computer science

Unisys

Unisys is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Unisys rather than just read about it. In short: Unisys Corporation is a technology company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The company provides cloud, AI, digital workplace, logistics, and enterprise computing services.

Key takeaways

Unisys belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Unisys to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Unisys from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Unisys Corporation is a technology company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The company provides cloud, AI, digital workplace, logistics, and enterprise computing services.

History

Founding

Unisys' history dates back to 1873 with E. Remington & Sons and the introduction of the first commercially viable typewriter to use the QWERTY keyboard layout. Over a hundred years later, the company became known as Unisys in 1986 through the merger of mainframe corporations Sperry and Burroughs, with Burroughs buying Sperry for $4.8 billion. The new company's name was chosen from over 31,000 submissions in an internal competition when Christian Machen submitted the word "Unisys", which was composed of parts of the words "united", "information", and "systems". The merger was the largest in the computer industry at the time and made Unisys the second-largest computer company with annual revenue of $10.5 billion. W. Michael Blumenthal became CEO and Chairman.

20th century Soon after the merger, the market for proprietary mainframe-class systems, the mainstream product of Unisys and its competitors such as IBM, saw a decline that continues, at a slower rate, today. Unisys responded by making the strategic decision to shift into high-end servers, including 32-bit processor Windows Servers and information technology (IT) services, such as systems integration, outsourcing, and related technical services, while holding onto the profitable revenue stream from maintaining its installed base of proprietary mainframe hardware and applications.

In 1988, the company acquired Convergent Technologies, creators of Convergent Technologies Operating System (CTOS).In 1990, Blumenthal resigned. James Unruh, formerly of Memorex and Honeywell, became the new CEO and Chairman after Blumenthal's departure and continued in both roles until 1997, when Larry Weinbach of Arthur Andersen became the new CEO.

21st century Unisys launched their business process consulting service in 2004. This service called Business Blueprints helped developers create high level models of their own software. Joseph McGrath served as CEO and President from January 2005, until September, 2008. On October 7, 2008, J. Edward Coleman replaced McGrath as CEO and Chairman. On November 10, 2008, the company was removed from the S&P 500 index when the market capitalization of the company had fallen below the S&P 500 minimum of $4 billion. In 2010, Unisys sold its Medicare processing Health Information Management service to Molina Healthcare for $135 million. On October 6, 2014, after six years as CEO and chairman, Unisys announced that Coleman was stepping down effective December 1, 2014. In December 2014, Unisys named Peter Altabef as its new president and CEO, replacing J. Edward Coleman. The company also announced that Paul Weaver, who was serving as the interim board chairman, would assume that position on a permanent basis as of January 1, 2015. In February 2020, SAIC announced plans to acquire Unisys Federal, the company’s federal defense contracting operation, for $1.2 billion. The company’s federal customer list included over a dozen military and civilian agencies. As part of the acquisition, Unisys has a licensing agreement with SAIC to continue providing its software to federal clients. In June 2020, Australia’s Home Affairs’ biometric identification system, built in part through partnership with Unisys, was launched. Unisys made several acquisitions in 2021. In June, the company announced the acquisition of Unify Square, which provides software and services which help enterprises manage collaboration and communication platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. In November, Mobinergy, a mobile device management software company, was acquired; and in December, Unisys acquired CompuGain, an Amazon Web Services Advanced Consulting Partner. In July 2021, Unisys partnered with Vodafone to help the company boost its IT services. The two launched “Vodafone Digital Factory,” and Unisys helped Vodafone clients with technologies like AI, virtual, and augmented reality, and blockchain. In May 2022, the company joined the Plug and Play Enterprise Tech program. This allowed Unisys to source and partner with technology startups to access and use early-stage emerging technology. On April 1, 2025, Michael M. Thomson, the company’s president and COO, assumed the position of CEO.

Recognition and awards

NelsonHall In 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023, Unisys was named a leader in the NelsonHall Evaluation & Assessment Tool (NEAT) Vendor Evaluation for Advanced Digital Workplace Services. In 2021 and 2023, Unisys was named a Leader in Cognitive and Self-Healing IT Infrastructure Services in NelsonHall's NEAT Assessment. In 2022 and 2024, Unisys was named a Leader in End-to-End Cloud Infrastructure Services in NelsonHall’s NEAT Assessment. In 2021 and 2024, Unisys was named a leader in the NEAT Cyber Resiliency Vendor Evaluation.

Avasant In 2021 and 2023, Unisys was recognized as an Innovator and a Leader, respectively, in Avasant’s RadarView for Digital Workplace Services In the 2023 and 2024-2025 reports, Unisys was named a Leader in Avasant’s End-User Computing Services RadarView. In 2024, Unisys was recognized as a Disruptor in Avasant’s Freight and Logistics Digital Services RadarView Report. In 2024, Unisys was recognized as an Innovator in Avasant’s Data Center Managed Services RadarView, Application Modernization Services RadarView, Multisourcing Service Integration RadarView, and the Hybrid Enterprise Cloud Services RadarView.

Information Services Group (ISG) In 2024, Unisys was named a global leader in ISG’s Advanced Analytics and AI Services Provider Lens. In 2024, Unisys was recognized as a leader in the ISG Provider Lens Microsoft Cloud Ecosystem Quadrant Report. In 2024, Unisys was recognized as a leader in ISG’s Private/Hybrid Cloud Data Center Services Provider Lens, Multi Public Cloud Services Provider Lens, Cybersecurity Solutions and Services Provider Lens, and as a Paragon Awards Winner for transformation. In 2023, Unisys was recognized as a Leader in the ISG Provider Lens™ Future of Work - Services and Solutions Quadrant Reports. In 2023, Unisys was named a leader in ISG Provider Lens – Private/Hybrid Cloud Data Center Services, Multi Public Cloud Services, and Cybersecurity Solutions and Services. In 2021, Unisys was recognized as a global leader in ISG’s Provider Lens report for its cloud and infrastructure services.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Unisys

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Unisys claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Unisys before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Unisys ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Unisys

In research: Unisys appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Unisys in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Unisys is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1986 establishments in Pennsylvania, American companies established in 1986, Business process outsourcing companies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Unisys outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Unisys in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Unisys means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Unisys out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Unisys in simple terms?

Why does Unisys matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Unisys?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Unisys.