Informatics General: Difference between revisions

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This accelerated sales of Mark IV severalfold from what Informatics had anticipated.<ref name="ck-116"/>

==Computing Technology Company subsidiary==

In 1967, Informatics Computer Systems Division in River Edge, New Jersey developed a store-and-forward messaging system for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York which was used for a money transfer system. The system, which ran on the Xerox Sigma 5 computer, was developed into a product named ICS IV/500 communication system. The machine was selected due to the availablity of the CIOP that handled up to 128 communication lines at speeds of 110 to 9600 baud. Other customers included the Japanese National Railroad and General Mills. In 1971, Informatics was contracted by Bankers Trust to develop a version of the system that ran on the PDP-11 minicomputer with a Xerox Sigma 5 emulation unit. However, the project was not successful.<ref>History of Informatics, Chapter 8, page 8-11 via [https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2016/12/102679129-05-09-acc.pdf Computer History Museum]</ref>

In 1968, Informatics announced it was acquiring a New Jersey firm, Computing Technology Inc.,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-los-angeles-times/139228963/ | title=Acquisition Approved | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=August 30, 1968 | page=15 (Part III) | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> a transaction that closed during 1969.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-los-angeles-times/139229016/ | title=Informatics Expands on East Coast | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=April 10, 1969 | page=19 (Part III) | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This became the Informatics Inc. Computing Technology Company, a wholly-owned operating unit of Informatics that was located in [[River Edge, New Jersey]]. <ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/valley-news/139229070/ | title=Albert S. Kaplan Named Executive of Informatics Inc. | newspaper=The Valley News | ___location=Van Nuys, California | date=June 29, 1973 | page=2-A | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Within this subsidiary was the Communication Systems Division, and it developed a communications system for the [[Federal Reserve Bank of New York]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-record/139229250/ | title=People in Business | newspaper=The Record | ___location=Hackensack, New Jersey | date=September 12, 1973 | page=B-9 | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> This was one of several large contracts the River Edge division had with Wall Street firms for joint development of [[bank transfer]] systems and related services, with those other firms including [[Dun & Bradstreet]] and [[Dean Witter]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news/139229409/ | title=Business Briefs | newspaper=Citizen News | date=May 21, 1970 | page=17 | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The Federal Reserve Bank effort had begun in 1968 and involved using advanced techniques for [[store-and-forward]]-based [[message switching]] and similar needs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/valley-times/139229780/ | title=N.Y. Bank Engages Valley Firm | newspaper=The Valley Times | ___location=San Fernando Valley, California | date=June 26, 1969 | page=6 | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The implementation was based around the [[SDS Sigma 5]] computer from [[Scientific Data Systems]], a computer line which had been acquired by [[Xerox Corporation]].<ref name="lat-pact"/> The Sigma 5 had a Communication Input/Output Processor that handled up to 128 communication lines at speed from 110 to 9600 baud.<ref>{{cite conference | first1 = Paul| last1 = Day| last2=Hines| first2=John| title= Argos: An Operating System for a Computer Utility Supporting Interactive Instrument Control | conference=SOSP '73: Proceedings of the fourth ACM symposium on Operating system principles | doi=10.1145/800009.808046| pages=28&ndash;37| publisher =Association for Computing Machinery| date = January 1973 |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/800009.808046}}</ref> The communications system was a success and Informatics and Xerox made a joint agreement to market it to other customers,<ref name="lat-pact">{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-los-angeles-times/139230666/ | title=Xerox Joins Informatics in Marketing Pact | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=October 19, 1969 | page=7 (Section I) | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> with the Informatics product being named the ICS IV/500.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.bitsavers.org/magazines/Datamation/197208.pdf | title=Communications Processors | first=D. J. | last=Theis | magazine=Datamation | date=August 1972 | pages=31&ndash;44}}</ref>

Informatics had hopes for the ICS IV becoming a strategic product for them, and while it was sold to [[General Foods]] and [[Japanese National Railways]], it proved a very high-priced, low-volume market and there was an effort to find a less expensive alternative. Informatics was contracted by Bankers Trust to develop a version of the system that ran on the [[DEC PDP-11]] minicomputer with a Sigma 5 emulation unit. However, the project was not successful, and by the mid-1970s Informatics departed this communications space.<ref>See Forman internal history, pp. 8-10&ndash;8-12 and pp. 11-16&ndash;11-19.</ref>

Subsequently, the Computing Technology Company subsidiary produced the Accounting IV package.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xOPmHIkDI4C&pg=PA31&dq=%22informatics%22+%22computing+technology+company%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiM2r_1i-yDAxW1lIkEHQ9fBAoQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=%22informatics%22%20%22computing%20technology%20company%22&f=false | title=Calendar | newspaper=Computerworld | date=October 9, 1974 | page=31}}</ref> This was a group of integrated financial applications for companies.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www-newspapers-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/article/the-sydney-morning-herald/139233656/ | title=In Brief | newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=November 28, 1978 | page=17 | via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==Equitable Life Assurance Society relationship==