Covisint

Covisint was an American enterprise technology company whose origins lay in the automotive industry's effort to create a shared digital infrastructure for supplier collaboration. The initiative was funded by General Motors and led by Phil Abraham, with Ford and DaimlerChrysler joining GM in 2000 to establish a common business-to-business supplier exchange. Nissan, Renault, and Peugeot also participated in the broader initiative. The project addressed a practical problem facing vehicle manufacturers: suppliers had to connect with multiple automakers through different systems, processes, and data formats. A shared platform promised to simplify procurement, production coordination, communication, and information exchange across a complex international supply chain. Covisint initially operated primarily as an automotive-sector collaboration platform. Its services were designed to connect manufacturers, suppliers, and other trading partners, allowing organizations to exchange business information and coordinate processes through hosted software. Over time, the company broadened its scope beyond automotive supply chains. Its offering evolved toward cloud-based data exchange, enterprise collaboration, and identity and access management, including tools intended to authenticate users and connect people, applications, and organizations securely. The company became part of Compuware in February 2004. Under Compuware, Covisint continued developing its enterprise cloud and integration activities while expanding into sectors including healthcare, oil and gas, government, and financial services. This diversification reflected a shift from a narrowly automotive supplier network toward more general-purpose enterprise connectivity and identity services. Covisint maintained offices in Southfield, San Francisco, Shanghai, Coventry, and Frankfurt, supporting customers and partners across North America, Europe, and Asia. Compuware completed a spin-off of Covisint on October 31, 2014, making Covisint an independent company again. Independence allowed the business to present its cloud collaboration, identity, and data-exchange capabilities as a focused enterprise platform rather than as one component of a broader application-performance software group. Covisint was subsequently acquired by Canadian software company OpenText for US$103 million in July 2017. Following the acquisition, Covisint's capabilities and operations were incorporated into OpenText's Business Network activities. OpenText described that business as enabling organizations to integrate, manage, and securely exchange data across people, systems, and things. Covisint is therefore best understood as a former independent company and brand whose technology was absorbed into OpenText rather than as a currently independent listed enterprise.

Covisint originated in a General Motors-funded program intended to simplify automotive supply-chain operations. Phil Abraham led the initiative, which sought to reduce the complexity created when suppliers had to work through separate electronic systems maintained by different automakers. In 2000, General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler joined to establish a common business-to-business supplier exchange. Nissan, Renault, and Peugeot participated in the wider initiative. The platform's original purpose was to support electronic collaboration among manufacturers and suppliers, making it easier to exchange information and coordinate commercial and production processes. The automotive industry provided Covisint with both its initial customer base and its core operating challenge: large manufacturers depend on extensive networks of suppliers, logistics providers, and other partners, yet those organizations often use incompatible systems. Covisint's hosted model aimed to provide a shared environment through which companies could communicate and exchange data without each supplier having to build a separate connection for every customer. This positioned the business at the intersection of supply-chain management, enterprise integration, and B2B information services. In February 2004, Compuware Corporation acquired Covisint. During its period within Compuware, Covisint developed beyond its original automotive focus. The company expanded its activities into healthcare, oil and gas, government, and financial services, while broadening its technology portfolio to include cloud-based collaboration, data exchange, and identity-management services. The expansion reflected the wider applicability of secure organizational connectivity: hospitals, energy companies, public agencies, financial institutions, and manufacturers all need to connect users, systems, and external business partners while controlling access to sensitive information. Compuware completed a spin-off of Covisint on October 31, 2014. Covisint then operated as an independent enterprise technology company. Its reported office network included locations in Southfield, San Francisco, Shanghai, Coventry, and Frankfurt, giving it a presence across North America, Asia, and Europe. As an independent company, Covisint presented itself less as a specialized automotive exchange and more as a cloud platform for identity, integration, collaboration, and secure information exchange. OpenText acquired Covisint in July 2017 for US$103 million. The transaction ended Covisint's period as an independent company. OpenText incorporated the acquired capabilities into its Business Network organization, whose stated mission was to integrate, manage, and securely exchange data across people, systems, and things. Covisint's corporate identity consequently became part of OpenText's broader enterprise information-management and business-network portfolio. Its historical importance rests on its role in pioneering shared digital collaboration for automotive supply chains and on its later transition into a more general enterprise connectivity and identity-services provider.

• 2017

  Acquired by OpenText

  [1]Covisinten.wikipedia.org

  OpenText purchased Covisint for US$103 million in July and integrated its activities into the OpenText Business Network.

• 2014

  Compuware completes Covisint spin-off

  [1]Covisinten.wikipedia.org

  Covisint became independent again when Compuware completed its spin-off on October 31.

• 2004

  Acquired by Compuware

  [1]Covisinten.wikipedia.org

  Compuware Corporation acquired Covisint in February, adding the supplier collaboration and data-exchange business to its software operations.

• 2000

  Automotive supplier exchange initiative established

  [1]Covisinten.wikipedia.org

  General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler joined a General Motors-funded effort to create a common B2B supplier exchange. Nissan, Renault, and Peugeot also participated in the initiative.

Enterprise B2B collaboration, identity, integration, and secure data-exchange provider

• Supply-chain collaboration platform · 2000

  Covisint Supplier Exchange

  Covisint's original core offering was a shared business-to-business environment for automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and other trading partners. It was intended to simplify electronic communication and information exchange across complex supply chains by giving participants a common platform rather than requiring separate connections to each automaker. The service formed the foundation of Covisint's early identity and reflected its origins in an industry-wide collaboration initiative.

• Cloud enterprise integration and collaboration

  Covisint Cloud

  Covisint Cloud represented the company's evolution from an automotive supplier exchange into a broader cloud-based enterprise connectivity platform. It supported collaboration and data exchange among organizations, systems, and business partners. The offering was positioned for multiple industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, government, and financial services, and was designed to help organizations coordinate information flows without relying solely on bespoke point-to-point integrations.

• Identity and access management

  Covisint Identity Management

  Covisint's identity-management services addressed the need to authenticate and manage users across enterprise applications, organizations, and external partner networks. The capability complemented the company's data-exchange and collaboration products by controlling access to connected systems and information. It formed part of Covisint's later positioning as a provider of secure cloud connectivity rather than solely as an automotive supply-chain marketplace.

• 2017

  OpenText acquisition and integrationM&A

  Background

  OpenText sought to expand its business-network capabilities in areas involving enterprise integration, secure data exchange, and connections among organizations and systems.

  Action taken

  OpenText acquired Covisint in July 2017 for US$103 million and incorporated its capabilities into the OpenText Business Network.

  Aftermath

  Covisint ceased operating as an independent company, while its technology and business-network functions continued within OpenText's portfolio.

  Acquisition price. US$103 million (July 2017)

  Source

• 2014

  Return to independent company statusStrategy

  Background

  After a decade within Compuware, Covisint was separated from its parent as the business developed a broader enterprise cloud and data-exchange identity.

  Action taken

  Compuware completed the spin-off of Covisint on October 31, 2014.

  Aftermath

  Covisint operated independently until its acquisition by OpenText in 2017.

  Source

• 2000

  Create a shared automotive B2B supplier exchangeStrategy

  Background

  Automotive manufacturers and their suppliers faced fragmented electronic communication systems and repeated integration requirements. A shared exchange was intended to reduce this duplication and simplify supply-chain coordination.

  Action taken

  General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler joined the initiative that became Covisint, with Nissan, Renault, and Peugeot participating in the broader effort.

  Aftermath

  The initiative established Covisint's original automotive-industry identity and provided the basis for its supplier collaboration platform.

  Source

1. 1Covisinten.wikipedia.org