RM plc
Encyclopedia
RM plc is a British
company specialising in providing products and services to school
s, college
s, universities
and government education departments & agencies. While RM is primarily involved in supplying information communications and technology (ICT) services to UK education, the group also includes companies providing educational software in the US and school management software in the Asia
Pacific region.
RM employs more than 2,700 people, with the majority based in the company's headquarters located on Milton Park
, near Didcot, Oxfordshire. RM also has offices across the UK
, in North America
, Australia
and a software development
facility in India
.
and Mike O'Regan
, respectively graduates of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Initially it traded under the name Sintel which was a mail-order supplier of electronic components, mainly dealing with the hobbyist market.
With the arrival of microcomputer chips in the mid-1970s, the company expanded into the design and manufacturing of microcomputers. The company shipped its first computer in 1977 to a customer in a Local Education Authority
and has been exclusively involved with educational computing ever since.
By the time the United Kingdom
government was encouraging the use of computers in schools through the Microelectronics Education Programme
. The company's early and dominating presence in educational computing meant they were the natural choice as the founders and key partners in the project. Indeed, RM were praised by UK Ministers for being responsible for putting computers into every UK primary school. Throughout the 1980s RM, with their Z80
-based RML 380Z
, and Cambridge-based rivals Acorn Computers
provided computers to the majority of schools in the UK.
The company was offered the chance to manufacture the BBC microcomputer; this offer was refused on the basis that the BBC micro had already been designed without RM input, making it wholly incompatible with RM microcomputers which were already widespread throughout educational establishments across the UK. RM's philosophy was to make all its new machines backwardly compatible.
RM floated on the London Stock Exchange in November 1994 under the name RM Plc.
Mike Fischer was Chief Executive of the Group until 1997, when Richard Girling took over. Girling retired in 2002 after RM had some involvement in the dot com boom and bust and was replaced by Tim Pearson who left in 2008. Both Girling and Pearson had long careers with RM before being appointed Chief Executive. Long careers are a feature of RM - Pearson having joined the company as a technical support engineer straight from university in 1981. His PA served in that role for both Fischer and Girling. In October 2008 Terry Sweeney took over the role of CEO having joined RM in 1998. He lasted in the role until October 2011, when the RM Board was re-structured; the existing non-executive chairman Martyn Ratcliffe taking over as Executive Chairman and long-term RM employee Rob Sirs (21 years) taking up the position of Group Managing Director .
Amstrad's home word processor had the operating system CP/M on a ROM that was developed by RM.
RM plc also won the contract for KS3 ICT
tests. These were innovative on-line tests which provided a virtual PC office environment for students. Very late in the day, the government scrapped the tests.
29-Sept-2011 Guardian News reports "Education group RM slumps by a quarter after profit warning and 600 job cuts" based on Company Announcement..
Since then, the company has flourished and now employs 50 staff across offices in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington (NZ), servicing more than 4,000 schools across Australasia and in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.
"RM MENASA will, through subsidiaries licensed to trade in each country, provide educational ICT products and services to schools in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA). It will be the exclusive distributor of RM's learning technologies products in the MENASA region."
, developed Z-Net, a low-cost network technology that was widely used in UK schools particularly the RM Nimbus
model. Z-Net was subsequently replaced by what later became the industry standard, Ethernet
. RM cooperated with Microsoft in the production of early networking software. Various generations of RM’s networking products – all of which have been built on standard Microsoft networking software – are currently in use, the most recent version is called Community Connect 4, released in June 2008..
RM not only provides networking solution
s but offers a range of computer hardware. Most RM computers are assembled at their factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
, but they also sell on laptops, interactive whiteboards and peripherals, some re-branded as RM.
Early products such as the RM 280Z, RM 380Z and Link 480Z
were based on the Zilog Z80A processor.
The Group switched to Intel processors with the launch of the 80186 based Nimbus PC-186 in 1984. While not 100% IBM PC compatible
, the Nimbus PC-186 ran MS-DOS
and was a very early example of a computer designed to support Microsoft Windows
, in fact Windows 1. Since 1986, with the introduction of the Nimbus AX and VX models, all RM computers have been fully IBM compatible.
