SPSS Inc.
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Norman Nie, Dale Bent, Hadlai "Tex" Hull |
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Fate | Acquired by IBM |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Norman Nie (CEO until 1992), Jack Noonan (CEO until 2009) |
| Products | SPSS, AMOS, SamplePower, AnswerTree, SPSS Text Analysis, Quantum, SPSS Modeler, mrInterview |
| Parent | IBM (from 2009) |
SPSS Inc. was a software house with its main office located in Chicago and legally registered in Delaware. It gained prominence primarily for its exclusive statistical software product, SPSS. Established in 1968 by Norman Nie, Dale Bent, and Hadlai "Tex" Hull, the firm became officially incorporated in 1975. Norman Nie led the company as CEO until 1992, after which Jack Noonan took over until the firm's acquisition by IBM in 2009. In 2008, SPSS Inc. generated revenue of and boasted a client base exceeding 250,000 users.
In addition to its principal software, SPSS Inc. developed an extensive range of solutions aimed at market research, survey research, and advanced statistical analysis. Its notable offerings featured AMOS for structural equation modeling, SamplePower designed for statistical power calculations, AnswerTree which enabled market segmentation through decision trees, SPSS Text Analysis for interpreting open-ended survey data, Quantum for cross-tabulation tasks, SPSS Modeler (previously known as Clementine or PASW Modeler) dedicated to data mining, and mrInterview supporting CATI and web-based surveys.
SPSS forged important alliances with leading corporations such as Oracle Corporation and participated in multiple initiatives with the US government. The company encountered legal scrutiny in 2004 due to accusations related to artificially boosting its stock valuation.
IBM acquisition
On July 28, 2009, IBM declared its intention to purchase SPSS Inc. for in cash. By January 2010, the business was rebranded as "SPSS: An IBM Company," and the full integration process concluded by October 1, 2010. Since that time, IBM SPSS has functioned as a key brand within the Business Analytics Portfolio of IBM Software Group.