Cincom

About Cincom Systems, Inc.

Cincom Systems is a privately held, multinational, computer technology corporation founded in 1968 by Thomas M. Nies, Tom Richley and Claude Bogardus.

Cincom Systems, Inc. was one of the first companies to sell software separately from hardware, helping to revolutionize the way computers and their components were sold, and helping to pioneer the software industry.

Pioneers in the Software Industry

Cincom Systems is a privately held, multinational, computer technology corporation founded in 1968 by Thomas M. Nies, Tom Richley and Claude Bogardus.

Cincom manufactures enterprise software, and provides information technology (IT) hosting services and has 39 offices in 18 countries distributed over five continents.

Cincom Systems, Inc. was one of the first companies to sell software separately from hardware, helping to revolutionize the way computers and their components were sold, and helping to pioneer the software industry.

On August 20, 1984, President Ronald Reagan called Cincom and Tom Nies “the epitome of entrepreneurial spirit of American business.”

Cincom founder Thomas M. Nies is currently the longest actively serving CEO in the computer industry, and is featured alongside other pioneers of the industry such as Bill Gates (Microsoft), Larry Ellison (Oracle) and Steve Jobs (Apple), in the Smithsonian Institution's Computer History Collection. 

History

1968–1969

  • Cincom was founded on September 29, 1968 by Thomas M. Nies, Tom Richley and Claude Bogardus with $600. A card table in Thomas Nies’ basement served as Cincom’s first office. Nies, Richley, and Bogardus filled marketing and sales, product development and research roles respectively.
  • With the addition of principals Doug Hughes (systems engineering), George Fanady (custom systems), Jan Litton (product installation) and Judy Foegle (administration), the company became a full service organization by March, 1969.
  • Although initially founded as United Computer Systems, the new company found its name being confused with other upstart computer companies. The company changed its name to Cincom – a contraction of the words Cincinnati and computer.
  • Cincom sells one product, a database management system named TOTAL.
  • Cincom becomes the first U.S. software firm to promote the concept of a database management system (DBMS).
  • Cincom delivers the first commercial database management system that isn't bundled with a computer manufacturer's hardware and proprietary software.

1970s

  •  Cincom introduces several new products this decade including:
    • ENVIRON/1® (1971), a control system for teleprocessing networks
    • SOCRATES® (1972), a data retrieval system that allows clients to obtain quick, meaningful reports from the TOTAL database system
    • T-ASK™ (1975), an Interactive Query Language for Harris computers
    • MANTIS® (1978), an application generator
    • TOTAL Information System™, a directory-driven database management system
    • Manufacturing Resource Planning System (1979), a packaged data system for manufacturers that is the ancestor of today’s CONTROL™ system
  • Cincom begins expanding its operations internationally opening offices in Canada (1971), England (1972), Belgium (1973), France (1974), Italy (1974), Australia (1974), and Japan (1978).
  • In 1971, Cincom holds its first ever user conference dubbed as a “knock about.”
  • In 1979, Cincom forms its manufacturing systems division.

1980s

  • Cincom further expands its operations internationally opening offices in Brazil (1980) and Hong Kong .
  • Cincom introduces several new products this decade including:
    • EPOCH-FMS (1980), a directory-driven financial management system
    • Series 80 Data Control System (1980), an interactive online data dictionary
    • ULTRA (1983), an interactive database management system for Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAX hardware
    • PC CONTACT (1984), a fully integrated, single-step communications facility that interactively linked an IBM mainframe computer with the user’s IBM personal computer
    • MANAGE User Series (1984), an integrated, decision-support system that combined extensive personal computing capabilities with the power and control of the mainframe
    • SUPRA for SQL (structure query language) (1989)
    • CASE Environment (1989), a series of integrated components that assisted users who were facing cross-platform development demand from multiple areas within their computers
    • Comprehensive Planning & Control System (CPCS) (1989), a resource and project guidance system that centralized management of resources and activities
  • In 1980, TOTAL product sales reach $250 million.
  • In 1982, Cincom became the first software firm to receive the President’s “E” award for superior performance in increasing or promoting exports. In 1985, Cincom received the “E-Star” award from the U.S. Department of Commerce for continued export excellence.
  • In 1984, Dennis Yablonsky is named President. He serves three years. Thomas Nies resumes the role of President in 1987.
  • In 1986, SUPRA release 1.3 received the highest score (64%) ever of any relational database from Dr. E. F. Codd.
  • In 1988, to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Cincom Systems is the first company in the United States to charter the Concorde for corporate purposes. It is the first time the high-speed jet made a private landing in Cincinnati.

