Editing Groupe Bull

{{short description|French-owned computer company}}
{{Infobox company
| name              = BULL SAS
| logo              = 
| type              = [[Subsidiary]]
| traded_as         = 
| genre             =  
| foundation        = {{start date and age|1931}}
| location_city     = [[Les Clayes-sous-Bois]]
| location_country  = France
| location          =  
| locations         =  
| area_served       = Worldwide
| key_people        =  
| industry          = [[Computer hardware]]<br />[[Computer software]]<br />[[Information technology consulting|Consultant]]<br />[[IT Service Management|IT Services]]
| products          =  
| services          =  
| revenue           =  
| operating_income  =  
| net_income        =  
| assets            =  
| equity            =  
| owner             =  
| num_employees     =  
| parent            = [[Atos]]
| divisions         = 
| subsid            =  
| homepage          = {{URL|http://www.bull.com}}
| footnotes         =  
}}
'''Bull SAS''' (also known as '''Groupe Bull''', '''Bull Information Systems''', or simply '''Bull''') is a French [[computer]] [[company (law)|company]] [[headquarters|headquartered]] in [[Les Clayes-sous-Bois]], in the western suburbs of [[Paris]]. The company has also been known at various times as '''Bull General Electric''', '''Honeywell Bull''', '''CII Honeywell Bull''', and '''Bull HN'''. Bull was founded in 1931, as '''H.W. Egli - Bull''', to capitalize on the [[punched card]] technology patents of [[Norway|Norwegian]] engineer [[Fredrik Rosing Bull]] (1882&ndash;1925).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/projet/frbull/heide_bull.pdf |title=Heide, Lars (2002) ''National Capital in the Emergence of a Challenger to IBM in France'' |access-date=2014-08-25}}</ref> After a reorganization in 1933, with new investors coming in, the name was changed to '''Compagnie des Machines Bull''' ('''CMB'''). Bull has a worldwide presence in more than 100 countries and is particularly active in the defense, finance, health care, manufacturing, public, and telecommunication sectors.

== History ==

=== Origins ===
[[File:Machines Bull S. A. 1963.jpg|thumb|Share of the Compagnie des Machines Bull S. A., issued 1963]]
On 31 July 1919, Norwegian engineer [[Fredrik Rosing Bull]] filed a patent for a "combined sorter-recorder-tabulator of punch cards" machine that he had developed with financing from the Norwegian insurance company Storebrand.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/Histoire/tabsyn/ts3.htm#A231
|title =  Histoire de Bull
|access-date = 2014-10-11
}}
</ref>  Storebrand integrated his device into its operations in 1921. The following year Bull sold his second machine to the Danish insurer [[Codan A/S|Hafnia]] who had learned of the technology through an article in an insurance trade magazine.<ref name="Bull et le 20ème arrondissement">{{cite web|url=http://mapage.noos.fr/fholvoet/Bull20eme2.htm|title=Bull et le 20ème arrondissement|publisher=sur le Site personnel de François Holvoet-Vermaut}}</ref> At the time of Bull's death from cancer in 1925 at the age of 43, a dozen of his machines had been sold to different companies throughout Europe.<ref name="Bull et le 20ème arrondissement"/> The commercial and technical development of the machines continued under the direction of Bull's childhood friend and long-time collaborator Reidar Knutsen along with his brother Kurt Andréas Knutsen.

As the business grew, several outside investors were brought in, leading to the incorporation of the company H.W. Egli Bull in 1931.<ref name="patrimoine">{{cite web|url = http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/Histoire/tabsyn/ts10.htm#A195|title = Événement}}</ref> In 1933, more investors joined and the company changed its name to Compagnie des Machines Bull, a name it would keep until 1964.

