Imation
Encyclopedia
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
that designs, manufactures and sells recordable data storage media, consumer electronics products and accessories.
The company is a 1996 spin off of 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
and is headquartered in Oakdale, Minnesota
Oakdale, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,653 people, 10,243 households, and 7,129 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,408.4 people per square mile . There were 10,394 housing units at an average density of 939.2 per square mile...
. The company originally consisted of former 3M divisions involved in the design, manufacture and sales of data storage
Data storage device
thumb|200px|right|A reel-to-reel tape recorder .The magnetic tape is a data storage medium. The recorder is data storage equipment using a portable medium to store the data....
, medical imaging, printing, photographic film, optical and specialty paper products. Imation has since sold all but its core data storage media products business.
The company has been involved in the development of many technological improvements in data storage, such as the introduction of the first magnetic tape in 1947, the first quarter inch tape cartridge for data storage (QIC) in 1971 and the 3.5 inches (88.9 mm) floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
in 1984. The company now has a market presence in more than 100 countries.
Imation purchased Memorex
Memorex
Memorex began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It is now a consumer electronics brand of Imation specializing in disk recordable media for CD and DVD drives, flash memory, computer accessories and other electronics.Established in...
in April 2006 and the TDK
TDK
, formerly , is a Japanese company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic components, and recording and data-storage media, and markets them globally. Their motto is "Contribute to culture and industry through creativity"...
Brand Recording Media business in July 2007. The combined Imation, Memorex and TDK brands make the company the global market share leader in sales of CD-R and DVD media. It is also a leader in flash media sales.. In 2008, the company acquired XtremeMac, a maker of accessories for the Apple ecosystem.
Imation today is a global technology company dedicated to helping people and organizations store, protect, and connect their digital world. According to CEO Mark Lucas, "Imation's vision, as a technology company focusing on targeted applications, will leverage our deep data storage core while addressing opportunities for growth in emerging storage, electronics, and accessories."
In 2011, the company made four acquisitions in scalable storage and data security:
- Louisville, CO-based ENCRYPTX
- Montreal-based MXI Security, from Memory Experts International
- The assets of Boulder, Colo.-based ProStor, including the InfiniVault tiered storage system.
- IronKey's secure data storage hardware business, along with a strategic partnership whereby Imation receives an exclusive license from IronKey for its secure storage management software and service, and a license to use the IronKey brand for secure storage products.
With this last acquisition, Imation announced the formation of its dedicated Global Mobile Security unit headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., integrating with Imation’s international locations serving customers in more than 100 countries.
The company currently sells data storage media and appliances, consumer electronics and accessories under the Imation, Memorex
Memorex
Memorex began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It is now a consumer electronics brand of Imation specializing in disk recordable media for CD and DVD drives, flash memory, computer accessories and other electronics.Established in...
, TDK Life on Record, XtremeMac, MXI Security, IronKey, IBM, Sun StorageTek, HP, Exabyte
Exabyte (company)
Exabyte Corp. was a manufacturer of magnetic tape data storage products headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Exabyte Corp. is now defunct, but company's technology is sold by Tandberg Data under both brand names. Prior to the 2006 demise, Exabyte offered tape storage and automation...
brands.