Adaptec

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Adaptec, Inc.
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: ADPT [1]
IndustryComputer storage
Founded1981;44 years ago (1981)
FounderLarry Boucher
DefunctJune 8, 2010 (2010-06-08)
FateAcquired by PMC-Sierra
Headquarters
Milpitas, California
,
United States
Products RAID, host adapter

Adaptec, Inc., was a computer storage company and remains a brand for computer storage products. The company was an independent firm from 1981 to 2010, at which point it was acquired by PMC-Sierra, which itself was later acquired by Microsemi, which itself was later acquired by Microchip Technology.

Contents

History

Adaptec ACB-4000A SASI card from 1985. Adaptec ACB-4000A SASI card.jpg
Adaptec ACB-4000A SASI card from 1985.

Larry Boucher, Wayne Higashi, and Bernard Nieman founded Adaptec in 1981. [2] At first, Adaptec focused on devices with Parallel SCSI interfaces. Popular host bus adapters included the 154x/15xx ISA family, the 2940 PCI family, and the 29160/-320 family. Their cross-platform ASPI was an early API for accessing and integrating non-disk devices like tape drives, scanners and optical disks. With advancements in technology, RAID functions were added while interfaces evolved to PCIe and SAS.

Adaptec made a number of acquisitions in the 1990s to expand their reach in the SCSI peripheral market. In March 1993, they acquired Trantor Systems Ltd. of Fremont, California, for $10 million. [3] In July 1995, they acquired Future Domain Corporation of Irvine, California, for $25 million. [4] In 1999, they acquired Distributed Processing Technology for $236 million. [5] [6]

On May 10, 2010, PMC-Sierra, Inc. and Adaptec, Inc. announced they had entered into a definitive agreement of PMC-Sierra acquiring Adaptec's channel storage business on May 8, 2010, which included Adaptec's RAID storage product line, the Adaptec brand, a global value added reseller customer base, board logistics capabilities, and SSD cache performance solutions. [7] The transaction was expected to close in approximately 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions. [8] Following the sale, Adaptec would retain its Aristos ASIC technology business, certain real estate assets, more than 200 patents, and approximately $400 million in cash and marketable securities. [9] [10]

On June 8, 2010, PMC-Sierra and Adaptec announced the completion of the acquisition. [11] [12] PMC-Sierra renamed the channel storage business "Adaptec by PMC". PMC-Sierra was in turn acquired by Microsemi in January 2016. [13]

The old Adaptec, Inc. changed its name to ADPT Corporation, [14] and then again to Steel Excel, Inc. [15] Steel Excel was an investment firm that then merged with Handy & Harman Ltd. to form Steel Partners, a conglomerate.

Products

Adaptec produced interface products involving SCSI, USB, IEEE 1394 (Firewire), iSCSI, Fibre Channel, and video. [16] Adaptec once produced CD- and DVD-burning software under the brand names of Easy CD Creator and Toast, as well as network-attached storage devices such as the Snap Server product line.

The Adaptec brand is used to sell host bus adapters, RAID adapters, SAS expander cards, cables, and accessories. [17]

Sources

References

  1. ↑ "Adaptec, Inc. (ADPT) President and Chief Executive Officer to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell". Nasdaq. December 12, 2006.
  2. ↑ Hunt, Laura (August 16, 1999). "1981". Technology Flashback. Computerworld . Vol. 33, no. 33. p. 72. ISSN   0010-4841 . Retrieved June 4, 2024– via Google Books. 1981 [...] Larry Boucher founds Adaptec Inc.
  3. ↑ "Adaptec Buys Trantor Systems". The Wall Street Journal: A5. March 2, 1993. ProQuest   398408965.
  4. ↑ Williams, Elisa (July 14, 1995). "Adaptec acquires Irvine-based Future Domain for $25 million". The Orange County Register: C2. ProQuest   272814070.
  5. ↑ "Adaptec Agrees to Acquire DPT for About $235 Million". The Wall Street Journal . November 1, 1999. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  6. ↑ Staff writer (January 17, 2000). "While we were away". Electronics Times. Miller Freeman: 16. ProQuest   230512593.
  7. ↑ "PMC-Sierra Completes Acquisition of Adaptec Channel Storage Business" (Press release). PMC-Sierra. June 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ "PMC-Sierra, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date May 10, 2010" (PDF). secdatabase.com. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  9. ↑ "PMC-Sierra Announces Agreement to Acquire the Channel Storage Business From Adaptec". Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Adaptec Announces $34 Million Sale of RAID Storage Business to PMC-Sierra Inc". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "PMC-Sierra Completes Acquisition of Adaptec Channel Storage Business". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Adaptec Announces the Completion of the Sale of the Data Storage Business". Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Investor Relations | Microchip Technology". Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Adaptec Changes Its Name to ADPT Corporation". Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ "ADPT Corporation Changes Name to Steel Excel Inc. and Completes Reverse/Forward Stock Split". Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ Miller, Stephen (November 7, 2002). "News Watch: Digital Recorders; An Afterlife on Disc For That Fading Video". The New York Times . Retrieved March 11, 2014. Adaptec is one of several companies selling kits for converting analog tapes to digital video at affordable prices.
  17. ↑ "Products". Adaptec. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
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