=== Growth ===
The company has undergone many [[Mergers and acquisitions|takeovers and mergers]] since its formation.<ref name="Mounier-Kuhn89">Pierre Mounier-Kuhn, "Bull - A Worldwide Company Born in Europe", ''Annals of the History of Computing'', 1989, vol. 11/4.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mounier-Kuhn|first=Pierre|title=From Kamatec to Bull Netherlands|url=https://www.academia.edu/29431713|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-entreprises-et-histoire-2014-2-page-42.htm#|title=From General Electric to Bull: a case of managerial knowledge transfer|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806211916/http://www.cairn.info/revue-entreprises-et-histoire-2014-2-page-42.htm|archive-date=2016-08-06|access-date=2019-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mounier-Kuhn|first=Pierre-Eric|date=1995|title=Le CNETet les débuts de l'informatique (1944-1964)|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/reso_0751-7971_1995_num_13_70_2673|journal=Réseaux. Communication - Technologie - Société|volume=13|issue=70|pages=173–189|doi=10.3406/reso.1995.2673}}</ref> In particular, it has had various ownership relations with [[General Electric]], [[Honeywell]], and [[NEC]] from the 1960s through the 1980s; and with [[Motorola]], Debeka,  and [[France Télécom]] more recently. It acquired [[Honeywell Information Systems]] in the late 1980s, and later also had a share of [[Zenith Data Systems]] and [[Packard Bell]]. Bull was [[nationalisation|nationalised]] in 1982 and was merged with most of the rest of the French computer industry.<ref name="Mounier-Kuhn89" />

Groupe Bull bought Zenith Electronics in late December 1989. It kept Zenith Data Systems' headquarters and plants in Chicago and St. Joseph, Michigan.<ref name="Groupe Bull in the AP in 1990">{{cite web |url=https://www.apnews.com/d86ebd7cbd0e1550895fdf578afe9a89 |title=Groupe Bull Announces Plans for Zenith Acquisition, New Model |date=January 17, 1990 |website=www.apnews.com }}</ref> In 1993 the French Government initiated the process of privatization,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Riding |first1=Alan |title=COMPANY NEWS; The French To Overhaul Groupe Bull |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/19/business/company-news-the-french-to-overhaul-groupe-bull.html |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=19 October 1993}}</ref> which was completed in the period 1995-97 when the company was re-[[privatisation|privatised]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Privatisation de Bull : l'action sera vendue entre 34 et 39 francs |url=https://www.lesechos.fr/1997/04/privatisation-de-bull-laction-sera-vendue-entre-34-et-39-francs-812317 |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=Les Echos |date=18 April 1997 |language=fr}}</ref>

In August 2014, the French IT company [[Atos]] announced that it had acquired a controlling stake in Bull SA through a tender offer launched in May.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/2463600/atos-succeeds-in-bid-to-buy-bull-will-boost-security-and-cloud-offerings.html
|title =  Atos succeeds in bid to buy Bull
|access-date = 2014-10-11
}}
</ref>  Atos announced plans in October, 2014 to buy out or squeeze out the remaining share and bondholders.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://www.telecompaper.com/news/atos-to-launch-buyout-of-last-5-of-bull-shares-bonds--1040595
|title =  Atos to launch buyout of last 5% of Bull shares, bonds
|access-date = 2014-10-11
}}
</ref>

Bull launched the Hoox m2, the first integrally secured European smartphone, which in June 2014 was approved for use with data classified as "Restricted Information" ("''Diffusion Restreinte''") by the [[Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information]] (ANSSI).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bull.com/hoox-m2-secure-smart-phone-gets-anssi-approval|title=Home - Atos|website=Atos}}</ref> The Hoox range of secure mobiles and smartphones ensures confidentiality of voice, SMS, e-mail and data communication.

==Products and services==

===Hardware===
{{Main|List of Groupe Bull products}}
* Supercomputers
* {{Visible anchor|NovaScale}}<ref name=NovaScaleNW>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Network World]]
|url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/2336968/bull-launches-novascale-blade-servers.html
|title=Bull launches NovaScale blade servers |author=Gillian Law}}</ref> [[server (computing)|servers]] ([[Linux]] and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]), Escala servers ([[AIX]]) and mainframes [[General Comprehensive Operating System|GCOS]] (design, manufacturing, distribution)
* Data storage and backup systems, cloud computing infrastructure
* Mobile/smart phones (Hoox)

===Software and services===
* Open source ([https://web.archive.org/web/20080821131345/http://www.novaforge.org/ Novaforge.org portal])
* Information technology consulting and services, custom solutions development for clients 
* Systems integration
* Human resource and social welfare management systems
* [[Managed services]] and [[web hosting]] 
* Support
* Training

===Information security ===
* [[Public key infrastructure]] 
* Electronic signature solutions
* Encryption solutions (hardware and software)
* Digital payment security 
* Identity, authentication and access management
* High availability and disaster recovery
* Systems and network monitoring

