Milestones

  • 1965 The commercial launch of GE Time-sharing Services started on Monday, October 18, 1965 with the simultaneous openings of time-sharing services in New York and Phoenix. The revenue and success from both centers started a new era for GE in the services
    business.
  • 1967 GEIS was founded as GE Information Services. Focused on computer time-sharing, the company was a pioneer in the development and use of the BASIC language (with Dartmouth College). GEIS had 35 time-sharing centers throughout the world.
  • 1968 GEIS’ time-sharing service becomes available in 61 metropolitan areas; GEIS enjoys an estimated one-third of the total time-sharing market.
  • 1970s The computer time-sharing service enjoys its heyday and achieves tremendous adoption throughout the United States and beyond; “Portable terminals” are made available in the form of an 80 pound suitcase with handles and wheels. 
  • 1980 As the “personal computer” gains adoption, computer time-sharing rapidly declines; GEIS migrates its business focus from time-sharing services to value added network services such as EDI—a service that enables businesses to transact electronically with its suppliers and buyers using standard data formats; GXS’ primary competitor in this market is IBM.
  • 1985 GEIS launches EDI Express, one of its EDI software products that later gains wide adoption. GEIS also launches GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange), a text based online service for electronic mail, discussion forums, games and shopping. A precursor to the Internet, GEnie ran at the then high speed rate of 1200 bits per second and was $3-$4 per hour during the evenings (more expensive during the day).
  • 1986 GEIS launches QUIK-COMM, an early electronic mail service that runs entirely on private networks, enabling internal email exchanges for businesses. PUBNET is launched, an EDI-based ordering and invoicing system for the American Association of Publishers, which GXS still supports today.
  • 1987 GEIS adds new technology and capabilities to its Mark III platform, touting that it enables “users to access all their information needs in a single session, using just one terminal and viewing data on a multi-windowed screen.” GEIS begins to put a greater focus on international growth and becomes the first company to offer international value added network (VAN)services in Japan.
  • 1988 EDI is taking off; GEIS’ EDI Express service is growing month to month at what equates to a 200% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
  • 1989 GEIS grows its focus on the financial services industry by enabling Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp and Spain’s Banco Bilboa Viscaya to achieve cross-functional corporate client integration.
  • 1990 GEIS now offers QuikNews Express, a personalised electronic news clipping service integrated into the QUIKCOMM Service. GEIS expands its network into East Germany.
  • 1993 GEIS establishes its first website and an Internet-based mail gateway. This gateway processes more than half a million email messages a month by 1995.
  • 1995 The Internet begins gaining greater commercial adoption; extensible markup language (XML), a new format for document exchange, is created. GEIS and Microsoft announce an agreement to provide EDI services on the Microsoft Network (MSN)
  • 1996 GEIS announces its first Internet-based, EDI-enabled Electronic Product Catalog service. GEIS and Netscape form a joint venture called Actra for the delivery of Internet-based B2B e-commerce applications.
  • 1997 GEIS begins to innovate with EDI—now offering web-based EDI services, additional pricing options for lowervolume users and EDI outsourcing (later expanded in scope and called GXS Managed Services).
  • 1998 GEIS’ global electronic trading community exceeds 100,000 trading partners. GEIS’ DESKTOP*EDI software exceeds 2,000 units sold within the first 30 days of availability.
  • 1999 GEIS acquires RMS Electronic Commerce Systems, the creator of what became GXS Application Integrator, a software tool that enables any-to-any data translation.
  • 2000 GEIS changes its name to GXS.
  • 2002 GXS is spun out from GE as an independent company and purchased by venture capital firms Francisco Partners and Norwest Venture Partners; GE retains a 10% share in the company. GXS acquires Celarix, giving the company new supply chain visibility capabilities and services, both EDI and XML-based.
  • 2003 GXS acquires HAHT Commerce, a provider of product information management software for retailers and suppliers.
  • 2004 GXS launches GXS Trading Grid, its new global platform for e-business integration.
  • 2005 GXS acquires IBM’s Information Exchange business, the company’s EDI services business. GXS is ranked a leader in the Forrester Wave™ for integration suite vendors. GXS begins laser focus on B2B outsourcing, moving customers from basic EDI services to broader, global B2B enablement programs, called GXS Managed Services.
  • 2006 GXS named a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Integration Service Providers. GXS Trading Grid named recommended global B2B network for Microsoft BizTalk Server. GXS acquires product data quality service provider, UDEX.
  • 2007 GXS adds 32 new customers to GXS Managed Services, bringing its B2B outsourcing customer count to more than 200; GXS Managed Services revenue grows 40 percent from 2006 to 2007. Verizon Business and GXS team up to offer GXS Managed Services to Verizon Business customers.
  • 2008 GXS Managed Services continues rapid customer adoption and growth with 30 new customers and 25% revenue growth.
  • 2009 GXS acquires Brazil-based EDI services company, Interchange Services, adding 50 of the country’s largest banks to GXS Trading Grid.
  • 2013 The Canadian business-software provider Open Text Corp. said it has agreed to buy GXS Group Inc., a privately held Maryland-based e-commerce-services company, for cash and stock worth about $1.17 billion. The purchase is a sizable one for Waterloo, Ontario-based Open Text, which has completed a number of smaller acquisitions this year. It said it will pay $1.065 billion in cash and issue $100 million of common shares to acquire GXS. The acquisition will boost Open Text's workforce by close to 60% and add significantly to the Canadian company's revenue. GXS has about 2,900 employees and revenue in the most recent year of $487 million.
  • 2015 It's official history repeats itself - GE to open a division focused on Information Services - Not calling it GEIS but GE Dogital 
    Sep 15, 2015. Appears we will need to send old 2001 GE Annual report to the today GE leadership team. Didn't they have a division called GEIS? This new division is called GE Digital. They will be taking all the "digital assets" from each of the other divisions and throw it into the new division. Sound familiar?