At&t Global Information Solutions

Formed in the early 1990s following AT&T’s multi-billion-dollar acquisition of the National Cash Register Company (NCR), AT&T Global Information Solutions (AT&T-GIS) served as the primary enterprise computing and data processing division of AT&T. Operating from Dayton, Ohio, the company engineered commercial x86 personal computers, massively parallel processing servers, automated teller machines (ATMs), and retail point-of-sale (POS) systems before NCR was spun off as an independent public entity.

Overview

AT&T Global Information Solutions (commonly abbreviated as AT&T-GIS) was an American enterprise hardware, financial computing, and systems engineering subsidiary of AT&T Corporation. Formed through AT&T’s strategic 1991 hostile acquisition of NCR Corporation and formally rebranded in January 1994, the business unit represented AT&T’s major push to merge worldwide telecommunications networks with digital computer processing. AT&T-GIS engineered x86 personal computers, commercial servers, high-availability transaction processing systems, automated teller machines, and retail checkouts. After incurring substantial operating losses in the personal computer market, AT&T restructured the division and spun off NCR Corporation as an independent public company in 1996.

Technical Specifications
AttributeDetails
Corporate Operator / ParentAT&T Corporation (Subsidiary Entity)
Associated Brands / TrademarksAT&T-GIS, NCR, Globalyst, System 3000, LifeKeeper
Country of OriginUnited States
Years in Operation1991–1996 (Rebranded to AT&T-GIS in 1994; restored as independent NCR in 1996)
Core Product CategoriesEnterprise Servers, Commercial PCs, Financial ATMs, Retail POS Terminals
Primary Hardware ArchitecturesIntel x86 (i486, Pentium), Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) Teradata Systems
Corporate Headquarters Address1700 South Patterson Boulevard, Dayton, Ohio 45479, United States
Description

AT&T Global Information Solutions combined the computing architectures of NCR Corporation with AT&T’s telecommunications infrastructure to provide complete enterprise IT solutions. The division structured its core engineering and manufacturing lines across several commercial sectors:

  • Commercial Personal Computing: Developed enterprise desktop workstations and notebook lines under the Globalyst brand, combining Intel processors with integrated computer-telephony integration (CTI) hardware, audio subsystems, and remote networking interfaces.
  • Massively Parallel Servers & Data Warehousing: Built high-throughput symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and massively parallel processing (MPP) server systems under the NCR/AT&T System 3000 series, frequently paired with Teradata database software for large-scale financial and telecommunications data warehousing.
  • Retail Automation & Point-of-Sale: Engineered retail checkout terminals, barcode scanners, and store automation fixtures, sustaining NCR’s legacy as a supplier of grocery and retail POS networks.
  • Self-Service Banking Infrastructure: Designed automated teller machines (ATMs) and back-office financial ledger processing systems configured to communicate over secure wide-area telephone networks.
History

In 1991, telecommunications conglomerate AT&T pursued a hostile takeover of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) for approximately $7.4 billion, intending to capitalize on the anticipated convergence of telecommunications networks and computerized data processing. In January 1994, AT&T merged its internal AT&T Computer Systems operations into NCR, formally rebranding the consolidated unit as AT&T Global Information Solutions (AT&T-GIS).

Under AT&T’s stewardship, the division integrated advanced computer-telephony capabilities, developing multimedia communication tools such as the Vistium teleconferencing and video collaboration system over ISDN lines. However, AT&T-GIS faced challenges in the commoditized personal computer market. Severe price erosion in the consumer and commercial PC spaces, combined with integration frictions between AT&T’s telecommunications culture and NCR’s computer sales channels, generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual operating deficits.

In September 1995, AT&T Chairman Robert E. Allen announced a historic corporate restructuring known as the “trivestiture,” breaking AT&T into three separate public companies: AT&T (telecommunications services), Lucent Technologies (communications equipment), and NCR Corporation (computing and transaction hardware). As part of this reorganization, AT&T-GIS shut down its unprofitable personal computer manufacturing lines to refocus strictly on financial ATMs, retail point-of-sale systems, and Teradata enterprise data warehousing. In early 1996, the division officially dropped the AT&T name, restored its corporate identity as NCR Corporation, and emerged as an independent publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange on January 1, 1997.

Historical Timeline
YearEvent
1991AT&T acquires NCR Corporation for $7.4 billion to combine telecommunications infrastructure with business computing.
1994AT&T officially renames NCR Corporation to AT&T Global Information Solutions (AT&T-GIS) and introduces the Globalyst PC platform.
1994AT&T-GIS collaborates with Bell Labs to engineer the Vistium video-telephony and assistive communication systems over ISDN lines.
1995AT&T announces its “trivestiture” plan to spin off its computer and equipment operations into independent companies.
1995AT&T-GIS closes its loss-making commodity personal computer manufacturing division to focus on ATMs and retail POS networks.
1996The company restores its traditional moniker, NCR Corporation, preparing for separation from AT&T.
1997NCR Corporation officially begins regular-way independent trading on the New York Stock Exchange, concluding the AT&T-GIS era.
References

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