists and newer developers who can keep the IBM i running for years.
When to bring in IBM i support.
Key-person risk
One or two people hold the knowledge to fix production issues, and they are nearing retirement.
Backlog keeps growing
Business requests wait months because the IBM i team is consumed by support.
Hiring is not working
Open RPG and IBM i roles stay unfilled, or candidates lack platform depth.
Production incidents linger
Job failures and performance problems take too long to diagnose.
A big project needs extra hands
An upgrade, integration, or modernization effort needs IBM i capacity the team does not have.
No documentation
Programs, jobs, and interfaces are undocumented, and every change is risky.
Flexible ways to strengthen your IBM i team.
RPG and IBM i developers
Experienced developers in RPG (fixed and free-form), CL, Db2 for i, and SQL, embedded with your team.
Production support
Monitoring, incident response, and job management with defined service levels and escalation.
Performance tuning
Batch processing, Db2 query, and system I/O tuning, plus hardware and licensing efficiency reviews.
Key-person risk assessment
Identify which systems depend on which people, and where knowledge must be captured first.
Knowledge transfer and documentation
Documentation repositories, recorded walkthroughs, and transition plans for critical programs and jobs.
Mentoring next-generation talent
Pairing senior specialists with newer developers so your own team grows into the platform.
How we get your team covered.
- 01
Understand
Review systems, current team, support load, and the skills you need.
- 02
Match
Assign SIS specialists whose experience fits your applications and environment.
- 03
Embed
Onboard into your processes, take on support or project work, and document as we go.
- 04
Transition
Transfer knowledge to your team on a schedule you set, or continue with ongoing support.
Modernizing a 20-year retail platform while preserving business continuity
$5B global fashion retailer. Upgrading core merchandise and financial stock ledger from Island Pacific v1.5 (2001) to v19.1, without touching high-volume sales or merchandise processing.
The delivery team included eight DevOps engineers, three of whom also supported live production throughout the upgrade, keeping the business running while the platform changed underneath it.
Read the case study- Sales disruption
- 0Sales disruption
- Custom objects updated
- 1,280Custom objects updated
- Future upgrade cost cut
- ~30%Future upgrade cost cut
IBM i talent with consulting discipline.
Experienced specialists
Our consultants average more than 15 years of experience, with deep IBM i and retail systems backgrounds.
Employee-owned accountability
As a 100% employee-owned firm, the people supporting your platform have a stake in the outcome.
Knowledge stays with you
Documentation and transfer are part of every engagement, so you are less dependent over time, not more.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
IBM i support and staffing questions
Why is it hard to find AS400 programmers?
Many experienced IBM i and RPG developers are at or near retirement, and fewer new developers have learned the platform. Demand from organizations that still run critical systems on IBM i has stayed steady, so experienced talent is scarce.
Can you provide RPG developers on a contract basis?
Yes. SIS provides experienced RPG and IBM i developers for staff augmentation, project work, and ongoing support, with engagement lengths that fit your needs.
Do you offer IBM i production support?
Yes. We provide production support including monitoring, incident response, and job management, with service levels agreed up front.
How do you reduce dependence on a retiring developer?
We start with a key-person risk assessment, then document critical programs, jobs, and interfaces, record walkthroughs, and pair your veteran with SIS specialists and newer staff until the knowledge is shared.
Can your team work remotely?
Yes. Most IBM i support and development is delivered remotely for clients across the United States, with on-site time when it helps.
Close your IBM i skills gap.
Tell us which skills you need, how long you need them, and what keeps you up at night. A senior SIS IBM i leader will follow up within one business day.