ASIST

What ASIST does

ASIST is a Belgian IBM mainframe consulting practice founded in 1995 and headquartered in Schaarbeek (Brussels). The company delivers specialized engineering services for z/OS environments — development, maintenance, modernization, migration, testing, release management, and source code management — across COBOL, PL/I, DB2, JCL, CICS, RPG, and REXX stacks, and serves financial institutions, insurance companies, public sector organizations, and industrial enterprises in Belgium and across Europe. Its commercial portfolio comprises four offerings: (1) Mainframe Consulting (projectsourcing of named specialists), (2) Team as a Service — dedicated multidisciplinary squads embedded in client organizations with predictable monthly investment, (3) Asist Legacy Explorer (Asist LX) — a proprietary metadata-based legacy discovery platform priced at €18,999/year with Model Context Protocol integration for AI coding assistants, and (4) Observability as a Service — a managed practice built on IBM Instana and IBM Turbonomic for hybrid estate monitoring and AI-driven resource optimization.

ASIST earns revenue primarily through professional services engagements — time-and-materials consulting and squad-based TaaS contracts — with a smaller but growing recurring software component from Asist LX and a managed-services component from Observability as a Service. Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise sales, with outreach via website contact forms and named emails ([email protected], [email protected]) targeting CIOs, mainframe managers, and engineering leaders in regulated industries. Named customers include KBC, Cortal Consors, AG Insurance, CRPNPAC, PIFSS, ICBC, and MOL Transport Solutions.

In December 2024, ASIST was acquired by Capyx Group, a Brussels-based IT services group founded in 2013, to strengthen Capyx's mainframe and legacy modernization capabilities alongside its broader IT modernization, cybersecurity, and AI practices. The Asist brand and mainframe practice continue under the Capyx umbrella, with access to group-level resources and international reach. ASIST operates as a private company with 101–250 employees and no public funding disclosures.

Name

ASIST

Legal name

Asist

Website

https://asist.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Belgian IBM mainframe consulting firm (founded 1995) delivering COBOL/PL/I/DB2 engineering, Team-as-a-Service squads, the Asist LX metadata platform, and IBM Instana/Turbonomic observability services to financial, insurance, public sector, and industrial clients across Belgium and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Leuven

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Mainframe Consulting (Projectsourcing): Flexible capacity engagement for fixed periods or defined scope. Named consultants and engineers are embedded in the client's organization. Clients pay for matched specialists on a time-and-materials or fixed-scope basis.
2. Asist LX (Legacy Explorer) Licensing: Yearly service fee model. Product is delivered as a managed implementation with platform access. Free proof of concept offered before commitment.
3. Observability as a Service: Managed service combining IBM Instana and Turbonomic software with implementation, adoption support, and steady-state operations. Scoped to estate and maturity, delivered as an ongoing managed practice.
4. Team as a Service (TaaS): Dedicated multidisciplinary squad embedded in the client's organization with predictable monthly team investment. Asist owns composition, continuity, and team performance. Engagements structured for predictable budget and delivery rhythm with options for velocity or productivity-based arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ASIST is a specialist IBM mainframe consulting practice that supplies embedded specialists and dedicated squads for development, maintenance, integration, and modernization on z/OS environments (COBOL, PL/I, DB2, JCL, CICS). It complements these services with Asist Legacy Explorer (Asist LX), a proprietary metadata-based legacy discovery and intelligence platform, and with Observability as a Service built on IBM Instana and IBM Turbonomic.

Product overview

Asist is a specialist IBM mainframe consulting practice offering a portfolio of services and software products. The core offerings include: (1) Mainframe Consulting — hands-on expertise on IBM z/OS for development, maintenance, and modernization; (2) Team as a Service — dedicated multidisciplinary squads embedded in client organizations; (3) Asist Legacy Explorer (Asist LX) — an enterprise metadata discovery platform that maps COBOL, PL/I, JCL, DB2, and batch/online applications with AI-assisted search and MCP integration for AI coding tools; and (4) Observability as a Service — managed monitoring and optimization powered by IBM Instana and IBM Turbonomic. These offerings are designed to work together: consultants and squads deliver mainframe work, Asist LX provides landscape intelligence and AI context for that work, and Observability as a Service delivers ongoing operational visibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Asist LX: Asist Legacy Explorer - enterprise legacy discovery and intelligence platform for mapping metadata across COBOL, JCL, DB2, online and batch applications.

