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Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

EchoStar

EchoStar – An American Telecommunication Company Famous For Providing Satellite Communication Across The Globe.

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Televisions, even after the digital era swooped in and everything started getting available on the internet, are still in demand. With advanced technology, we have found a way to give our television internet access and make our entertainment more profound. So, televisions, the internet, and satellite communication seem to play a very vital role in our everyday life. EchoStar is a leading company in the telecommunication sector which is famous for providing all these services globally. Founded in 1980 by Charles Ergen, the company gained popularity in a short period of time. The popular DISH network operated under EchoStar but it was spun off in 2008. Currently, the company has two subsidiaries, namely, Hughes Network System and EchoStar Satellite Services.

Founding History of EchoStar

Charles Ergen is the founder of EchoStar who is currently serving as the Chairman of the company as well. When the company was founded it acted as a distributor of C band TV systems. After doing business as a distributor for a few years, the company applied for a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) license. In 1992, the Federal Communications Commission approved the request and the company looked forward to launching its first satellite. After three years, the company successfully launched EchoStar I, the first satellite of EchoStar, and next year it launched its home satellite TV system. For rolling out this new product by EchoStar, the company settled for a new brand name which was Dish Network. And, now we know the origin of the famous Dish brand.

After operating for more than a decade, Dish Network was spun off as a separate entity from the rest of the EchoStar business. The total shares were split and the name of the newly independent company was changed from EchoStar Communications Corporation to DISH Network Corporation. The rest of the EchoStar business still has satellite technology, set-top box business, and Sling Media. Assets, infrastructure, and certain liabilities were distributed between these two companies and they started trading as two separate entities. Though the companies have been separated, a majority of the voting power of the shares of both DISH and EchoStar still lies with Charles Ergen and by a certain trust established by him.

EchoStar
Image source: sky-brokers.com

Present Days

Until 2010, the company was settling and reorganizing itself after the big spin-off. In 2011, the company decided to acquire Hughes Communications and the deal was closed at $3.1 billion. In 2017, EchoStar and DISH again struck a new deal and the former gave certain technologies back to DISH. These include digital set-top boxes, satellite uplinking and broadcast services, and streaming video technology. After these technologies were given back to DISH it once again acquired the status of the set-top box hardware manufacturer.

The year 2017 was very exciting for EchoStar as SpaceX delivered EchoStar XIII into orbit after a delay of a few days. This satellite was launched on the Falcon 9 Rocket and it currently provides broadcast services to Brazil. It was for the first time in space history that a pad that was used as a base for Apollo moon trips launched a purely commercial satellite. A couple of years back, the company transferred the broadcast satellite business to DISH as the company decided to focus more on broadband services.

Founder – Charles Ergen

Charles William Ergen is a famous American billionaire and a successful businessman. He is mainly famous as the co-founder of DISH and EchoStar. Before he founded the company, he worked as a financial analyst for Frito-Lay. He quit the company in 1978 and started working to establish a new company that has pioneered in communication and technology. Charles apart from being the current Chairman of EchoStar also played his part as the CEO of Dish Network which went on and off for some time. Currently, Charles Ergen owns 46 percent and 48 percent of the total shares of EchoStar and Dish respectively.

CEO – Michael Dugan

Michael Dugan was named the CEO and President of EchoStar in 2009. He is also been a member of the board of directors since 2007. Michael joined the company in 1990 and he witnessed the split of Dish and EchoStar and led the latter just after the spin-off. He joined the company as the Vice President of Engineering.

midea group

Midea Group – A Chinese Electrical Manufacturing Company Founded By The Famous Businessman He Xiangjian.

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He Xiangjian established the Midea Group in 1968. The company is a Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer and with time it has pioneered robotic and automation technology. Midea Group’s headquarters is based in the Shunde district of China. It is a publicly traded company that is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. With time, that company has expanded to several foreign territories and established more than 60 overseas branches as of 2018.

Some of the main products manufactured by Midea Group are water appliances, small and big appliances for cooking purposes, laundry equipment, etc. So, the products manufactured by Midea Group are extensively used by people in day-to-day life. Once a brand especially for household appliances becomes popular, it gains the trust of the customers which helps it stay in the market for the long term.

