IT archaeologist is not an insult.
It is a job description.

iSeries and AS/400 roles are being posted again.
So much for the dinosaurs being extinct.

These systems run payroll, manage inventory, manage databases, track membership, process huge volumes of transactions, and handle compliance for organizations that cannot afford to fail.

And when something breaks, there is nobody left who knows what is inside.

That is when the panic starts.

We like to work on things no one wants to touch, because they have no knowledge of it or it is a dinosaur.
We enjoy it.
Most people see it as a difficult slog.
We see it as a puzzle with real stakes, or at least awesome stories for blog posts 🙂

If you hang on long enough, everything comes full circle.

The platforms everyone declared dead are quietly running mission-critical operations in 2026.
The skills everyone said were worthless are suddenly worth finding.
The consultants who stayed curious about old systems are now the only ones in the room who can actually help.

But, you know, ageism, so even though barely anyone under 30 has seen or touched an iSeries, you bring them in over one of us?

That is exactly where an IT archaeologist earns their engagement fee.

Not by replacing everything.
By understanding what is actually there, what it is actually doing, and whether the organization can afford to touch it at all right now.

Sometimes the answer is stabilize and document.
Sometimes it is a phased modernization that fits a constrained budget.
Sometimes it is to keep running this thing another three years.

But it really means you probably need to bring us or some of our friends in to help you.
We promise we won’t show up as Indiana Jones, can’t say the same for all our friends.