IBM VisualAge Experts in Germany
for critical legacy systems, matched in minutes with vetted freelancersHire experts who maintain and modernize IBM VisualAge applications, support Smalltalk and VisualAge for Java environments, and manage migration paths to current platforms. FRATCH finds precise matches with vetted, available freelancers quickly.
Meet FRATCH Experts in Germany, who have recently used IBM VisualAge
Ola V.
Last position:
IT Lecturer
- IT training in theory and practice for IT specialists in application development and system integration
Andreas G.
Last position:
Senior Fullstack .NET (Core) & Angular Developer at IT Service Provider
- Supporting several agile teams in the new product development of an enterprise CRM and ERP application
- Web frontend development with Angular 17–21 (microfrontends, Domain-Driven Design, MDB-Bootstrap)
- Backend development with C# and .NET 7–10, MongoDB, MassTransit, RabbitMQ, Entity Framework Core, ElasticSearch (microservices, DDD)
- Technical feature design for assigned tasks
- Technical architecture design including forward-looking planning of AI-supported extension options
- Proof-of-concept implementation of AI-supported workflows with n8n and a locally hosted LLM (Ollama)
- Coordination with stakeholders and Product Owners, support with sprint planning
Result: Delivery of production-ready microservices and frontend modules in agile sprint cycles.
Environment: .NET 7–10 · Angular 17–21 · C# · TypeScript · OpenAPI · Microfrontends · DDD · Kubernetes · Docker · Helm · MS SQL Server · PostgreSQL · MongoDB · MassTransit · RabbitMQ · EF Core · ElasticSearch · Kibana · Azure DevOps · KeyCloak · n8n · Ollama
Jörg S.
Last position:
Software Developer at Commerzbank
- Created interface programs between mainframe and distributed online screens
- Modified and created batch programs for daily data processing
- Provided advice on program setup, database structures, and programming tools
- Performed error analysis for the overall project
- System: OS/390, ISPF, TSO, IMS DB, IMS Connect, COBOL, DB2, SQL, SPUFI, IBM debug tool, Confluence, Jira, Eclipse, Rational Developer for Z Systems (RDZ)
Peter N.
Last position:
Pilot testing AI tools & sabbatical for house renovation
- Pilot testing local AI environments to explore local AI use cases and cloud-based AI solutions
- Evaluation of AI tools and techniques
- Use of local AI tools with own data sovereignty
- Prompt engineering
- Creation of example environments for speech-to-text, text-to-speech, text-to-image, text-to-video, and image-to-video
Tools: Grok, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Elevenlabs, Github, Ollama, HuggingFace, Open WebUI, Faster Whisper, LibreTranslate, WSL, Docker Desktop, Shotcut, Audacity, Sound eXchange, Ffmpeg, Coqui TTS, Pinokio, Stable Diffusion Web UI, ComfyUI, OWL, Void Editor
Dieter M.
Last position:
Software Engineer at Hamma UWT
Integration of a safety shutdown into the firmware of the MISCEO product after a specific limit value (capping) for the dispensing quantity is reached.
Familiarization with the product and its firmware (C code and functional operation).
Identification of the code sections required for the change.
Implementation of the enhancement.
Testing and documentation (source code only).
Target platform: Embedded firmware without an operating system.
Tools: Eclipse, C.
Peter R.
Last position:
System support / further development at Allianz
- Software management
- Release management, automated release deployment
- Handover of PL1 modules to Linux for MF-Pl1 compiler
- Maintenance of XINFO, Lexicon, DB design, migration
Juri S.
Last position:
Software Development at Banking Environment
- Extension of an existing application with new customer requirements.
- AlmaLinux, Ubuntu; C, gcc; Oracle;
- Socket/TCP communication.
- CLion, Eclipse
- Git
Marcel D.
Last position:
Software Developer / IT Tester at Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G.
Analysis, online COBOL software development and testing of dialog and batch programs in the Kranken Leistung (KL) project
Error analysis, bug fixing and ticket resolution (change requests and defects)
Documentation in collaboration with the contact office and the mathematics department
IT skills: Siemens Fujitsu BS2000, CCOM Emulation, Micro Focus Visual COBOL I and II, Eclipse IDE, UDS database system, Atlassian Confluence and Jira, ZULIP, UNIFY
Roman P.
Last position:
IT Manager, Specialist and Consultant; Robotics Specialist; Business Analyst; Actuary at Righley Cooper GmbH
- IT Manager, Specialist and Consultant
- Robotics Specialist
- Business Analyst
- Actuary
Ralf B.
Last position:
Implementation of a Middleware Solution at Utility provider
- Analysis of the existing software landscape
- Tool selection with evaluation of MuleSoft Anypoint and Talend Open Studio
- Evaluation of integration services on the Azure platform
- Setup of Azure App Services
- Proof-of-concept implementation of offer data import with MuleSoft and Spring Boot in Azure App Service
Ilja L.
Last position:
Software Engineer/Architect (Tech Lead) at Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbH
- Implementation of various interfaces for subsystems and connection to external devices (cameras, scanners, digital lockers)
- Development of various interfaces in the used cars area
- Realization of various prototypes
- Support in UI/UX and data analytics
- Development of frontend and backend solutions
- Kubernetes migration
- Building CI/CD pipelines
- Communication with the business unit and technical design of new solutions
- Cross-team alignment and coordination within the team
- Overview of the entire technology stack and related systems
- Documentation, preparation, and conducting of reviews
- Supporting the team and coordinating releases and key milestones
Michael S.
