EDS.com provides a broad range of IT services to business & government.
EDS: Business Process Outsourcing and IT Outsourcing Services
Electronic Data Systems is one of the pioneers in IT services in general and data processing in specific. Established in 1962, the company founded by Ross Perot has become one of the largest and sophisticated players in the market with such customers like General Motors and the US government. This is the reason for which this company which struggled in its early days finding customers and using rented mainframes has now transformed into a global company which consistently ranks in the first 150 companies in the prestigious Fortune 500 list.
The Website
EDS.com follows very carefully the norms of corporate design. Everything that should be there, actually is. Corporate values, press relations, history, investor relations and obviously career opportunities are all there together with a few case studies showcasing the latest successes. This however does not necessarily eds.com in a bland experience. There is an obvious effort going on to give a more human face to the website and the introduction of a corporate blog is an obvious step in this direction. The content of the blog itself is of a remarkably high quality, although the traffic to it is still a trickle analyzed from the perspective of the comments left.
Corporate History
Electronic Data Systems was founded in 1962, by the then young Ross Perot. Ross Perot had just resigned from IBM as he felt that the emerging Information Technology was not used at its highest potential by the company he had worked in. The first few years saw a real struggle as the first contract came only two months after the founding of the company and the data processing was done at odd hours on various computer mainframes, by buying the unused times.
As time went by EDS gathered a portfolio of repeat customers, so in 1965 the company bought its very first computer. By this time, the company had already secured several long term contracts which made impervious to the vicissitudes of the economic environment. The very first IT facilities management contract in the industry was signed in 1963 with Frito Lay for a period of 5 years.
The last years of the sixties saw the first government contracts, which would lead to much more important accounts in the years to come.
What made the difference for the company though, was the public listing at the stock exchange. In just a few hours EDS saw a rise in shares from approximately 16$ to more than 100 dollars. Ross Perot became rich over night and the company rose to fame.
By 1969, the company was holding 31 mainframes, a share was sold at about 160 dollars and the company was worth a staggering at the time 1 billion.
Throughout the seventies, the company expanded by engaging with foreign governments and the health insurance data processing became the core of the activities with the year 1977 seeing a number of 334 million transactions. Slowly the company also developed its portfolio of services to include automated teller machines and financial transactions.
The eighties saw EDS reach new heights, becoming the most important health insurance claim data processing service with 16 states using the company’s service. However, the biggest project landed by the company in this era was the one for the US Navy Inventory Control Points Contract worth at 350 million dollars. Soon after, in 1984 General Motors bought the company for 2.5 billion dollars. Throughout the remaining years of the 80’s the company expanded at an accelerated rate purchasing new companies in Europe and Asia, landing deals with companies such as AT&T, building new data centers and hiring more and more people.
Through the 90’s and the first years of the millennium EDS finally reached its current form with multibillion contracts for entities like Saab Automobiles, General Motors and Navy Corps.
Impact On Popular Culture
The man most closely associated with EDS in the public eye is Ross Perrot, the company founder, which would later become an unlikely strong presidency candidate. The most tense moment in the company’s history was the Iran hostage crisis, when two EDS employees were captured as hostages. The ensuing operation saw the daring rescue of these hostages through a bold plan funded by the company’s boss. This tale was ultimately related in a book which became a best seller.
In the recent years though, EDS has caught the public through its highly unusual publicity stunts such as the famous “Cat Herders” clip which became an instant hit in 2000.
Overall though, the company has kept a relatively low profile, especially since Ross Perot made his exit from the company in 1986
Languages
English
Address
- 5400 Legacy Drive
- Plano TX 75024 US
Contact
- Electronic Data Systems Corporation
-
- +1 248 265 5000
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