About Midea Group

Midea Group is a Fortune 500 company and currently ranks 288th on the list. There are more than 150,000 working for the company from various parts of the world. The company currently entered 200 overseas markets and has established partnerships and collaborated with other brands to bring innovation into the products. Speaking of innovation, it is one of the core values of the Midea Group. Out of the total profit generated annually, Midea Group invests 3.5 percent in its R&D sector which consists of 20 research centers in 9 countries. The company has more than 56,000 authorized patents to date.

In terms of manufacturing, Midea Group is the biggest manufacturer for certain products on a global scale. With time, the company has improved production capacity and gained experience to produce a diverse range of products at a high rate. There are 16 countries where Midea Group has established production bases. The company’s goal is to deliver an order within 12 days after a customer orders it as per the T+3 business model.

midea group
Image source: www.gizchina.com

History of the company

He Xiangjian started the business in 1968 by opening a small workshop for producing bottle lids. The workshop was established in Beijiao, Shunde and Xiangjian had very little capital during this time. From a small workshop to turning Midea Group into one of the most successful companies in China, the journey is incredible. When He started manufacturing bottle lids, he eventually expanded the business and started producing car parts as well. During this time, Midea Group was a private company but Guangdong Midea Electric, a subsidiary that handled the core business of Midea Group filed for IPO. In 1973, it became a publicly traded company as it got listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

In the early 1980s, Midea Group started focusing on manufacturing fully finished goods like electric fans. In 1985, the company rolled out its first air conditioner which to date is one of the core products of the company. The last decade of the 20th century was all about expanding the horizon of products which included refrigerators, washing machines, microwaves, etc. Midea started building production units outside the country in the 21st century. Its first production facility was established in Vietnam in 2007 and this year marked the international expansion of Midea Group. The company’s next target was to enter into the CIS market and it did it in 2008 by partnering with Horizont. After a few years, the company entered into another joint partnership with Carrier Corporation and they opened branches in Egypt, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and India.

He Xiangjian served as the Chairman of the company from 1968 till 2012 when he decided to step down from his position. Xiangjian was replaced by Paul Fang who was the Chairman and President of Guangdong Midea Electric. In 2014, Xiaomi acquired a 1.2 percent share of the Midea Group and after a couple of years, Midea made three big acquisitions. They are Toshiba’s home appliance division, a German robotics company called KUKA, and a brand called Eureka.

About He Xiangjian

He Xiangjian is one of the eminent entrepreneurs hailing from China for building the world’s largest appliance maker company. Back in 1968, he with the help of 23 residents from the town of Beijiao formed the lid production workshop. His current net worth by Bloomberg Billionaires Index is $32.7 billion.

lumen technologies

Lumen Technologies – Story of a Fortune 500 Company Which is a Leading Brand in the Telecommunication Sector.

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Lumen Technologies is a famous American telecommunication company with headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana, US. The history of the company dates back to 1930 when Oak Ridge Telephone Company was founded. In due course of time and change in ownerships and several mergers, Lumen Technologies today is one of the Fortune 500 companies. It is also a member of the S & P 500 index. The main services provided by the company are cloud security, multi-cloud management, SaaS app, big data as a service, network, and many more. Lumen serves both national and international clients from North and Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.

Oak Ridge Telephone Company

Tracing back the history of Lumen Technologies leads us to its predecessor Oak Ridge Telephone Company. In 1930, the owner of the company, F. E. Hogan sold the company to William Clarke and Marie Williams. The acquisition was closed for $500. In 1946, the ownership of the company was passed down to Clarke McRae Williams as a wedding gift. After one year, Clarke William purchased the Marion Telephone Company and it became the foundation of the company followed by several other acquisitions. As the ownership was passed on to William’s son, it remained a family-operated business until 1968.

