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Micro Focus

Micro Focus – Story Of The First Software Company To Win Queen’s Award.

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Micro Focus International plc is a British multinational conglomerate that is based in the IT sector. The company was founded in 1976 and its headquarters is based in Newbury, Berkshire, England. As the main product of the company, Micro Focus provides enterprise application integration, management software, and IT consultancy. It is a public limited company listed on the London Stock Exchange and it is also an element of the FTSE 250 Index.

The company currently generates $3 billion in revenue annually. Micro Focus also claims to be the largest provider of enterprise software on a global scale with 40,000 worldwide customers. Micro Focus has 12,000 employees who work across 48 different countries. A majority of the Fortune 100 companies are customers of Micro Focus.

History of Micro Focus

In 1976, Micro Focus was established in England. The product of the Company that became a big hit in the software industry was CIS COBOL. It was a standard-compliant COBOL that was developed for its implementation in microcomputers. On the basis of developing this software product, Micro Focus became the first company to win the Queen’s Award for the industry. For a new company like Micro Focus, it was quite prestigious and helped acquire more investors and customers.

Micro Focus
Image source: www.irishtimes.com

Expansion and Acquisitions

The company eventually started acquired a lot of businesses to expand in the various domains of the IT sector. In 1998, Micro Focus acquired an application enablement business called Intersolv Inc for $534 million. After the acquisition, Company started a new business with Intersolv and renamed the company Merant. After the first acquisition, the company acquired XDB Systems in the same year. Acquiring this company gave Micro Focus access to XDB Enterprise Server RDBMS (Relational Database Management System). After two years, the merged business with Intersolv was split and again the company took its original name. The demerger of the Company was backed by Golden Gate Capital Partners.

In 2005, Company filed its first IPO and got listed on the London Stock Exchange. MicroFocus, in 2007, acquired the ACUCOBOL-GT product line of the company Acucorp Inc. It is a San Diego-based company that is known for developing modern COBOL development tools using advanced tech for the business growth of COBOL applications. In 2008, Company acquired an Israeli-based public company called NetManage for $73.3 million. It was a software company developed by an Israeli engineer. The growth curve of MicroFocus was moving upwards as it kept on acquiring more and more companies which gave it exposure to a larger customer base.

In 2008, Company acquired Liant Software Corporation for its RM/COBOL and PL/I product lines. It was a Texas-based company that owned assets of one of the main competitors of MicroFocus. In 2009, the company acquired two new businesses. First, it acquired the company that developed application lifecycle management tools, Borland followed by a business unit of another company. The second company it acquired was the Quality Solutions and TestPartner of Compuware.

Present-Day

In December 2013, the company acquired few product lines of Progress Software with include Orbix, Orbacus, and Artix. This line of software was originally developed by IONA Technologies and it had great demand in the market. In 2014, Company showed an interest in buying The Attachmate Group for $1.2 billion in shares. This would give Micro Focus access to a certain number of specific product lines. On the other hand, the owner of The Attachment Group which consisted of several investment partners would hold a 40 percent stake in Company after the deal was closed. The company acquired a few more enterprises after the deal which included Gwava Inc, ATAR Labs, Serena Software, etc.

Stephen Murdoch – CEO of Micro Focus

Stephen Murdoch joined Micro Focus in 2012 as the General Manager of the Product Group. Later, he became the Chief Marketing Officer and became the CEO of the company in 2018. Before joining Company, Stephen has working experience in Dell and also 17 years of experience at IBM.

Softtek

Blanca Trevino- President of Softtek who help to grow the IT sector in Latin America

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Mexican IT firm, Softtek is well-known for application software development. Additionally, it offers services in testing, security as well as IT infrastructure management. In fact, it was one of the largest private IT vendors in Latin America. Also, Softtek is known for its female CEO and president Blanca Trevino. Under her headship Softtek rise as Latin America’s largest IT service provider. Softtek has thirty offices in different areas of Asia, Europe, and America. As well as, more than 12,000 employees work for a company.

Softtek

Softtek is a well-known IT company in several regions of Latin and North America, Asia, and Europe. In fact, as of 2010, Softtek was the biggest Information Technology(IT) vendor in Latin America. Softtek’s headquarter is set up in Monterrey, Mexico.

However, it has more than 15k associates in Mexico and abroad. It is famous for its services in software development, security, support, and testing. Also, it provides services to more than 400 corporations in more than twenty countries. 

Blanca Trevino – Softtek’s CEO and President

Blanca Trevino was one of the founding members of the Softtek in 1982. Presently, she is the president and Softtek’s CEO. In fact, she appreciates at an international level as a promoter of the Information Technology industry.

Blanca Trevino
Image Source: Google Images

Also, to grow the IT field in Latin America, she has teamed up with several government administrations. Under her leadership, Softtek achieved recognition by CNN expansion as a super company for launching young careers. Let’s overlook how she managed to become a powerful business tycoon.s 

Educational Background

In1981, Blanca Trevino completed a bachelor’s degree in computer systems administration at the Monterrey Campus. During her education, she was intimidated at first. Because all her classmates were boys. But her father supported and encouraged her to complete the graduation. Thankfully, Blanca stuck with it and earned her degree.

Softtek Foundation backstory

She started her career with a part-time job at one of the biggest companies in Monterrey, known as Alfa. This company downsized and laid her off. That time, she determines to start her own company. Finally, she successfully co-founded Softtek in 1982. She became one of the nine partners of the company, who were dreaming of established global enterprise.

In fact, she invested 10,000 dollars for the foundation of the company. Today, the firm has thirty offices in different areas of Asia, Europe, and America. Also, more than 12,000 employees work for Softtek. In fact, Blanca’s initiative known as “Near Shore” explores the area of the company in the United States.

Blanca’s leadership at Softtek

In August 2000, she took the position of CEO and president of the company. Her policies and business strategies made Softtek a global leader in the IT industry. In fact, Softtek became the only non-Indian IT provider for the U.S. market.

Other Associations of Blanca’s

Apart from Softtek, she plays various roles for many associations. She is a Mexican business council’s vice president. Also, Blanca is one of Walmart Mexico’s members. In addition, she is a board member of many other associations. Includes, Mexican stock exchange, Grupo Lala, etc.

Triumph of Blanca Trevino

Blanca named in CNN expansion magazine’s list of most powerful women in Mexico. In fact, she ranked fourth in 2009. Her dedication and powerful management for Softtek rise the company as well-known IT company in America. Blanca was the first women, who included into the Outsourcing Hall of fame.

In the year of 2011, she received attention from Endeavor organization to encourage entrepreneurship. Also, she honored with Consejo Mexican de Hombres de Negocios in 2014. In fact, she was the first woman to achieve this.

Apart from business, she served for many social clauses. In 2018, she honored with Education leadership award. It was for her contribution to promote an improvement in education in Mexico. Further, she was inducted into the Women technology hall of Fame.