Editing Binary Research

{{Short description|Former company founded in Auckland, New Zealand}}
{{Infobox company
| name=Binary Research Ltd
| logo=Binary Research International logo.svg
| logo_caption=Logo of Binary Research International, the company's international subsidiary based in the United States
| founded={{start date and age|1991}} in [[Auckland]], New Zealand
| founder=[[Murray Haszard]]
| defunct={{end date and age|1998}}
| fate=Acquired by [[Gen Digital|Symantec]]
| hq_location=[[Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin]], United States
| divisions=Binary Research International
}}
'''Binary Research Ltd''' was a company founded in [[Auckland]], New Zealand, by [[Murray Haszard]] in 1991 after the sale of his previous company, [[B32 Software]].

Binary Research initially considered developing competitors to the file transfer programs [[Blast (software)|Blast]] and [[Laplink]]. The product to compete with Blast was dropped at an early stage, but a program to transfer files over parallel or serial cables was developed and marketed from 1994 to 1996 under several names, including ''Beam'', ''UniBeam'' and ''LinkWiz''. This program was available in [[DOS]], [[Windows 3.1x|Windows 3.x]], [[OS/2]] 2.0 and [[SCO Unix]] versions, and claimed to transfer files more rapidly than Laplink at that time. Later versions of the program could also transfer files using a network cable.

Beam was not a financial success, as Laplink was the dominant product in that marketplace.

Binary Research's next product, arising from the file transfer and parallel port technologies of Beam, was [[Ghost (disk utility)|Ghost]], first sold in 1996.<ref>[[InfoWorld]] magazine, 16 november 1998, page 112</ref> Ghost pioneered the field of [[disk cloning]] software. A network of agents was set up around the world, and a branch of Binary Research Ltd, Binary Research International Inc, was established in [[Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin]] as a sales and support centre.

Ghost was a very successful product, but Binary Research was a small company and was unable to drive the global sales force which Ghost needed. In 1998, Murray Haszard looked for a company which could acquire and develop Ghost further. [[NortonLifeLock|Symantec]] expressed an interest, and after a unanimous vote of approval by Binary Research's New Zealand employees, Ghost was purchased by Symantec for US$27.5 million in July 1998.<ref>[[InfoWorld]] magazine, 16 november 1998, page 112</ref> Almost all New Zealand employees of Binary Research became Symantec employees, and Ghost continued to be developed in Auckland for over ten years.

Binary Research Ltd was closed down after the acquisition, but Binary Research International Inc. continues as a reseller of Ghost, and has expanded into other software products. One of the most significant products BRI distributed was the UIU [http://www.uiu4you.com] (Universal Imaging Utility) which facilitates the creation of an [[Disk cloning|image]] that can be deployed to a vast range of hardware, irrespective of brand, components and drivers.

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://www.binaryresearch.net Binary Research International Inc]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050307151338/http://www.symantec.com/press/1998/n980624.html Symantec press release]

{{Symantec}}

[[Category:Defunct software companies of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Gen Digital acquisitions]]