EMC Corporation

EMC Corporation
Company type	Public
Industry	Data storage, Information security, Virtualization, Analytics, Cloud computing
Founded	1979; 47 years ago
Founder	Richard Egan, Roger Marino
Defunct	2016
Fate	Acquired by Dell Inc. and merged to form Dell Technologies
Headquarters	Hopkinton, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Michael Ruettgers (CEO 1992–2001)
Products	Data storage hardware and software, Information security, Virtualization, Analytics, Cloud computing solutions
Parent	Dell Technologies (from 2016)

EMC Corporation (commonly styled as EMC²) was a U.S.-based multinational corporation with its main office located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The company specialized in technologies and services related to data storage, information security, virtualization, analytics, and cloud computing, providing solutions that helped organizations efficiently store, manage, safeguard, and analyze their data. EMC catered to a broad range of clients, including large corporations as well as small and medium-sized enterprises across various industry sectors.

The firm’s shares were first listed on the New York Stock Exchange on April 6, 1986, and it was included in the prestigious S&P 500 index. EMC broadened its offerings through acquisitions such as the purchase of Iomega in 2008. Subsequently, following a collaboration established in 2013 with Lenovo, Iomega was rebranded as LenovoEMC.

In 2016, EMC combined forces with computer hardware manufacturer Dell Inc., resulting in the creation of Dell Technologies. This merger led to the termination of the joint venture with Lenovo. According to Forbes, EMC had pursued a strategy centered on delivering top-tier data storage and management hardware and software independently from customers’ other IT investments. Dell maintained the EMC brand for select products under the name Dell EMC until approximately 2020.

History

EMC was established in 1979 by Richard Egan and Roger Marino, whose initials form the company's name. In 1981, EMC launched its inaugural 64-kilobyte memory boards designed for the Prime Computer. During the mid-1980s, EMC broadened its focus from memory boards to various computer data storage solutions and networked storage systems. The introduction of its premier product, the Symmetrix, in 1990, fueled significant expansion throughout the 1990s, evolving EMC from a company valued in the hundreds of millions into a multi-billion dollar enterprise.

Although acquisitions played a role in its expansion, Symmetrix remained the primary source of revenue during this era. By the year 2000, EMC achieved its first $2 billion quarter, marking a 43% growth in storage-related income.

In 2009, EMC secured a £1 million sponsorship agreement as the main shirt sponsor for the English Rugby Union team London Wasps, with the partnership extending through to the 2013 season.

Michael Ruettgers joined EMC in 1988 and held the position of CEO from 1992 until 2001. Under his stewardship, EMC's revenue surged from $120 million to nearly $9 billion, accompanied by a strategic pivot from memory boards toward storage systems. Ruettgers earned several industry honors, including recognition among BusinessWeek’s "World's Top 25 Executives" and Network World’s "25 Most Powerful People in Networking."

Prior to its acquisition by Dell, EMC was recognized for enforcing rigorous non-compete clauses and engaging in lobbying activities via AIM (Associated Industries of Massachusetts), influencing employee movement and competitive dynamics within the technology sector.

Acquisition by Dell

On October 12, 2015, Dell Inc. announced plans to acquire EMC through a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $67 billion, marking the largest technology sector acquisition as of 2021. This merger unified Dell's enterprise server, PC, and mobile divisions with EMC's enterprise storage business. The offer included $24.05 per EMC share plus an additional $9.05 per share of tracking stock in VMware.

The merger was finalized on September 7, 2016, resulting in the creation of Dell Technologies. The transaction involved issuing $45.9 billion in debt alongside $4.4 billion in common stock. Industry analysts observed potential effects on the LenovoEMC alliance due to Dell's acquisition of former Iomega assets.

Starting in 2018 and becoming more evident in 2019, Dell phased out the "Dell EMC" brand in favor of "Dell Technologies," representing a consolidated market identity.

Products and services

Apart from its majority stake in Pivotal, Dell EMC delivers a broad array of products and services—including offerings from other Dell Technologies subsidiaries—that assist IT departments with cloud adoption and big data analytics. Storage solutions are also marketed under LenovoEMC, previously known as Iomega.

Product category	Products/Services
Information Storage	PowerStore, PowerFlex, PowerMax, Unity XT, PowerVault, PowerScale, Objectscale, XtremIO, Atmos, ECS
Archiving, Backup, and Recovery	Avamar, DataDomain, NetWorker, RecoverPoint, Centera, SourceOne
Storage and Content Management	Service Assurance Suite, Appsync, PowerPath, ViPR SRM, ViPR Controller
Virtualization	VMware, VPLEX
Services	Consulting, Customer support, Education Services, Managed Services, Technology Services and Solutions
Security/Compliance	RSA Security, Dell SecureWorks
Cloud computing/Converged Infrastructure	VxBlock, VxRack, VxRail, VSPEX, Virtustream
Servers	PowerEdge
Data Computing	Greenplum, Pivotal

Significant acquisitions

The following table outlines the key acquisitions made by EMC Corporation from 1996 onward.

Period	Storage	Storage & management software	Content management	Virtualization	Services	Security/compliance	Cloud computing	Data computing
1996–2000	Data General, CrosStor	Softworks, Avalon
2001–2005	FilePool, Allocity	Luminate, Prisa Networks, Legato Networker, Dantz/Retrospect, Smarts Astrum	Documentum, Ask Once, Acartus, Captiva Software	VMware, Rainfinity	Internosis
2006–2010	Avamar, Iomega, Data Domain, Isilon Systems, Bus-Tech, Indigo Stone	Kashya, nLayers, Voyence, Infra Corporation, WysDM, Configuresoft, Fastscale	Pro Activity, X-Hive, Dokumentum, Document Sciences, Kazeon	Akimbi (acquired through VMware), YottaYotta	Interlink, Geniant, Business Edge, Conchango	RSA Security, Authentica, Network Intelligence, Valyd, Verid, Tablus, Archer Technologies	Mozy, Pi, Source Labs	Greenplum
2011–present	XtremIO, Likewise, ScaleIO	Watch4Net, iWave (TwinStrata)	Syncplicity (later spun off in 2015), Trinity Technologies	Asankya	Tiburon Technologies	Netwitness, Silicium Security, Silver Tail Systems, Aveksa	Virtustream	ZettaPoint, Pivotal Labs, MoreVRP

Big data initiatives

In 2012, EMC backed The Human Face of Big Data, an international media initiative that emphasizes the gathering, examination, and visualization of extensive real-time datasets. Created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt, this project highlights pioneering uses of data influencing the evolution of business and technology sectors.

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