Siemens Nixdorf

Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG, commonly abbreviated SNI, was a German information-technology company formed in 1990 through the merger of Nixdorf Computer with the Data Information Services division of Siemens. The combination brought together Nixdorf's established computing and transaction-processing activities with Siemens's enterprise information-systems operations, creating one of Europe's largest technology companies of the period. The company operated as a separate business within the Siemens group and supplied a broad portfolio rather than a single specialist product. Its activities covered mainframe and server systems, operating systems, databases, personal computers, enterprise software, and technology used by business customers. Among its principal platforms were the BS2000 mainframe operating environment and the SINIX Unix-based operating system. SNI also marketed BS2000 mainframe computers, RISC-based RM-x00 servers, databases, personal computers, and other hardware and software products, including systems associated with SAP R/3 environments. ComfoDesk, a graphical user-interface shell for enterprise users, was another product associated with the company. SNI's business model reflected the enterprise-computing market of the 1990s, when large organizations often bought integrated combinations of hardware, operating systems, databases, applications, and support services. The company therefore served more than one computing tier: mainframes and proprietary operating environments for established data centers, Unix and RISC systems for technical and enterprise workloads, and personal computers and software for distributed office computing. This breadth made it a significant European systems supplier, although it also exposed the business to rapid changes in computing architectures, the growth of standardized personal-computer platforms, and increasing competition from international technology vendors. The company remained part of Siemens until the end of the decade. In 1999, Siemens Nixdorf was divided into two successor businesses. Fujitsu Siemens Computers received the personal-computer and broader computer-systems activities, while Wincor Nixdorf took over the banking and retail technology operations. This restructuring ended Siemens Nixdorf as an independent corporate identity. Its legacy continued through the successor companies and through technologies and customer relationships developed during its existence, but the SNI brand itself is now historical rather than active.

Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG was established in 1990 when Siemens combined its Data Information Services division with Nixdorf Computer. The transaction joined two substantial German computing businesses with complementary histories. Siemens contributed an established enterprise information-technology operation, while Nixdorf brought expertise in commercial computing and systems used by business customers. The resulting company operated as a separate entity within Siemens and became widely known by the abbreviation SNI. SNI was built as a full-range information-technology supplier at a time when corporate computing environments were becoming more distributed but still depended heavily on central data processing. Its portfolio included BS2000 mainframe computers and the BS2000 operating environment, SINIX, databases, RISC-based RM-x00 servers, personal computers, enterprise software, and other hardware and software products. The company also offered ComfoDesk, a graphical shell intended for enterprise users, and supplied systems that could be used with enterprise applications such as SAP R/3. The breadth of this portfolio allowed SNI to address data-center, office, and sector-specific requirements. Its mainframe and operating-system products served organizations with established centralized computing installations. Its Unix-based and RISC systems represented a different class of enterprise and technical computing, while personal computers and related software addressed the expansion of distributed workplace technology. Banking and retail systems were also an important part of the business inherited from the Nixdorf side of the organization. During the 1990s, SNI was described as Europe's largest information-technology company. Its scale reflected the importance of domestic and regional systems suppliers in an era before enterprise computing had fully consolidated around globally standardized platforms. At the same time, the company faced the structural pressures affecting the sector: the increasing importance of commodity personal computers, the spread of Unix and other open systems, changing data-center architectures, and competition from international hardware and software companies. The coexistence of multiple product families also made portfolio management and strategic focus increasingly important. In 1999, Siemens divided the SNI activities into two successor businesses. Fujitsu Siemens Computers received the computer and personal-computer operations, while Wincor Nixdorf took over the banking and retail-related activities. The reorganization brought the Siemens Nixdorf corporate identity to an end. Its products, technologies, customer relationships, and personnel continued in the successor businesses, but Siemens Nixdorf itself is now a defunct historical technology company rather than an active brand.

• 1999

  Corporate breakup and successor businesses

  [1]Siemens Nixdorfen.wikipedia.org

  Siemens divides the business between Fujitsu Siemens Computers and Wincor Nixdorf. The latter receives the banking and retail activities, and the Siemens Nixdorf entity ceases to operate as a standalone company.

• 1990

  Siemens Nixdorf is established

  [1]Siemens Nixdorfen.wikipedia.org

  Siemens creates Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG by combining Nixdorf Computer with the Data Information Services division of Siemens.

• 1990

  Expansion across enterprise computing

  [1]Siemens Nixdorfen.wikipedia.org

  The new company operates across mainframes, operating systems, servers, databases, personal computers, and enterprise software, including BS2000, SINIX, and RM-x00 systems.

A broad European enterprise-computing and information-systems provider serving data centers, business users, and sector-specific customers with integrated hardware, operating systems, databases, and software.

• Mainframe operating system and computing platform

  BS2000

  BS2000 was Siemens Nixdorf's mainframe computing environment and operating-system family. It supported the company's central data-processing systems and represented the continuation of a proprietary enterprise-computing model designed for organizations with substantial, centralized workloads.

• Unix-based operating system

  SINIX

  SINIX was Siemens Nixdorf's Unix-based operating system, positioned for enterprise and technical computing outside the company's mainframe environment. It formed part of SNI's effort to offer multiple computing architectures to business customers as Unix systems gained importance during the 1990s.

• RISC-based servers

  RM-x00

  The RM-x00 family comprised RISC-based servers sold by Siemens Nixdorf. These systems extended the company's enterprise portfolio beyond mainframes and supported the broader shift toward distributed and Unix-oriented server infrastructure.

• Enterprise graphical user interface

  ComfoDesk

  ComfoDesk was a graphical user-interface shell for enterprise users. It was part of SNI's software portfolio and provided a user-facing layer for business-computing environments alongside the company's operating systems and hardware platforms.

• Personal computers

  Siemens Nixdorf personal computers

  SNI sold personal computers as part of its broader hardware range. These products complemented its mainframe, server, and enterprise-software activities and helped the company address the move toward distributed workplace computing.

• Enterprise software and databases

  SNI enterprise software and databases

  The company marketed databases and a variety of enterprise software products, including systems used with SAP R/3 environments. These offerings supported SNI's positioning as an integrated information-systems supplier rather than solely a hardware manufacturer.

• 1999

  Split the business into two successor companiesStrategy

  Background

  Siemens Nixdorf covered a wide range of computer, enterprise-software, banking, and retail activities. Siemens reorganized these activities as the information-technology market changed and divided the business into more focused successor operations.

  Action taken

  The computer-systems activities were placed in Fujitsu Siemens Computers, while the banking and retail business was transferred to Wincor Nixdorf.

  Aftermath

  The restructuring ended Siemens Nixdorf as a standalone company. Its businesses continued under the successor organizations, with Wincor Nixdorf retaining the Nixdorf identity in banking and retail technology.

  Source

1. 1Siemens Nixdorfen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Archived Siemens Nixdorf official websiteweb.archive.org
3. 3Archived SNI official websiteweb.archive.org