As the company started expanding, in 1967 Oak Ridge provided 10,000 access lines in 3 states. In the same year, the company was incorporated as Central Telephone and Electronics to which Clarke M. Williams became the President. In the early 1970s, the company eventually moved its headquarters to Monroe. A lot of changes took place in the next two decades including renaming the company Century Telephone Enterprises Inc. In 1978, the company started trading publicly under the symbol CTL. During the early recession in the 1980s, the company suffered losses and the stock value declined to half. It recovered again in early 1985 and eventually started making a profit. In 1999, the company again changed its name to CenturyTel Inc.

lumen technologies
Image source: channelpro.co

Lumen Technologies in the 21st century

CenturyTel started acquiring a series of companies in 2000. Some of them include GTE lines in Arkansas and Missouri by partnering with Spectra Communications. It also acquired several lines from Verizon and partnered with Telephone USA of Wisconsin. The company acquired CSW Net in 2001, Digital Teleport, and SkyComm International (acquired half of the company) in 2003. CenturyTel also established several partnerships with leading companies in the communication sector like EchoStar Communications Corporation and Cingular Wireless.

With acquisitions of several lines and operating in 23 states, CenturyTel acquired Embarq in 2008 which made it the third-largest landline provider in Pennsylvania. The deal was closed for $6 billion. Embarq, when acquired, already operated in 18 states including Ohio, Nevada, Florida, and North Carolina. The newly merged company was named Century Link and the CEO of CenturyTel retained the position in the new company till 2018. In 2010, CenturyLink became a part of another big merger as it acquired Qwest in a stock-for-stock transaction. After acquiring Qwest, CenturyLink became the third largest telecommunication company in the US.

Acquisitions

After the two big mergers, respectively with Embarq and Qwest, the company also acquired many other businesses in the past few years. In 2011, it acquired Savvis which is an IT company and a global provider of cloud infrastructure. After this acquisition, CenturyLink rolled out an integrated cloud services suite called Savvisdirect. In 2012, the company acquired the ITO division of Ciber followed by AppFog, a Platform as a Service in 2013. CenturyLink also acquired a company called Tier 3 that mainly provided infrastructure as a service. Some of the other companies acquired by CenturyLink are DataGardens, Cognilytics, netAura, Edison, Streamroot, etc. Last year, the company announced that it is once again rebranding its name and this time it was Lumen Technologies.

Jeff Storey – CEO of Lumen Technologies

Jeff Storey has rich career experience in the telecommunication sector. He studied at Northeastern State University followed by Southern Methodist University where he got his master’s in the telecommunication system. He started working at Cox Communications followed by serving as the President and CEO of WilTel Communications. Jeff became the CEO of Lumen Technologies in 2018.

Secureworks

Secureworks – An American-based Cybersecurity Company Providing Services To Enterprises.

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With the increasing usage and application of the internet, cybercrimes have also risen drastically. Every year we witness that some of the other large enterprises have been compromised by hackers. So, to develop a more secure system for companies to protect client’s data and any sensitive information, the demand for cybersecurity has increased. Secureworks is one such cybersecurity company that provides a wide range of products and services for large and medium-sized enterprises. Michael Pearson and Joan Wilbanks founded the company in 1998 and it is based in Atlanta, Georgia, US.

About Secureworks

Secureworks provides a cloud-native security analytics platform that was built more than 20 years ago. Unlike any other IT company of the digital era, Secureworks is exclusively focussing only on cybersecurity and combat real-world cyber threats. The company has clients that belong to the Fortune 100 list as well as medium-sized organizations. Privacy and data are crucial irrespective of the size of a company. So, Secureworks builds solutions that can be compatible for use in various types of organizations. Currently, the company is led by Michael R. Cote and it approximately has 4,000 employees across 50 countries.

Secureworks
Image source: chiefit.me

History of Secureworks

Michael Pearson and Joal Wilbanks founded Secureworks in 1998. It was established as a private company and in 2002 Michael R. Cote came on board as the President and CEO of the company. Only after a few years that it started operating, Secureworks was featured both in Inc 500 and Inc 5000 as well as Deloitte’s Fast 500. To expand the customer base of Secureworks, the company merged with LURHQ Corporation in 2006. LURHQ was a security services company based in Myrtle Beach, SC. After this merger, the new company operated under the name of Secureworks. It helped Secureworks to leverage LURHQ’s portal, Sherlock, and combine the customers onto a single security platform.

In 2009, Secureworks crossed 500 employees worldwide after acquiring Managed Security Services (MSS) from VeriSign Inc. With the help of this acquisition, the total clients of Secureworks rose to 2,600 spread across 50 different nations. Some of the countries include Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Mexico, UK, Finland, Spain, and Brazil. This acquisition was followed by buying another company called DNS limited which expanded Secureworks’ operation such that it opened additional offices in London and Edinburgh.

After a couple of years, Dell showed interest in buying Secureworks and the deal was successfully closed in February 2011. The company became a subsidiary of Dell and it was named Dell Secureworks. After this acquisition, the newly formed subsidiary expanded to New Zealand and Australia in 2013. To operate in the Australian market, the company opened a new office in Sydney. Some of the highly demanded operations here included forensic investigation, Penetration Testing, and continuous monitoring of the environment for attacks.

Recent years

Secureworks from acting as an independent private company to becoming a subsidiary of Dell created an impressive customer base and expanded very quickly. So, in 2015 the company decided to file its IPO and announced it a year later with a price of $14 a share. In the year 2016, this became the first tech IPO in the US. In the following years, the company conducted rigorous research to roll out advanced security products for threat detection and combating. This led to the release of Red Cloak Threat Detection and Response. Red Cloak is a powerful cloud-based threat detection service that reduces the time of threat detection and gets it out of the way at the earliest. This year, the company changed its business model from a direct go-to-market model to a channel focussed business model.

Michael R. Cote – CEO of Secureworks

Michael R. Cote has been serving as the CEO of Secureworks since 2002. Even after it became a subsidiary of Dell, Michael continued to serve in this position. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the company. When he joined the company at a very early stage, Secureworks barely made an annual revenue of $1 million. It was under his guidance that the company secured its IPO and generated annual revenue of $553 million last year on a GAAP basis. Michael is an alumnus of Boston College.

Saudi Telecom Company

Saudi Telecom Company – Story of a Saudi Arabia-Based Telecommunication Company.

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Established in 1998, Saudi Telecom Company offers several products and services in the telecommunication sector. The main products include telecommunication services, enterprise digital solutions, internet services, computer networks, cybersecurity, and other digital solutions. Saudi Telecom Company (STC) serves in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. STC’s headquarters are based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The company currently has approximately 17,000 employees and is led by Olayan M. Alwetaid. Let’s know more about this company which once had a monopoly on mobile phones services and fixed telephone services.

Past Events of Saudi Telecom Company

When the company was born in 1998, the company had a monopoly on various businesses in the areas it served. But, eventually, other companies came up and the competition became tough in the telecommunication and digital sector. The company generates the majority portion of its revenue from the subscriber service. Out of the total subscribers of STC, 81 percent are mobile service subscribers. And, these subscribers contribute to 73 percent of the total company’s revenue. In the past two decades, India and the middle east countries have witnessed how rapidly mobile phone users have increased in these nations. STC grabbed this market initially and successfully generated revenue in billions.

By the end of 2007, the total subscribers for the services of STC summed up to 17.3 million. 19 percent of the total company’s subscribers were the fixed-line subscribers who contributed to generating 27 percent of the total annual revenue. This number accounted for 61 percent of the total mobile phone users in Saudi Arabia in 2007. With its business flourishing in Saudi Arabia, the company decided to expand beyond its borders.

The first taken by STC towards expanding internationally was the 25 percent acquisition of the Axis Group- Malaysia. The company is known for working in the telecommunication sector and it was worth $3.04 billion. It was a very strategic move by STC as the Axis Group operated many mobile phone networks in Malaysia and Indonesia. Along with the acquisition of the Axis Group partly, STC acquired 51 percent of the Ntarend Co Pte (a subsidiary of the Axis Group) and also grabbed 26 percent of the third mobile license in Kuwait. After these three details, the net worth of STC became $924.6 million.

Saudi Telecom Company
Image source: eyeofriyadh.com

Strategic Moves by STC

With the acquisition of a part of Axis Group and its subsidiary, the company also became a 35 percent shareholder at Oger Telecom in 2008. When STC acquired some stakes at Oger Telecom, it ran a huge network of businesses which also included investment. The company apart from Saudi Arabia also has business in the Persian Gulf, Africa, and Asia. So, becoming a stakeholder in this company helped STC to diversify geographically. After acquiring stakes in Oger Telecom, STC also partly bought many local and regional companies. This helped STC stay in the business after it lost the monopoly on two of its services in the primary areas. STC is also entering the field of satellite and internet via companies excelling in these fields in the Middle East. In March 2021, STC introduced its largest digital operations centers not only in its homeland but also in North Africa. This data center is established as a part of its cybersecurity business.

