| Black Box Corporation | |
| Type: | Private |
| Traded As: | NASDAQ: |
| Foundation: | , in Lawrence, Pennsylvania |
| Location: | Plano, Texas |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Parent: | Essar Group |
| Key People: | Sanjeev Verma (CEO) |
| Num Employees: | 3800 |
| Services: | IT Services 5G Data Centers Cyber Security Unified communications KVM Digital Signage Network Management Network Security WAN Optimization |
| Industry: | Technology |
Black Box Corporation is an IT company headquartered in Texas, United States.[1] The company provides technology assistance and consulting services to businesses in a variety of sectors including retail, transportation, government, education, and public safety. Black Box operates in 75 locations across 35 countries. In 2022, Black Box had more than 3,800 employees worldwide.[2]
The company was founded in 1976 as Expandor Inc. by Eugene Yost and Richard Raub in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania.[3] [4] In 1982, the company changed its name to Black Box Corporation and released its well-known Black Box Catalog.[5]
Following a temporary dip in operations during Black Monday of 1987, Odyssey Partners bought the company through a leveraged buyout in 1988. In 1989, one of its divisions, “Interlan,” was sold to Racal.[6] [7]
After suffering losses from debt servicing, Black Box Corporation underwent a restructuring in 1990.[8] Its telecom product business was divided into a subsidiary called Micom Communications Corporation. Under the name MB Communications, an initial public offering was registered at NASDAQ in December 1992. Micom Communications unit was spun off and acquired by Northern Telecom (Nortel) in June 1996.[9] Micom had money troubles and did some kind of share buy back in 1988. All the other companies were gone and BB was left. BB was then considered the parent company of Micom.[10]
In May 1997, Black Box Corporation’s board of directors authorized management to buy back the company's stock, depending on market prices and other factors. In 1998, the company started offering on-site data and infrastructure services in the United Kingdom that further expanded throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.[11]
The profitable catalog sales business changed its name to Black Box Incorporated.[12] [13]
From 2000 to 2010, Black Box Corporation formed partnerships in the USA with key IT service providers, including Cisco, Avaya, NEC, and Unify. There were about 120 acquisitions and mergers overall.[14] [15]
In Mumbai, AGC Networks Limited was established in 1986 under the name Tata Telecom Ltd., promoted by Tata Industries Ltd (TIL). Manufacturing electronic private automated branch exchanges (EPABX) was one of its main goals, and it also offered services like software integration, installation, commissioning, and service support.[16]
With the Japanese company OKI Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (OKI), Tata Industries Limited signed a technical assistance and license agreement as well as a supplemental agreement. The company established new service facilities in Guwahati, Nagpur, Pune, Jammu, and Baroda in 1990. With Japan Radio Co. Ltd. (JRC), the business signed a technology transfer and license agreement in 1991 for equipment with 30 and 120 digital UHF channels.[17]
In order to create a new business called "Trans India Network Systems Private Limited," Tata Telecom and AT&T Network Systems International Inc. USA entered into a joint venture agreement in 1994. Its goal was to produce OPTIMUX and 2Mb/S systems, MAR systems, SLC 120 network access systems, and related modules.[11]
As AT&T left, Tata Telecom and Avaya Systems established a joint venture in 1996. In India, Tata Telecom introduced a line of call centre products in 2000 that it had purchased from its joint venture partner Avaya Communications (formerly Lucent Technologies). Tata Telecom, the joint venture between Tata and Lucent Technologies, was known as a Tata-Avaya. Once the Tata Group sold its 25.1% ownership in Tata Telecom to its joint venture partner, Avaya Inc., the company Avaya Global Connect was created.[18]
AGC Networks Limited was created in 2010 after Essar Group purchased Avaya Global Connect from Avaya Inc.[19]
Transcend United Technologies, established in the US, was purchased by AGC Networks in 2011. Via this acquisition, AGC Networks widened its market reach to the States.[20]
In 2015 AGC Networks acquired Ensource Business, providing services in healthcare vertical.[21]
In 2019, Black Box Corporation was acquired by AGC Networks.[22] In 2021, AGC Networks changed its name to Black Box.[23]
The business is organized as follows:
| data-sort-type="text" | Name | data-sort-type="date" | Acquisition date | data-sort-type="text" | Activities | data-sort-type="text" | Country of HQ | Description | Sources | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norstan | December 2004 | voice services provider | The acquired company provided communication technology services. | [24] [25] | |||||||
| Universal Solutions of North America, LLC | August 2005 | voice and data network systems | The acquired company provided data, voice, and hotline products and services when it was taken over. | [26] | |||||||
| NextiraOne, LLC | April 2006 | Telecommunication Services | Houston, USA | The acquired company provided voice technology services. | [27] | ||||||
| CBS Technologies Corp. (CBS) | October 2009 | Telecommunication Services | Islandia, New York | The acquired company provided telecommunication services. | [28] | ||||||
| Avaya Global Connect | May 2010 | Unified Communications | India | Essar group Acquired IT wing of Avaya Global Connect in India and renamed it AGC Networks | [29] | ||||||
| Logos Communications | October 2010 | Unified communications, wireless LAN, routing & switching and security | Westlake, Ohio | The acquired company provided unified communications, wireless LAN, routing & switching. | [30] | ||||||
| InnerWireless, Inc. | January 2012 | In-building wireless Systems, Horizon4GTM Distributed Antenna System (DAS) | The acquired company provided communication solutions, especially Wireless communication. | [31] | |||||||
| Transcend United | March 2013 | Global IT systems integration | The acquired company provided Unified Communications, Data Center Infrastructure, and Managed Services. | [32] | |||||||
| Ensource Inc. | June 2015 | ICT solutions integrator | The acquired company provided services in the complex healthcare vertical market. | ||||||||
| Cloudium Systems Limited (IPR) | April 2016 | KVM Products | Limerick, Ireland | The acquired company provided in IT services. | [33] | ||||||
| Black Box | January 2019 | Global Solution Integration & Technology Product Solution | Lawrence, USA | Key business areas of Black Box were Solution Integration and Technology Products Solutions when it was acquired by AGC Networks. | |||||||
| Fujisoft | June 2020 | Cloud Solution | Middle East | The acquired company provided IT Services company providing Cloud Computing & Virtualization services in the Middle East. | [34] | ||||||
| Pyrios | August 2020 | Cloud Solution | Australia | Pyrios was a cloud services company. | [35] | ||||||
| Mobiquest | October 2020 | mobile application design, development and support provider | Singapore | The acquired company provided Mobile and smart sensor technologies and services. | |||||||
| Z Services | March 2021 | Cybersecurity & Cloud Solutions | UAE | The acquired company provided Cyber Security Cloud services provider in UAE. | [36] | ||||||
| Dragon Fly | March 2021 | Cybersecurity & Automation | Australia | The acquired company provided Cybersecurity, Enterprise Networking & Automation company in Australia. | [37] |
Black Box has operations in the following locations: