Computer Sciences Corporation
Computer Sciences Corporation was a U.S.-based multinational provider of information-technology, systems-integration, outsourcing, consulting, and professional services.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Computer Sciences Corporation, commonly known as CSC, was an American information-technology and professional-services company founded in Los Angeles in April 1959 by Roy Nutt and Fletcher Jones. It began by developing programming tools, including assembler and compiler software, and then broadened into contract programming and systems services for major computer manufacturers such as IBM and Honeywell. During the 1960s, the company also entered the U.S. public sector, winning work for NASA and other government customers. CSC was an early independent software-industry company. By 1963 it was described as the largest software company in the United States and became the first software company listed on the American Stock Exchange. It later moved to the New York Stock Exchange and, by the end of the 1960s, had operations in Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Its business expanded from software development into large-scale information systems, managed services, consulting, outsourcing, systems integration, application services, and technology support for corporate and government customers. The company pursued international growth through contracts and acquisitions. Its work in the 1970s and 1980s included major engagements in the finance and defense sectors, alongside expansion in Europe and Australia. In 1988, CSC acquired the consulting business associated with James A. Champy and Michael Martin Hammer and created CSC Index, a consulting unit that helped establish the company in business-process and management consulting. CSC also developed specialized technology ventures, including a 2000 German joint venture intended to market SAP-based software for mortgage companies. Government contracting became one of CSC's defining activities. Its North American Public Sector business served U.S. federal customers including the Department of Defense, NASA, law-enforcement bodies, and intelligence and homeland-security agencies. Before the public-sector separation announced in 2015, federal work represented a substantial part of the company's revenue base. Commercial activities included managed services, application development and testing, cloud management, big-data platforms, capital-markets technology, service-management solutions, and enterprise consulting. CSC made numerous acquisitions in the 2000s and 2010s, including DynCorp, Covansys, ServiceMesh, Infochimps, 42Six, iSOFT, AppLabs, Fixnetix, Fruition Partners, UXC, and Xchanging. These transactions were intended to strengthen its positions in cloud computing, analytics, health-care and application solutions, testing, financial technology, service management, and international IT services. The company also formed ventures with HCL Technologies and SRA International. In 2015, CSC separated its U.S. government-services business, which combined with SRA International to form CSRA, from its commercial and international operations. CSC moved its corporate headquarters from El Segundo, California, to Falls Church, Virginia, in 2008 and later announced a move to Tysons in Fairfax County. It remained a major global IT-services provider until April 3, 2017, when its commercial and international business merged with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Enterprise Services business. The transaction created DXC Technology and ended CSC's existence as an independent corporate brand. Its public-sector successor, CSRA, was subsequently acquired by General Dynamics in 2018.
History
Computer Sciences Corporation was established in April 1959 in Los Angeles by Roy Nutt and Fletcher Jones. Its first activities centered on programming tools, particularly assembler and compiler software. As demand for commercial computing grew, CSC moved into programming services for hardware manufacturers, including IBM and Honeywell. It also won early public-sector work, including contracts connected with NASA, establishing a government-business foundation that remained important throughout the company's life. CSC grew rapidly during the 1960s. By 1963 it was regarded as the largest software company in the United States and became the first software company to trade on the American Stock Exchange. It later listed on the New York Stock Exchange. At the end of the decade, the company already operated across North America, Europe, India, and Latin America. One early diversification effort was Computicket Corp., launched in 1967 to compete in electronic ticketing. The venture lost money and was discontinued in 1970, illustrating the risks of expanding beyond CSC's core technology-services business. During the 1970s and 1980s, CSC developed into a global contractor for finance, defense, and other complex industries. It expanded through international offices, major systems contracts, and acquisitions in Europe and Australia. In 1988, the company acquired the consulting practice associated with James A. Champy and Michael Martin Hammer and organized it as CSC Index. This gave CSC a stronger presence