Products and services

• Mainframe Consulting IBM mainframe consulting service providing embedded specialists and project delivery support for development, maintenance, integration, modernization, and modernization-adjacent work on z/OS environments, covering COBOL, PL/I, DB2, JCL, CICS and related stacks for enterprise clients.
• Team as a Service (TaaS)
• Asist Legacy Explorer (Asist LX) Proprietary legacy discovery and intelligence platform that automatically ingests daily metadata from COBOL, PL/I, JCL, DB2, online and batch applications to map component relationships and dependencies, with AI-assisted search, AI context via Model Context Protocol (MCP), and assistants for development, ownership, documentation, migration, and decommission scope. Priced at €18,999 per year including a free proof of concept.
• Observability as a Service Managed observability practice built on IBM Instana (full-stack traces, metrics, and logs) and IBM Turbonomic (AI-driven resource rightsizing across hybrid estates), delivered and operated by ASIST with implementation, integration, and ongoing operational support for enterprise hybrid and mainframe environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free proof of concept for Asist LX — zero cost to evaluate before purchase
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Capyx GroupflagshipOthers · 1 December 2024In December 2024, Capyx Group (a Brussels-based IT services group founded in 2013) acquired Asist to strengthen its mainframe and legacy expertise alongside IT modernization, cybersecurity, and AI. The Asist brand and mainframe practice continue under the Capyx Group umbrella, with broader group capabilities and international reach now available to Asist clients.
• IBM (Instana & Turbonomic)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Asist delivers its Observability as a Service offering built on IBM Instana (full-stack observability) and IBM Turbonomic (AI-driven resource optimization). Asist provides implementation, integration, onboarding, and ongoing operational support for these IBM platforms within enterprise hybrid estates. This is a key strategic partnership enabling Asist to offer managed observability services alongside its mainframe consulting practice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Infosys: Large IT services firm with established mainframe modernization and legacy application practice serving global banks and insurers. Similar delivery scope on mainframe work but with broader cloud and digital transformation portfolio.
• Atos: European-headquartered IT services group with a mainframe and legacy systems practice. Operates in similar geographies and verticals (banking, public sector, industrial), but offers a much broader portfolio including infrastructure and cybersecurity.
• Capgemini Engineering: Global IT services leader with a dedicated mainframe and application modernization practice serving large banks and insurers. Comparable in mainframe expertise and target verticals, but at vastly larger scale and with broader transformation offerings.
• Tata Consultancy Services: Global IT services giant with a long-standing mainframe application services practice. Competes for the same enterprise modernization programs but at hyperscale, often serving as the systems integrator on multi-year mainframe engagements.

Direct peers

• T-Systems: Deutsche Telekom's enterprise IT arm with a significant mainframe and SAP hosting practice serving European banks, insurers, and public sector. Comparable in mainframe services depth and European geographic focus.
• Astadia: Specialist in mainframe and COBOL modernization, providing advisory, tools, and managed services. Directly comparable to Asist's mainframe consulting and legacy exploration offerings, with similar target customers in financial services and insurance.
• CGI Group: Canadian-headquartered IT services firm with deep European and Belgian presence, providing mainframe, legacy modernization, and managed services to financial institutions and public sector — overlapping target customers and delivery model.

Emerging players

• Heirloom Computing: Niche provider of COBOL-to-Java re-platforming tooling and services for mainframe modernization. Comparable in addressing the same legacy modernization buyer as Asist, with a more software-centric approach.
• LzLabs: Software-led mainframe modernization company offering automated re-platforming of COBOL workloads to Linux/Cloud. Adjacent to Asist LX in the legacy modernization tooling space, though more focused on migration rather than ongoing mainframe operations.
• OpenLegacy: Vendor of API-enablement and legacy modernization software for mainframe and core systems. Comparable to Asist LX in intent — exposing legacy estates to modern channels — but positioned as a software product rather than a consultancy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AsistBelgium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASIST