Your Strategic Partner in Digital Transformation

Our Story & Founding Vision

Over a decade ago, Li9’s journey began with a transformative project for a major U.S. communications company.  Founders Armando Arias and Artemii Kropachev joined forces to deliver a fully automated streaming solution:  Armando architected the enterprise-grade infrastructure, while Artemii’s team built the entire system using open-source technologies.

The project’s success was a revelation to the customer and to Artemii and Armando.  It proved the unmatched potential of open source when paired with robust, well-managed systems. Inspired by this experience, Armando and Artemii structured Li9 in its current form and strategy  with a clear mission: to bring this powerful combination to enterprises everywhere.   Today, that philosophy of open-source innovation supported by trusted partners, like IBM and Red Hat, continues to shape everything we do.

Unrivaled Expertise: The Best in the Business

We are incredibly proud to employ the world’s top 3 highest Red Hat Certified Architects (RHCAs).

There are not just certifications,  it’s a guarantee of quality and Li9 investments in maintaining current knowledge.  Our team’s expertise is validated by over 300 certifications across Red Hat, IBM, AWS, AZURE, GCP,  Hashicorp,  and other key technologies. When you partner with Li9, you are working with the absolute best in the field.

Designing AI Solutions, Accelerated by AI

Li9 architects and delivers enterprise-grade AI solutions built on IBM watsonx and Red Hat OpenShift AI, enabling organizations to deploy secure, scalable, and production-ready AI solutions. From data integration and model development to governance and lifecycle management, we turn complex AI initiatives into practical, business-aligned outcomes, using proven open-source and enterprise technologies.

To stay ahead of the curve, we continuously explore and incorporate insights from advanced AI models such as Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.   We also leverage AI internally to test, validate, and optimize our solutions, ensuring performance, accuracy, and innovation at every stage.  This ongoing cycle of research, development, and validation helps us deliver modern AI solutions that are both reliable and forward-looking.

Our Approach: A Partnership Built on Trust

We believe that transformative results come from true partnership, not transactional relationships. Our approach is built on three core principles:

• Total Transparency: We operate as an extension of your team. With tools like live project status documents, you have full visibility into our progress, milestones, and timelines at every stage.
• Empowering Your Team: Our work isn’t finished at go-live. Through targeted training and fractional architecture oversight, we ensure your team has the knowledge and confidence to operate your new solutions independently. Your self-sufficiency is our goal.
• Flexible Support: Every organization adopts technology at its own pace. We offer flexible support arrangements—from fractional and on-demand to fully managed services—designed to meet your evolving needs.

Transparency and Collaboration

Transparency and collaboration are the cornerstones of our project delivery approach. We ensure clients are always informed through live project status documents, fostering mutual understanding of milestones, timelines, and progress. Our open and communicative approach ensures you have full visibility into every stage of project implementation, strengthening trust and ensuring successful project completion.

Li9 Leadership

Armando Arias  –  CEO and President  

As founder, President, and CEO, Armando guides the strategy and operations of Li9. His vast experience managing relationships and delivering complex solutions for industry giants like Bank of America, US Airways, and HPE ensures that Li9 consistently exceeds client expectations.

  Artemii Kropachev  –  VP of Engineering and Principal Architect

Artemii drives Li9’s technology vision, leading our architects and engineers in designing world-class IT solutions.  An accomplished IT author and one of the world’s top RHCAs, he possesses deep expertise in Open Source, DevOps, Cloud, and large-scale automation, with a proven track record of solving complex business challenges with innovative technology.

Why Choose Li9?

• Unrivaled Expertise: Home to the world’s highest-certified Red Hat Architects.
• True Partnership: We work as a transparent, collaborative extension of your team.
• Future-Proof Solutions: We deliver agile open-source innovation with enterprise-grade reliability.
• Empowering Your Team: We are committed to knowledge transfer that ensures your long-term success.