GM’s IS “Strategy”... (continued)
Recognizing the vast differences among divisions, Roger Smith, CEO of GM from 1981 to 1990, sought to integrate the manufacturing and administrative IS by purchasing Electronic Data Systems (EDS) of Dallas for $2.5 billion
EDS’s task was to conquer the administrative chaos: more than 16 different electronic mail systems,
28 different word processing systems, and a jumble of factory floor systems that did not interoperate.
Most of the systems were running on completely incompatible equipment