ACT Systems Integration, the new hybrid of Apricot Computers Plc’ software and services operations and those of recently acquired ITL, has killed ITL’s joint development work with Sequoia Systems Inc on the latter’s fault-tolerant implementation of Unix. Mike Hart, joint group managing director, believes that the cost of developing fault-tolerant Unix hardware is too high, and he prefers to see others make that sort of investment. Consequently, apart from new software applications, ACT’s Unix involvement will consist of selling Sequoia machines, OEM offerings from Sequent Computer Systems Inc and Motorola Computer Systems Ltd, and Apricot’s own 486 FT Fileserver. Hart doesn’t rule out the possibility of expanding that portfolio in the future, possibly with the new fault-tolerant Integrity S2 from Tandem Computers (CI No 1,338). ACT – Apricot was originally called Applied Computer Techniques – has been formed to address the field of open system software and services, and is expected to contribute UKP80m to turnover in 1990, which it hopes will be around 50% of the total. Chairman Roger Foster, expects that trend to continue and says that a sea-change in the computer industry has creatd a commodity market not only in personal computers but in Unix machines as well, whereby users are buying on price, and spending more on software and services. ACT Logsys will draw on the acquired expertise of ITL, Sigmex, and Logsys Ltd, and is targeting systems integration at central and local government, the defence industries, and large corporations. ACT Cablestream, formerly ITL Cablestream, specialises in networking for large multi-vendor systems. Headed by Howard Parkinson, it promotes itself as a one stop shop for the consultancy, implementation, and maintenance of local and wide area open networks. ACT Computer Support, the merger of Apricot Computer Systems with DDT Plc and ITL’s maintenance arm, will support and maintain multi-vendor micro and mainframe systems, with Unix-based hardware services of particular interest. ACT Medisys, made up of ITL Healthcare and ITL’s Silicon Labs acquisition, supplies software to the health sector, and has collaborated with DEC on bids for resource management and hospital information systems. ACT Financial Systems, formerly Apricot Financial Systems, is best known for the Quasar unit trust management system, the Adatco insurance software, and its Citydesk dealing room system. The personal computer manufacturing side of the business, likely to take an investment partner, retains the Apricot name.
