Searching for professional COBOL developers, in the 21st century, might give off this feeling that you’re chasing for something less mainstream, right?

But here’s an inside story: COBOL programming language, despite being a 90’s brainchild, is very much alive and running – because of its support for business-critical applications.

Given the abundance of modern programming languages you may wonder, do I stick to COBOL or replace it with a new-age programming language such as Python or Java?

Your decision rests on your specific business needs.

Robert Glass, an American software engineer, and writer, identified 3 ways COBOL is excellently suited for business programming rather than general purposes –

• COBOL AS400 programming stands out in handling diverse data sets, mixing strings, floating-point, integer, and decimal types, required for intricate business programs and databases.
• COBOL’s true decimal data types guarantee precise financial calculations, prominent for accounting systems
• IBM COBOL programming efficiently manages extensive external record-structured data, promising flawless business-oriented data management.

Thus, COBOL is a purpose-built language that excels at transaction processing with a remarkable amount of resiliency.

Before you decide on anything, here are some interesting facts about COBOL programming language.

• 27,000+ new global companies adopted iSeries COBOL, with the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy being the top customers – as per 6Sense.
• There are over 220 billion lines of COBOL programming code and 1.5 billion are written each year, which includes the code that powers 80% of in-person financial transactions. – according to Forbes.
• Interestingly, COBOL was trending on Twitter, as New Jersey officials recognized their reliance on a 40-year-old computer system, overwhelmed by a surge in unemployment claims due to the coronavirus crisis. The state immediately sought after COBOL programmers to address the challenge, emphasizing the constancy of the 60+ year-old programming language in critical government operations.
• The top industries leveraging COBOL AS400 are :

1. Insurance
2. Consulting
3. Engineering
4. Banking and Finance
5. Transportation System
6. Software Development

The matter of fact is, that as long as there are companies and leaders who believe in the legacy system and choose to rely on the robustness these systems bring to business, COBOL programming language and COBOL programmers will stay in demand.

How is COBOL Different than Other Languages?

If you’re looking for rational developers for iSeries and enjoy the perks of common languages such as C, C++, Java, etc., then COBOL is a completely different form of programming language.

It differs from typical general-purpose language and doesn’t perform tasks that are commonly performed in high-level programming languages.

Knowing that COBOL was introduced before UNIX and C saw the light of day, it isn’t surprising that its foundation is laid differently.

As the name describes, COBOL Common Business oriented Language, was invented for business applications.

Have a look at the list, which highlights the primary difference between COBOL language and modern-day languages:

• In a single file, COBOL codes can be very long.
• Data items are defined with a picture statement.
• Like COBOL, there is no parametrized functioning.
• Datatypes (int, float, double) are absent in COBOL.
• OOP was introduced in COBOL in the year 2002 only.
• All data items or variables are global, as COBOL calls them.
• COBOL programmers don’t provide splitting code across various channels.
• Language codes are divided into different divisions (Data, Identification, Environment, and Procedure).

Stating the uniqueness of the COBOL language from other languages, are you wondering where is AS400 COBOL being used in the 21st century?

Industries Demanding COBOL Developer Firms

Top Industries using COBOL Developer Firms -

COBOL is used in various industries. Have a look at some significant industries:

• Software Development Companies
• Banks Financial Institutions
• Engineering Institutions
• Transportation System
• Government Agencies
• Insurance Companies

Despite the widespread usage of COBOL, a question persists in the minds of new-age AS400 users and decision-makers, such as yourself – Is it wise to rely on COBOL or move on with trending modern languages?

Let’s explore.

Should You Hire a COBOL Programmer in 2024?

Even though modern programming languages appear to be young developers’ first choice, the world needs more languages to work on.

Why?

Because different languages are better at handling different tasks.

For example – COBOL is good at processing financial data number crunching, while Java and C are effective for front-end UX.

The programming languages must fit the purpose, and according to the nature of the problem, there should be a language to use.

So, why are modern business leaders, such as yourself, looking for COBOL programmers instead of writing applications using modern languages?

Well, there is no harm in staying updated with the modern-day business languages but when it comes to the security robustness of applications, COBOL is the safest bet that business leaders prefer to take, even after 60 years.

Also, giving a thought to replacing COBOL with trending, modern language isn’t harmful but dreadful enough to execute due to certain factors.

Such as

• ROI triggers
• The number of resources taken into consideration
• On top of all, the training costs to get the things right.

These select few factors are enough to lose the replacement appeal for any business leader.

With the increasing number of retired COBOL programmers besides the ones who are on their way to retire, at times it gets difficult to source COBOL talent for your development project.

Embarking on AS400 COBOL programming comes with its set of challenges. Let’s tap into the hurdles you may encounter.

What are the Goals COBOL Users Are Focusing on and You Should Too?

1. Many tech leaders leveraging COBOL on AS400 systems are aiming to modernize their legacy applicationsto satisfy modern technological standards.
2. The IT leaders are integrating newer solutions and technologiessuch as cloud computing and mobile applications with their COBOL applications.
3. Considering the modern cyber security landscape, business leaders are implementing advanced security measuressuch as access control and encryption to protect valuable data.
4. Considering the aging workforce of COBOL developers, IT leaders, such as yourself, are investing in training new developers in the COBOL programminglanguage, documenting legacy code, and undertaking knowledge transfer initiatives.

Sounds overwhelming?

While there may be something comforting about the old COBOL code, a forward-thinking approach is the key to your AS400 system’s future success.

As a solution, either invest in training your existing staff or partner with an external COBOL AS400 partner or service provider to avail the ready-to-use expertise of a professional COBOL programmer.

They become an extension of your IT team and expedite the process for you,

Don’t forget to ponder upon the cost of delay for not taking a decision sooner.

Final Thoughts about COBOL Programming and COBOL Developer

IBM iSeries is a wonderful machine, and along with a modern programming environment, building applications on COBOL is not a waste of time and resources.

This niche-serving business programming language is not dying and far from dead although the number of its lines of code is reciprocally related to the number of COBOL developers.

In a world where IT continues to power the business environment, the longevity of IBM iSeries services and the need for COBOL programmers in today’s business environment is increasing.

COBOL programmers and IBM iSeries services are here to stay for long.

As demand will grow for non-agile and innovative systems, it will be challenging to bring any other technology onboard that can merge with the existing setup.

That’s why COBOL is the best choice even for the new-age business leaders. And when dissenters continue to challenge the existence of IBM iSeries services, the COBOL programmers will keep proving their worth.

If you have any queries regarding the iSeries services or need COBOL programmers for your project, feel free to connect with Integrative Systems at [email protected].

Integrative Systems is an US-based IBM iSeries consulting services provider and an IBM Silver Business Partner having served for more than twenty years in this field.