in management consulting and business-process redesign as the technology-services industry broadened beyond custom programming. The company continued to diversify in the 1990s and 2000s. It served government agencies and large corporations with systems integration, outsourcing, application management, and consulting. In 2000, CSC formed Innovative Banking Solutions AG in Germany to commercialize an SAP-based mortgage-industry solution. It also expanded through acquisitions such as DynCorp in 2003 and Covansys in 2007. Its headquarters moved from California to Falls Church, Virginia, in 2008, reflecting the importance of its government and Washington-area business. In the 2010s, CSC pursued cloud computing, big data, analytics, application testing, health-care technology, financial technology, and IT service management through a series of acquisitions. Its fiscal 2013 transactions included ServiceMesh, Infochimps, 42Six, iSOFT, and AppLabs. In 2015, the company bought or agreed to buy Fixnetix, Fruition Partners, UXC, and Xchanging, while also forming the Celeriti FinTech joint venture with HCL Technologies. These moves sought to build specialized capabilities around enterprise platforms and regulated industries. CSC's government business was both strategically important and controversial. Its North American Public Sector unit served the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, law-enforcement organizations, intelligence agencies, and homeland-security customers. In 2015, CSC separated that business from its commercial and international operations. The public-sector unit merged with SRA International to create CSRA, while the remaining CSC continued as a commercial technology-services company. The company's record also included regulatory scrutiny, criticism of accounting practices, disputes and criticism concerning government contracts, and accusations relating to alleged CIA rendition-flight arrangements. In the United Kingdom, parliamentary criticism focused on CSC's role in the National Programme for IT and the delayed Lorenzo system. CSC ultimately ceased to operate independently on April 3, 2017, when it merged with HPE Enterprise Services to form DXC Technology. The merger marked the end of a company that had evolved from a small software-tools supplier into a multinational provider of government and enterprise technology services.
- 2017
Merger created DXC Technology
[1]CSC merged with HPE Enterprise Services, creating DXC Technology and ending CSC's independent corporate existence.
- 2015
Public-sector separation announced
[1]CSC announced plans to separate its North American Public Sector business, which later combined with SRA International to form CSRA.
- 2015
Celeriti FinTech joint venture announced
[1]CSC and HCL Technologies created a banking-software and services joint venture.
- 2013
Cloud, analytics, health-care, and testing acquisitions
[1]CSC acquired ServiceMesh, Infochimps, 42Six, iSOFT, and AppLabs, broadening its specialized technology portfolio.
- 2008
Headquarters moved to Virginia
[1]CSC relocated its corporate headquarters from El Segundo, California, to Falls Church, Virginia.
- 2007
Covansys acquired
[1]CSC acquired Covansys Corporation as part of its expansion in global IT services.
- 2003
DynCorp acquired
[1]CSC acquired DynCorp, strengthening its government and defense-services portfolio.
- 1988
CSC Index created
[1]CSC acquired a consulting business associated with James A. Champy and Michael Martin Hammer and organized it as CSC Index.
- 1970
Computicket discontinued
[1]CSC ended the Computicket service after the venture accumulated substantial losses.
- 1967
Computicket launched
[1]CSC created Computicket Corp. to enter the emerging electronic-ticketing market.
Products and positioning
A large, multinational enterprise-technology and professional-services provider serving governments and corporations through outsourcing, consulting, systems integration, application services, cloud technologies, and sector-specific solutions.
Electronic ticketing · 1967
Computicket
Computicket was an early CSC venture into electronic ticketing. Established in 1967 to compete with Ticketron, it represented an attempt to apply computing infrastructure to ticket distribution. The service was discontinued in 1970 after losses, making it a short-lived diversification rather than a lasting CSC product line.
Management consulting · 1988
CSC Index
CSC Index was CSC's consulting business, formed after the 1988 acquisition of the practice associated with James A. Champy and Michael Martin Hammer. It extended CSC beyond programming and infrastructure work into management consulting, business-process redesign, and organizational transformation.
Cloud management
ServiceMesh
ServiceMesh provided cloud-management capabilities and became part of CSC's effort to address enterprise adoption of hybrid and distributed computing environments. CSC acquired the company in fiscal 2013 as part of a broader strategy to add cloud and automation expertise.
Big-data platform
Infochimps
Infochimps was a big-data platform acquired by CSC in fiscal 2013. Its technology supported CSC's expansion into data management and analytics services for enterprise and government customers.