Last position:
Consultant, Architect, Developer at Self-employed
Martin Z.
Last position:
Insurance
- Data migration of transaction data in the area of commission settlement from various proprietary IBM mainframe systems to the target application SAP ICM.
- Planning, implementation, and quality assurance of a batch process for data migration on various mainframe platforms from testing to production.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using IBM VisualAge
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
33 years
Position duration
2.7 years
Positions per freelancer
24
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management
Top industries
Information Technology, Insurance, Banking and Finance
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management
Bachelor's degree or higher
60%
Master's degree or higher
60%
Certifications per freelancer
2
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100%
Based on our profile pool as of 29 Oct 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this technology in Germany are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Average rates of experts in Germany using IBM VisualAge
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 29 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
IBM VisualAge experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (85%)
- Insurance (77%)
- Banking and Finance (69%)
- Automotive (54%)
- Energy (46%)
- Healthcare (46%)
- Manufacturing (46%)
- Government and Administration (46%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
VisualAge in context
IBM VisualAge was a family of visual development environments built around rapid application development and object-oriented programming. It became especially known through VisualAge Smalltalk and VisualAge for Java, often abbreviated as VAJ. Companies still rely on applications created with these tools because they support important business processes and are costly to replace without careful planning.
Core applications
VisualAge projects commonly appear in long-running enterprise systems, internal business applications and transaction-heavy software. Typical work includes:
- Maintaining VisualAge Smalltalk applications and class libraries
- Supporting VisualAge for Java workspaces and generated artefacts
- Analysing dependencies before a migration or major change
- Stabilising integrations with databases, messaging and host systems
- Documenting undocumented application behaviour
Ecosystem and skills
Strong IBM VisualAge expertise combines knowledge of the original IDE with practical understanding of Smalltalk, Java, object-oriented design and enterprise integration. Specialists may also work with IBM runtime components, source repositories, relational databases, middleware and operating systems surrounding the application. Familiarity with VisualAge Generator can matter when generated business applications are part of the landscape.
When companies need help
Companies usually bring in freelance expertise when internal knowledge is limited, a key system needs urgent maintenance or a modernisation programme must start without interrupting operations. In Germany, this often concerns established industrial, financial, logistics and public-sector environments, where reliable documentation and clear communication with existing teams are essential. Remote work can suit analysis and documentation, while on-site access may be useful for controlled systems or workshops.
Modernisation paths
An expert can assess whether an application should remain on its current runtime, be refactored, or move to a newer technology. Migration work may involve extracting business rules, replacing generated components, exposing services, introducing tests and mapping data flows. A sound plan protects domain behaviour instead of treating the old codebase as a simple rewrite.
What good specialists show
Look for professionals who can explain VisualAge internals in plain language and connect technical decisions to business risk. Strong specialists provide evidence of maintaining comparable legacy systems, tracing defects through generated or framework-managed code, and working safely with incomplete documentation. They should also define a practical handover, test strategy and rollback approach before changing a critical application.
Frequently asked questions
Everything clients usually want to know about IBM VisualAge, in one place.
IBM VisualAge was used to create and maintain object-oriented business applications through visual development environments. Its best-known editions include VisualAge Smalltalk and VisualAge for Java, with applications often supporting internal workflows, transactions and enterprise integrations.
IBM VisualAge remains relevant wherever established applications continue to run important business processes. The need is usually maintenance, defect resolution, documentation or controlled modernisation rather than new greenfield development.
VisualAge offered strong visual tooling, integrated repositories and rapid application development for its era. Newer IDEs generally provide better support for current languages, build pipelines and cloud tooling, but replacing a working VisualAge system can introduce substantial business and migration risk.
A strong IBM VisualAge specialist may also know Smalltalk, Java, object-oriented analysis, relational databases and enterprise messaging. Experience with legacy operating systems, generated code, testing and application migration is particularly useful when the original project documentation is incomplete.
The right level of experience depends on whether the work covers a small defect, ongoing maintenance or a major migration. VisualAge projects involving critical integrations need a specialist who has worked with comparable legacy systems and can demonstrate safe analysis, testing and release practices.
IBM VisualAge work can often be handled remotely when source code, runtimes and test environments are securely accessible. On-site collaboration may still help with restricted infrastructure, workshops or knowledge transfer, and German-language communication can be important in some teams.
Ask how the specialist approaches source analysis, generated artefacts, runtime dependencies and regression testing. A capable IBM VisualAge professional will describe a clear discovery process, identify operational risks and show how knowledge will be transferred to the permanent team.
A VisualAge freelancer can demonstrate quality through relevant case examples, precise technical explanations and a method for reproducing and testing defects. Clear documentation, cautious change control and an honest assessment of migration constraints are stronger signals than familiarity with the product name alone.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects is 93 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 747 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects, 60% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 60% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects have 33 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.7 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects are German (100%), English (100%), and French (31%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects are Information Technology (85%), Insurance (77%), and Banking and Finance (69%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Germany who have used IBM VisualAge in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Product Development (92%), and Project Management (85%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used IBM VisualAge
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a free demo
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FRATCH CEO