== Corporate structure ==

Groupe Bull:
* Bull SAS 
** Agarik ([[Managed services]], [[web hosting]])
** HRBC (Human Resources systems)
** Bull PI (Engineering, research)
** Sirus (Social welfare management systems for the public sector)
* Bull International SAS
* Evidian (Security; identity and access management)
* Serviware ([[high performance computing]])
* [[Amesys]] SAS :
** Amesys Consulting (including Amesys International) 
** Amesys RSS (including TRCOM)
* Elexo (networking and telecommunications equipment)

==Amesys controversy==

Amesys, a Groupe Bull subsidiary specializing in defense and aerospace-related systems and software, became embroiled in controversy in 2011 when it was revealed that it had sold an [[Internet surveillance|internet monitoring]] system to the [[Muammar Gaddafi]] regime of Libya in 2007.  The ''Eagle System'' was used by the Gaddafi regime to spy on citizens and foreign journalists.  On 12 March 2013 [[Reporters Without Borders]] named Amesys as one of five "[[Corporate Enemies of the Internet]]" and "digital era mercenaries" for selling products that have been or are being used by governments to violate [[human rights]] and freedom of information.  A judicial inquiry was opened by the French government in May 2012 following allegations of complicity in torture by the [[International Federation for Human Rights]] (FIDH).<ref>[http://surveillance.rsf.org/en/amesys/ "Corporate Enemies: Amesys"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326000431/http://surveillance.rsf.org/en/amesys/ |date=2014-03-26 }}, ''The Enemies of the Internet, Special Edition: Surveillance'', Reporters Without Borders, 12 March 2013</ref><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904199404576538721260166388 "Firms Aided Libyan Spies "], Paul Sonne and Margaret Coker, ''Wall Street Journal'', 30 August 2011</ref><ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203764804577056230832805896 "Life Under the Gaze of Gadhafi's Spies "], Margaret Coker and Paul Sonne, ''Wall Street Journal'', 14 December 2011</ref>  In March 2012 Groupe Bull divested itself of the Eagle System, selling it for 4 million euros to Nexa Technologies, a company run by a former Amesys CEO.<ref>
{{cite web
|url = http://reflets.info/milipol-paris-2013-advanced-middle-east-systems-et-nexa-vont-faire-le-voyage-depuis-dubai-billancourt/
|title =  Advanced Middle East Systems et Nexa vont faire le voyage depuis Dubai Billancourt
|date = 20 August 2013
|access-date = 2014-10-08
}}
</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal bar|Companies|Electronics|Technology}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal
|url = http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/MAHC.1989.10045
|title = Bull: A World-Wide Company Born in Europe
|author = Pierre E. Mounier-Kuhn
|journal = IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
|year = 1998
|volume = 11
|issue = 4
|access-date = 2009-07-08
|pages = 279–297
|doi = 10.1109/MAHC.1989.10045
|s2cid = 17163352
|url-access = subscription
}}
* Pierre Mounier-Kuhn, "From General Electric to Bull: A case of managerial knowledge transfer (1956-1970)", ''Entreprises et Histoire'', June 2014, n° 75, p.&nbsp;42-56. http://www.cairn.info/revue-entreprises-et-histoire-2014-2-page-42.htm
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715184244/http://riemarfamily.com/BullHistory/history.html History of Bull] Extracted and translated from Science et Vie Micro magazine, No. 74, July–August, 1990: ''The very international history of a French giant''
*[http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/histoire/english/chronoa6.htm BULL computers chronological history]

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/projet/sommaire_histoire/famille_bull.htm The history of Bull Group companies]
*[http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/PROJET/index.htm#SYSTEMS_CATALOG_ Virtual Museum of Bull and French Computer Science]

[[Category:French companies established in 1931]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on Euronext Paris]]
[[Category:Computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Computer systems companies]]
[[Category:Electronics companies established in 1931]]
[[Category:Electronics companies of France]]
[[Category:Mobile phone manufacturers]]
[[Category:Privately held companies of France]]
[[Category:Privatized companies of France]]
[[Category:Telecommunications companies of France]]
[[Category:French brands]]
[[Category:Software companies of France]]
[[Category:Computer surveillance]]
[[Category:Groupe Bull]]