CEO – Olayan Alwetaid

Olayan Alwetaid has been appointed the CEO of STC in March 2021. Before becoming the CEO, he led the Consumer Business Unit of STC focusing on digital and other non-core services. Olayan also served as the CEO of STC Bahrain previously in his career. He has more than 20 years of rich experience in the telecom, media, and technology sector. Olayan graduated from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals with an Electrical Engineering degree.

renesas electronics

Renesas Electronics – A Japanese Semiconductor Company That Merged With NEC Electronics In The Last Decade.

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Renesas Electronics was originally known as Renesas Technology when the company was established in 2002. The company is one of the leading suppliers of semiconductor equipment across the globe. In the early 2000s, Renesas was the sixth-largest semiconductor company in the entire world. There are many semiconductor companies that were established in the past 100 years that either ended up merging with other companies or spinning off some of their divisions. Renesas Electronics was also a product of the merger between the semiconductor units of Hitachi and Mitsubishi. The business of dynamic random access memory was kept separated in the case of both companies.

About Renesas Electronics

Renesas Electronics Corporation is based in Tokyo, Japan. The company started operating as Renesas Electronics in 2010 after it integrated with NEC Electronics. Renesas is currently a global leader as a provider of complete semiconductor solutions which include microcontrollers, power, SoC products, and analog. The products developed by Renesas are extensively used in home electronics, industrial equipment, the automotive industry, etc. The main four growth segments of the company are automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT so that they can intelligently deliver solutions people use in their day-to-day lives.

renesas electronics
Image source: businesswire.com

History Of The Company

Renesas Technology became official in April 2003 as the non-DRAM joint venture of Hitachi and Mitsubishi. Hitachi owned 55 percent of the joint company while Mitshubhi owned the rest of it. In 2010, when NEC Electronics merged with Renesas Technology, the DRAM business was kept separate. And, the non-DRAM chip business of these three companies became a part of Elpida Memory which came under the acquisition of Micron Technology. In 2010, when Renesas Technology merged with NEC Electronics, the joint entity became the fourth largest semiconductor company in the world in terms of revenue generated.

After Renesas Technology became Renesas Electronics, the same year Renesas Mobile Corporation was formed. This new unit was created by merging the Mobile Multimedia Business Unit of Renesas and the Nokia Wireless Modem Business Unit (which was acquired by Renesas). Only after a year of new mergers and a big acquisition, the company suffered heavily in 2011 due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and flooding in Thailand.

After the calamity, in 2012 Renesas decided to restructure the entire organization from manufacturing to sales in all 20 countries. The aim was to create an optimized business structure and increase profit. Renesas received investment from INCJ and other key clients of the company. By 2013, the company was able to raise $130 billion in capital and used it for several developmental purposes from plant improvements to making acquisitions.

Operations And Acquisitions

In 2013, a major part of the Renesas Mobile Communication was acquired by Broadcom and after the allotment of third-party shares, INCJ became the largest shareholder of the company. The company focussed exclusively on company restructuring soon after Renesas Electronics was formed. So, in the first three years, there was more or less no profit in the business. In 2014, the company recorded its first-ever profit and started operating as Renesas Electronics Corporation. The same year, the company decided to withdraw from the 4G wireless business which resulted in the consolidation of Renesas Mobile Communication.

Soon, the company also sold its display driver unit to Synaptics. In 2016, Renesas made a huge acquisition for $3.2 billion and the name of the company is Intersil. The deal was successfully closed in 2017. Renesas eventually entered the market of the self-driving car concept as it is one of the most demanding technologies in the 21st century. In 2018, Renesas acquired Integrated Device Technology for $6.5 billion and its latest acquisition is Dialog Semiconductor.

Hidetoshi Shibata – CEO of Renesas Electronics

Hidetoshi Shibata is the current CEO and President of Renesas Electronics. He completed his education from the University of Tokyo followed by Harvard Business School. His career started with a job in Central Japan Railway and he was also the executive managing director at INCJ. Hidetoshi joined Renesas in 2013 as the executive vice president and CFO of the company.