Application testing
AppLabs
AppLabs was an application-testing and quality-assurance provider acquired by CSC in fiscal 2013. The acquisition strengthened CSC's ability to test and validate enterprise software and large application estates.
Banking software and services · 2015
Celeriti FinTech
Celeriti FinTech was a joint venture established by CSC and HCL Technologies in 2015. It was intended to market banking software and related services, particularly for financial institutions requiring specialized technology platforms.
Controversies
2013
Criticism of the UK National Programme for IT
Margaret Hodge, chair of the UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, sharply criticized CSC's performance on the National Programme for IT, including the delayed Lorenzo system.
2011
Accounting investigation involving Denmark and Australia
The SEC investigated CSC accounting practices in Denmark and Australia. CSC's CFO said the matter involved both accounting errors and alleged intentional misconduct by personnel. The available reference also states that former CEO Mike Laphen faced fraud allegations and that money was clawed back.
2011
Lobbying and tax criticism
Public Campaign criticized CSC's lobbying expenditure and tax position during 2008–2010, arguing that the company paid no federal income tax in that period while receiving tax rebates despite reported profits.
2006
IRS tax-system delivery failure
CSC was the prime contractor for an IRS tax-system modernization effort. The company failed to deliver an automated refund-fraud detection system by the expected deadline, leaving the IRS without the planned capability and producing substantial reported costs.
Allegations concerning CIA rendition flights
CSC was accused of arranging illegal rendition flights for the CIA between 2003 and 2006. The allegations prompted human-rights criticism and concern among some shareholders, including the governments of Norway and the United Kingdom.
Disputes concerning visa-processing services
CSC's WorldBridge visa-services business faced criticism and legal controversy over the processing of British visa applications without direct involvement by British authorities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Team CSC professional cycling sponsorship
International
CSC sponsored a professional cycling team during the 2000s as part of its international corporate-brand visibility efforts.
Outcome. The sponsorship was a historical brand-marketing activity; the available reference does not provide a detailed performance or business outcome.
Brand decisions
2017
Merge with HPE Enterprise ServicesM&ABackground
The enterprise IT-services market was consolidating, and CSC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise sought to combine complementary services operations.
Action taken
CSC merged its commercial and international business with HPE Enterprise Services on April 3, 2017, creating DXC Technology.
Aftermath
CSC ceased to exist as an independent company, while the new DXC Technology became the successor enterprise for the combined operations.
2015
Separate the public-sector businessStrategyBackground
CSC operated both a major U.S. government-services business and commercial and international businesses with different customer bases and strategic profiles.
Action taken
CSC announced a separation of North American Public Sector from its commercial and international operations. The public-sector business combined with SRA International to form CSRA.
Aftermath
The restructuring left CSC focused on commercial and international services until its 2017 merger with HPE Enterprise Services.
2015
Form Celeriti FinTech with HCL TechnologiesM&ABackground
Banks required specialized software and services, while CSC sought growth in financial technology.
Action taken
CSC and HCL Technologies signed an agreement to create Celeriti FinTech, a banking-software and services joint venture.
Aftermath
The venture added a dedicated banking-technology vehicle to CSC's portfolio; the available reference does not document its later performance.
2015
Expand through Fixnetix, Fruition Partners, UXC, and XchangingM&ABackground
CSC pursued specialized capabilities in capital markets, service management, and international business technology.
Action taken
CSC acquired Fixnetix and Fruition Partners, agreed to acquire Australian provider UXC, and agreed to purchase Xchanging.
Aftermath
The transactions strengthened CSC's specialist and international portfolio shortly before its combination with HPE Enterprise Services.
Reported value of the UXC transaction. A$427.6 million (2015 announcement)
2013
Acquire ServiceMesh, Infochimps, 42Six, iSOFT, and AppLabsM&ABackground
CSC sought to expand beyond traditional outsourcing into cloud management, big-data technology, national-security analytics, application solutions, and software testing.
Action taken
The company completed a group of acquisitions in fiscal 2013 covering those technology and service categories.
Aftermath
The acquisitions broadened CSC's portfolio before its later business separation and merger into DXC Technology.
Sources1 sources
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