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Persoft

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Persoft, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 27 November 202512 sources
Persoft, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryComputer software, Computer hardware, Networking
FoundedAugust 1, 1982; 44 years ago (1982-08-01) in Madison, Wisconsin, United States
FounderEd Harris, Robert Janoski
Defunct1999 (1999)
FateAcquired by Esker S.A.
Headquarters
Madison
,
United States
Area served
Telecommunications and networking markets
Key people
Ed Harris (Founder, CEO until 1990, Chairman), Robert Janoski (Co-founder, VP), Tom Wolfe (VP), Don J. Giacchetti (COO 1988, CEO 1990)
ProductsSmarTerm (terminal emulator), Referee (DOS utility), IZE (information management application), Passage (hardware product), Intersect Remote Bridge (wireless LAN bridging), Persona Intranet (Java applets for host access)
Number of employees
90 (1987); 63 (1990)
ParentEsker S.A. (from 1999)

Persoft, Inc. was a U.S.-based computer firm that operated from 1982 until 1999, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company specialized in software solutions for telecommunications and networking, with its flagship product being SmarTerm, a terminal emulator designed for the IBM PC. In addition to software, Persoft also produced hardware components. In 1999, the firm was purchased by Esker S.A., a French software enterprise, in a transaction valued at US$5 million.

History

Established on August 1, 1982, Persoft was co-founded by Ed Harris, an independent computer consultant since 1964, along with his associate Robert Janoski. Prior to launching Persoft, Harris was engaged in postgraduate research in clinical psychology but recognized an opportunity within the expanding IBM PC software market.[1] His initial focus was on developing a terminal emulator that would link IBM PCs with minicomputers and mainframes from manufacturers such as DEC and Data General.

With an initial investment of only US$4,000 and two IBM PCs, Harris assumed the role of CEO while Janoski took on vice presidential duties. Their debut product, SmarTerm, was marketed through PC Magazine, generating $169,000 in revenue during fiscal year 1983.[2][1] In 1986, Persoft released Referee, a utility designed to resolve conflicts among terminate-and-stay-resident programs under DOS. Referee achieved robust sales alongside continued growth in SmarTerm’s market performance.[3] By 1987, the company reported profits of $158,000 on revenues totaling $4.2 million and employed 90 staff within a 26,000-square-foot facility. Janoski departed due to differences over company direction and was succeeded by Tom Wolfe.[2]

That same year, Persoft expanded through acquiring IZE, an information management application integrating outline processing, word processing, and text search functions. IZE utilized hyperlink technology to connect synthesized documents back to their source files and indexed content by keywords.[4] This acquisition attracted venture capital from Chicago-based Frontenac Company, which invested $2 million for a 25% stake after renegotiating initially unfavorable terms.[2]

Following Frontenac's capital injection, Persoft underwent management restructuring and appointed Don J. Giacchetti as chief operating officer in 1988.[5] Although the workforce was reduced to 63 employees by 1990, the firm achieved record sales of $6 million in 1989.[6] In July 1990, Harris stepped down as CEO to assume the chairman role while Giacchetti took over as CEO.[5] Early in 1991, Persoft spun off its IZE division into Retrieval Dynamics, Inc., which Harris led.[7]

Also in early 1991, Persoft introduced Passage—its inaugural hardware product—enabling IBM PCs on Token Ring networks to connect with VAX hosts using the Local Area Transport protocol. The solution included Token Ring and Ethernet ISA cards bundled with software and was priced at nearly $6,000 for a license supporting 20 users or $10,000 for one covering 50 users.[8][9] Later that year came the Intersect Remote Bridge—a wireless LAN bridging solution based on NCR's WaveLAN protocol—that linked proximate LANs via bridge computers equipped with Persoft network cards.[10]

In late 1996, Persoft launched Persona Intranet—a collection of Java applets allowing corporate users to access AS/400 or VAX hosts through web browsers instead of dedicated client applications.[11] Persona represented Persoft’s final product suite prior to its acquisition by Esker S.A. in July 1999 through a stock exchange deal valued at $5 million. Esker continued supporting SmarTerm and Persona for several years following the acquisition.[12]

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named qa
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fortune
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named churbuck
  4. ↑ Lancashire, Ian, ed. (1991). The Humanities Computing Yearbook 1989–1990. p. 437.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named newfaces
  6. ↑ Gunn, Erik (March 11, 1990). "State firms carve a niche in software". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  7. ↑ "Business around Wisconsin". February 20, 1991.
  8. ↑ Bowen, Ted Smalley (February 11, 1991). "Persoft package runs LAT across token ring". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  9. ↑ Lee, Yvonne (March 11, 1991). "Passage Hooks Ethernet to Token Ring Networks". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  10. ↑ Thompson, M. Keith (September 10, 1991). "The Wireless Bridge: Persoft's Intersect Remote Bridge". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. ↑ "Persoft Aids Thin Clients with Java". December 9, 1996. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. ↑ "Persoft selling to French firm". July 5, 1999. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)

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