Programmers.io

Programmers.io is an India-based offshore development firm specializing in IBM i (AS/400) and IBM Z mainframe modernization. The company claims the world's largest dedicated IBM i team—300+ developers, consultants, and IBM Champions spread across North America, Europe, and India. Founded with a focus on legacy system expertise, the firm serves over 200 clients worldwide across financial services, healthcare, supply chain, retail, insurance, and manufacturing. Their core offering is matching clients with vetted IBM i specialists for everything from staff augmentation to full project delivery, backed by what they call a "Happiness Guarantee"—if developers don't meet expectations, clients don't pay.

The company's leadership includes Dima Kuznetsov (Chief Product Officer, 30+ years in modernization and integration), Nirmal Khatri (VP of Technology, 18+ years experience leading 350+ professionals, 2024 IBM Champion), and Mike Pavlak (Strategic Advisor, decades of IBM i experience, 2024 IBM Champion). Programmers.io was on the Inc. 5000 list for four consecutive years.

Services and capabilities

Programmers.io organizes its offerings around three pillars: plan, innovate, and stabilize. The plan phase includes advisory services where consultants (averaging 10+ years of platform experience) assess current systems and develop modernization roadmaps. The innovate phase covers modernization through code analysis, legacy-to-cloud integration, and UX enhancement.

Application development spans multiple languages: RPG (RPG III, SQLRPGLE, RPGLE, RPG-FREE), COBOL, Java/J2EE, WebSphere, Domino/Notes, LANSA, Smart400, GeneXus, and AS/SET. They handle IBM i ERP work (JDE, Infor LX), EDI implementation and integration, and IBM i Synon (CA 2E) development using model-driven approaches.

Integration and automation services include the company's proprietary infoConnect product—an API-led integration suite with pre-built connectors supporting MuleSoft, Kafka, AWS, and Azure for real-time, bi-directional data flows between IBM i and modern platforms. They also offer custom APIs, RPA, and AI-powered automation for monitoring, reporting, and compliance.

Modernization tools include Impact Analysis, an AI-powered code analysis tool that automates dependency tracking to reduce risk and costs, and Green2Glass, which transforms IBM i green screens into modern web, desktop, or mobile interfaces without rewriting core RPG or COBOL code.

Infrastructure services cover system configuration, performance tuning, disaster recovery, and scaling. They provide cloud migration across lift-and-shift, refactor, replatform, and rearchitect models, supporting cloud, on-premises, and hybrid setups. DevOps and CI/CD pipelines are available through Azure and AWS. Help Desk support ranges from ad-hoc to 24/7 managed models, including multilingual options and L1-L3 coverage. For IBM Z mainframe clients, they offer similar coverage: COBOL, REXX, CICS, PL/I, JCL, VSAM, DB2, and IMS DB/DC development, plus modernization advisory, performance optimization, integration, infrastructure, support, and data migration.

How they work

Engagement models include staff augmentation (hire individual specialists or full teams), project-based delivery (skill-gap filling or end-to-end project management), and support models (short-term, long-term, ad-hoc, or 24/7 coverage). Pricing is described as "transparent," though specific rates are not published on the website. Fresh developers receive a minimum of 1.5 years of training before assignment; experienced consultants and developers are cross-trained in other platforms and AI tools. The company includes employee training, documentation, and post-production support with engagements to help client teams ramp up on new systems.

Team and credentials

The core team of 300+ includes six 2024 IBM Champions: Amit Sharma (Sr. IBM i Developer), Nirmal Khatri (VP of Technology), Rahul Pareek (Technical Architect), Mike Pavlak (Sr. IT Strategist), Simon Hutchinson (Sr. IBM i Practice Lead), and Ravisankar Pandian (Sr. IBM i Developer). The company is certified to ISO 27001 (information security) and ISO 42001 (AI management). Testimonials from clients mention responsiveness, quality code, and integration with internal teams, though no third-party ratings (Clutch, G2) are cited in the source material.