Open Text History

Open Text Corporation's history of innovation dates back to the early 1990's when the company emerged as a pioneer in the then-nascent category of Internet search. As a visionary in these early days, Open Text became one of the first companies of the Internet era to IPO in early 1996. Through both organic and acquisitive growth, the company has moved from its early leadership position in the fields of Search and Collaboration to stand today as the world's largest independent provider of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions.

How we became the world leader in Enterprise Content Management solutions

Discover how a little spin-off company from the University of Waterloo became the market leader in providing Enterprise Content Management solutions that bring together people, processes and information.

1991-1994: The Pre-Web Years

The 'search engine that could' gains momentum across the U.S. and beyond

1991

  • The company's full-text indexing and string-search technology evolves out of innovative Oxford English Dictionary (OED) project at the University of Waterloo.
  • OED project results in a search engine that supports SGML, and searches user-defined document structures without loss of performance.
  • Open Text incorporates in June 1991; starts shipping product in September.
  • Customers include Oxford University Press, the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association, and University libraries.

1992

  • Delivers CD-ROM for the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association.
  • Nissho Iwai becomes an Open Text distributor in Japan.
  • Release of PAT 3, Lector and PatMotif.

1993

  • First Windows-based applications to UBS delivered in Switzerland.
  • Expands U.S. presence through alliance with Infodata Systems and its environmental database, EarthLaw.

1994

  • Release of the Open Text 4 search engine.
  • Customers include Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Oregon, the Ontario Legislative Assembly (Hansard), Caterpillar, General Dynamics and Grolier Publishing.
  • Tom Jenkins joins the company as COO-later to become President, CEO, and Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer

1995-1999: Harnessing the power of the Internet

Livelink, the first Web-based document management product, enters the scene and the intranet is born

1995

  • Acquires Chicago-based Odesta and its key collaborative technology, Livelink.
  • Open Text ships its first Web-based product, Latitude Web Server (later renamed Livelink Web Server), which lets Yahoo! search every word on every Web page.
  • Open Text sees the Web's real potential as the application of technology and standards to business (later known as 'intranets').
  • Co-develops ArchiveLink and the first standard ArchiveLink product for SAP.
  • Microsoft® Explorer integration announced.
  • Oracle integrates Open Text search technology.
  • Customers include Booz Allen & Hamilton, Union Bank of Switzerland, Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada, Grolier Publishing, and Peugeot Inc.

1996

  • Initial public offering of 4.6 million shares raises $61 million US net of offering costs.
  • Open Text acquires NIRV, one of the world's first ISPs, which becomes the new Open Text Network Services team.
  • Employs almost 300 people, up from 20 in mere months; 18 sales representatives out of 15 cities.
  • Alliance with Siemens Nixdorf.
  • Product license agreement with Netscape.
  • Customers include Canon, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Schein Pharmaceutical, Chiron Corporation, and BellSouth.net Inc.

1997

  • Acquires OnTime-the first enterprise-wide, real time group scheduling product using client/server architecture; creates Open Text office in Detroit (Livonia).
  • Motorola deploys Livelink as its enterprise infrastructure.
  • Affinity Solution Provider program launches: helping third-party software developers maximize corporate intranets.
  • IDC report declares Open Text the market leader (64 percent share) for Web-enabled electronic Document Management.
  • The Delphi Consulting Group recognizes Livelink as the fastest-growing product (revenue up by 248 percent) of its kind.

1998

  • Acquires Information Dimensions, which adds offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Ohio.
  • Acquires software/services firm, Lava Systems, to extend Open Text's reach in financial markets; satellite office in Australia.
  • Molson Breweries, TMA, Nortel Networks, and BPB Gypsum deploy Livelink.
  • IDC names Open Text the market leader by revenue (42.1 percent) in enterprise-centric Electronic Document Management.

1999-2002: The world's a stage

More than 15 million seats in 10,000 corporations across 31 countries and 12 languages

1999

  • Open Text's Ottawa office expands through the acquisitions of Microstar Software (standards-based solutions based on SGML and XML) and PS Software Solutions (an original records management company).
  • Livelink helps power mySAP.com® collaborative communities.
  • Open Text receives US Department of Defense 5015.2 certification.
  • First translated versions of Livelink hit the market; Open Text opens offices throughout Europe. (Japanese version of Livelink makes inroads into Far East).
  • Launch of Livelink iRIMS, a Web solution for records management.
  • JD Edwards and Open Text announce technology alliance.
  • Open Text wins Microsoft's Industry Solution Award for Best Content and Document Management Solution.
  • Customers include Sprint, Lucent Technologies and Hewlett Packard.

2000

  • Acquires Bluebird, specialists in Supply Chain Management and Customer Relationship Management solutions for PeopleSoft applications.
  • Acquires LeadingSide's e-business solutions for publishing, corporate portals and intranets and KM.
  • New business-to-business division (later becomes the Hosted and Managed Solutions division).
  • Strategic relationship with Research in Motion to connect Blackberry with Livelink.
  • Livelink deployments at CARE Canada, the United States Navy, the US Air Force, Swissair, and Ericsson Telecom Mexico.
  • Deloitte & Touche ranks Open Text as eighth in "Canadian Technology Fast 50 Program" for its near-4,000 percent revenue growth over last five years; and named 14th fastest-growing company in Canada in Profit Magazine's top 100 ranking.