1990s

  • The United States Defense Information System Agency (DISA) designates Cincom as its “vendor of choice” – the first time the U.S. government ever specified a single vendor’s products as the standard.
  • Cincom introduces several new products this decade including:
    • AD/Advantage (1991), an application development system that automated development and maintenance activities throughout all phases of the application life cycle
    • XpertRule (1993), a knowledge specification and generation system
    • TOTAL FrameWork (1995), a set of object-oriented frameworks, services and integrated development environments (IDEs) for the assembly and maintenance of Smalltalk, Java, C++ and Visual Basic business applications
    • Cincom Acquire (1995), an integrated selling system for companies that deliver complex products and services
    • AuroraDS (1995), an enterprise-wide solution that allowed organizations to automate document creation, production, output and management in a client/server environment
    • SPECTRA (1997), a system that provided customer administration and resource efficiency for telecommunications, utilities and service industries
    • gOOi (1997), a solution that turns traditional server-based applications into graphical integrated desktop (client) applications
    • Cincom Encompass (1998), a suite of integrated components for next-generation call centers
    • Cincom Smalltalk (1999), a suite that includes VisualWorks and the ObjectStudio Enterprise development environment
    • Cincom iC Solutions (1999), a technology that combines sales and marketing automation with knowledge-based support for product and service configuration
  • Cincom expands by opening offices in Mexico City, Mexico (1994); Milan, Italy (1996); and Shanghai, China (1998).
  • In 1995, Cincom founder, Tom Nies, is honored by the Information Technology and Society division of the Smithsonian Institution as one of the founders of the computer industry.
  • In 1995, Cincom founder, Tom Nies, is recognized as the longest-serving active CEO in the entire computer industry (27 years).
  • In 1996, Cincom acquires the print division of Andersen Consulting in Lyon, France (1996); ObjectStudio’s German operations from VMark (1996); ChemData, a workstation storage and retrieval document management software company in Lyon, France (1997); and the VisualWorks product line from ObjectShare (1999).

2000s

  • Cincom acquires Grovewood Financial Management (2000), a UK-based independent financial advisor company and Synchrony Communications (2004), a company once operated by divine, Inc.
  • Cincom introduces several new products this decade including:
    • Cincom Knowledge Builder (2001), a business rules management system that streamlines sales and service processes by providing advice and guidance at the point of customer interaction
    • Cincom TIGER (2002), a tool to integrate all diverse data sources within an organization
    • ENVIRON (2003), an enabling technology that helps manufacturers integrate their business systems, improve their business processes and eliminate waste throughout their organizations
    • Cincom Synchrony (2004), a customer experience management system for multi-channel contact centers
    • Cincom Eloquence (2006), a document composition solution that provides business-line professionals with the ability to generate dynamic structured and free-form documents
  • Cincom expands into services in 2001 with OverC outsourced call center services and their application service provider offering CinAPPS.
  • Cincom expands by opening an office in New Delhi, India (2000).
  • In 2003, Cincom launched its award-winning e-magazine Expert Access.
  • In 2004, Ernst & Young inducted Nies into its Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame.
  • In 2005, along with the CEO of Adobe, Nies won the International Stevie Award for Best Executive in the International— "the business world's own Oscars," according to the New York Post. In 2005, Nies also received the University of Cincinnati Lifetime Achievement award
  • In 2006, Cincom CEO Tom Nies spoke at the United Nations and urged executives, diplomats and officials to simplify their information technology ... management in a speech delivered on June 27, 2006 at the 18th Annual Information Security, IT Infrastructure, and Business Continuity Conference and Exhibit at the United Nations. While at the UN, Nies also participated in a forum with global leaders on IT security threats. These forums offer a global view, and unique educational format for business, technology, and government executives. "Most software applications are designed to automate organizational processes. But to get the most impact from technology implementations, simplifying processes is vital," explained Nies.
  • In 2007, Cincom generated over $100 million in revenue for the 21st straight year, a feat unmatched by any private software publisher in the world. Microsoft ( a public company) is the only other software publisher in the world to reach this milestone.
  • In 2008, Cincom and CEO Thomas Nies were featured in a case study by Harvard Business School. "Description: Tom Nies, charismatic CEO of Cincom Systems, is considering a public offering of his software enterprise, but the 1987 stock market crash checks his plans. Nies reflects that capital for expansion will keep Cincom at the frontier of technological development in a changing industry. He also realizes that an IPO might negate his firm's efforts to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction and change Cincom's unique corporate culture.

Cincom Software Business Solutions

As of July 2008, Cincom delivers software and services in following areas:


Cincom Solutions and Services Span the Following Industries:

Cincom Software Products


Representative List of Cincom Customers

  • AT&T
  • Alcatel
  • Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield
  • Barclays Bank
  • Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG)
  • Boeing
  • Caterpillar
  • Children’s Hospital Medical Center
  • Christian Children’s Fund
  • Ericsson
  • GE Capital
  • Goodrich
  • Great American Insurance
  • Hallmark
  • Hershey
  • IBM
  • JP Morgan
  • Lenox
  • Meijer
  • MTL Insurance
  • Northrop Grumman
  • Penn State University
  • Rexnord
  • Rockwell Automation
  • Siemens
  • U.S. Social Security Administration
  • Still & Saxby
  • SUISA
  • Temple University
  • Texas Instruments
  • Trane
  • U.S. Department of Labor
  • Wyeth/Ayers Pharmaceuticals
  • Xerox

Cincom Newsroom


Cincom Expert Access E-zine

Cincom Expert Access is an award-winning e-publication that identifies key business trends, innovations, and  issues. Expert Access provides relevant, concise, objective information, sometimes in an irreverent, humorous manner, to help readers do their jobs better, become aware of new ideas, products, or services or occasionally have a B2B laugh. 


Cincom Global Offices


Americas Europe Asia
  Brazil   België | Belgique (Belgium)   Australia
  Canada   Deutschland (Germany)   China
  Latin America   España (Spain)   India
  United States   France   Japan

  Italia (Italy)

  Monaco

  Nederland (Netherlands)

  Schweiz | Suisse | Svizzera (Switzerland)

  Sweden

  United Kingdom

References and Footnotes

  1. About Cincom
  2. Cincom's Corporate Website
  3. Software History
  4. Smithsonian Institution
  5. Cincom Systems’ History Museum located at its corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio

External links

Comments

©2009 Google