2001

  • Document integration into Siebel (now Oracle).
  • $147 million in revenue and more than 1,000 employees at 31 offices.
  • Launch of Livelink Wireless - the first wireless technology for collaboration and knowledge management applications - and Livelink MeetingZone, a real-time collaboration tool.
  • Availability of Livelink Records Management - the first comprehensive, completely Web-based document and records management solution for the enterprise.
  • Livelink recognized by IDC as a global leader in team collaborative applications, capturing 47 per cent share of the market.
  • Open Text wins "Innovation Award for Excellence in Technology" at Midsize Enterprise Summit, hosted by Gartner.
  • Customers include Clarica, the US Army Reserve, Cable and Wireless, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and The Hotelplan Suisse Group.

2002

  • Acquires messaging-based collaboration software firm, Centrinity, with eight million users of its flagship, FirstClass.
  • SAP® and Open Text announce joint marketing on collaboration and knowledge management.
  • Siemens, Deloitte Consulting, Genzyme, Audi, Northrop Grumman, Ion Global, and Britannia Airways select Livelink for global collaboration and content management.
  • Content management introduced for Livelink; shipping starts for Livelink 9.1.
  • Records Management 2.0 introduced: managing physical records and electronic records in Livelink.
  • Livelink MeetingZone 2.0 offers more flexible online team meetings.
  • Gartner positions Open Text in "Leader Quadrant" of its Team Collaboration Support Magic Quadrant.

2003-today: The ECM solutions leader

Life as the world's most successful and fastest-growing independent ECM provider? and still growing!

2003

  • Open Text acquires Gauss, Europe's leading developer of WCM and high-throughput business process management solutions.
  • Acquires Eloquent, makers of "sales readiness" solution, LaunchForce, which integrates with Open Text's collaboration, KM and content management technologies.
  • Acquires Corechange, makers of e-access framework software for deploying any kind of portal infrastructure software.
  • Open Text's government industry solutions are expanded by the acquisitions of SER eGovernment Deutschland and SER Solutions Software.
  • Corporate governance and regulatory compliance solutions (Livelink) released.
  • Joint project between Open Text and leading systems integrator, BearingPoint, to deploy worldwide training portal for 42,000 medics for the US Army.
  • Strategic partnerships with Adobe and Ricoh.
  • Revenues of $178 million US for fiscal 2003 - up $23 million over the previous year.
  • 20 million seats across 13,000 deployments in 114 countries and 12 languages.
  • ECM solutions for Oracle introduced.
  • Customers include Air Liquide, ArvinMeritor, CARE International, Giant Eagle, Health Canada, and Turner Construction.

2004

  • Acquires Munich-based IXOS, software vendor with 15 years' experience integrating with SAP Open Text acquires Munich-based IXOS, software vendor with 15 years' experience integrating with SAP solutions. IXOS archiving solutions consolidated with Livelink records management and collaboration solutions (content from SAP, Lotus Notes, Microsoft SharePoint® and Outlook®).
  • Open Text forms the Artesia Digital Media Group after acquiring Artesia Technologies, leading specialists in digital asset management for the media and entertainment industry.
  • Introduces Life Sciences solutions extending Microsoft technology for compliant management of electronic records and documents.
  • Acquires Vista Plus Suite (report capture and distribution) from Quest Software.
  • Named leader in Gartner 2005 Magic Quadrant for IDARS.
  • Forms European alliance with Siemens Business Services, combining their IT services with Livelink ECM.
  • Open Text publishes first book of trilogy collection: ECM: What you need to know - Technology
  • Customers include Sandia National Labs, Suncor Energy Services Inc., US Office of Naval Research, British Council, SI Corporation, IDEXX Laboratories, MicroPatent® LLC, American Welding Society, Audi, and BioMarin Pharmaceuticals.

2005

  • Open Text introduces a complete ECM ecosystem using Livelink ECM as the intelligent bridge between Microsoft (including SharePoint and Office 12) and SAP solutions, including Powered by SAP Netweaver®.
  • Open Text reaches almost half a billion in revenue ($414.8 million US) for fiscal 2005.
  • Improves its Service-Oriented Architecture; ECM components become business solutions faster, more easily.
  • Open Text moves corporate and training facilities into a new, high-tech, state-of-the-art building in Waterloo.
  • Open Text publishes second and third book of trilogy collection: ECM: What you need to know - Solutions and ECM: What you need to know - Methods.
  • Customers include Distell Group Limited, LANXESS Corporation, Sasol, Ltd., MerseyBIO, Sony Global Treasury Services, Abbey, San Diego Blood Bank, LVA Rheinprovinz, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, Norddeutsche Landesbank (NORD/LB), Transport Research Laboratory, and Vintage Petroleum.

2006

  • Celebrates 15th anniversary.
  • Selected by Oracle® as the only go-to-market ECM solutions partner for Oracle Content Services.
  • Named as Microsoft's global ECM solutions partner and Global ISV Partner of the Year.
  • Acquires Hummingbird Ltd.
  • Earns the highest possible rating ('strong positive") in Gartner's MarketScope for Records Management.
  • Releases SAP xApps Certified Application for Contract Management.
  • Launches market-leading Artesia Digital Asset Management solution on Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
  • Forms alliance with international systems integrator Accenture.
  • Extends global agreement with Hewlett-Packard to help customers improve business processes and compliance.
  • Signs global alliance with Atos Origin to offer ECM solutions
  • Recognized by Forrester Research for Business-Content-Centric Application Leadership.
  • Open Text is the market leader in ECM globally, according to Gartner.
  • Customers include World Anti-Doping Agency, Husky Energy, Kichler Lighting, FremantleMedia, and National Collegiate Athletic Association.

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