RM also offers a range of software, such the Kaleidos VLE
, MathsAlive, DiscoverAlive, Living Library and SuccessMaker. They also bundle popular software titles from other software companies to allow teachers and network administrators to install the titles more easily. In 2005 RM was awarded the contract for Glow. (formally known as Scottish Schools Digital Network (SSDN) National Intranet project). Under the five year, £37.5 million project, all 32 Local Authorities, over 3000 schools and over 800,000 education users plus parents will have access to Glow. Glow has indicated that it will not reprocure the existing service after the end of the current contract in September 2012.
computer.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
company specialising in providing products and services to school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and government education departments & agencies. While RM is primarily involved in supplying information communications and technology (ICT) services to UK education, the group also includes companies providing educational software in the US and school management software in the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
Pacific region.
RM employs more than 2,700 people, with the majority based in the company's headquarters located on Milton Park
Milton Park
Milton Park is a mixed use business park operated by MEPC plc. It is just south of the village of Milton, Oxfordshire, about west of Didcot. It is on the site of a former Ministry of Defence depot between the A34 and Didcot Power Station. Although closer to Didcot, it lies within the Abingdon...
, near Didcot, Oxfordshire. RM also has offices across the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and a software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
facility in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
History
Research Machines, now rebranded as 'RM', was founded in 1973 in Oxford, England by Mike FischerMike Fischer
Mike David Fischer CBE is the co-founder of the computer company RM plc.Fischer graduated with a physics degree from Oxford University. In 1973, with Mike O'Regan , Fischer co-founded Research Machines, a British microcomputer and then software company for the educational market...
and Mike O'Regan
Michael O'Regan
Michael O'Regan was the co-founder of RM plc.O'Regan graduated with an economics degree from Cambridge University.In 1973, with Mike Fischer , O'Regan co-founded Research Machines, a British microcomputer and then software company for the educational market...
, respectively graduates of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Initially it traded under the name Sintel which was a mail-order supplier of electronic components, mainly dealing with the hobbyist market.
With the arrival of microcomputer chips in the mid-1970s, the company expanded into the design and manufacturing of microcomputers. The company shipped its first computer in 1977 to a customer in a Local Education Authority
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
and has been exclusively involved with educational computing ever since.
By the time the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government was encouraging the use of computers in schools through the Microelectronics Education Programme
Microelectronics Education Programme
The UK Government's Microelectronics Education Programme ran from 1980 to 1986. It was conceived and planned by a Labour government and set up under a Conservative government during Mrs Thatcher's era. Its aim was to explore how computers could be used in schools in the UK...
. The company's early and dominating presence in educational computing meant they were the natural choice as the founders and key partners in the project. Indeed, RM were praised by UK Ministers for being responsible for putting computers into every UK primary school. Throughout the 1980s RM, with their Z80
Zilog Z80
The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog and sold from July 1976 onwards. It was widely used both in desktop and embedded computer designs as well as for military purposes...
-based RML 380Z
Research Machines 380Z
The Research Machines 380Z was an early 8-bit microcomputer produced by Research Machines Limited in Oxford, England, from 1978 to 1985....
, and Cambridge-based rivals Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
provided computers to the majority of schools in the UK.
The company was offered the chance to manufacture the BBC microcomputer; this offer was refused on the basis that the BBC micro had already been designed without RM input, making it wholly incompatible with RM microcomputers which were already widespread throughout educational establishments across the UK. RM's philosophy was to make all its new machines backwardly compatible.
RM floated on the London Stock Exchange in November 1994 under the name RM Plc.
Mike Fischer was Chief Executive of the Group until 1997, when Richard Girling took over. Girling retired in 2002 after RM had some involvement in the dot com boom and bust and was replaced by Tim Pearson who left in 2008. Both Girling and Pearson had long careers with RM before being appointed Chief Executive. Long careers are a feature of RM - Pearson having joined the company as a technical support engineer straight from university in 1981. His PA served in that role for both Fischer and Girling. In October 2008 Terry Sweeney took over the role of CEO having joined RM in 1998. He lasted in the role until October 2011, when the RM Board was re-structured; the existing non-executive chairman Martyn Ratcliffe taking over as Executive Chairman and long-term RM employee Rob Sirs (21 years) taking up the position of Group Managing Director .
Amstrad's home word processor had the operating system CP/M on a ROM that was developed by RM.
RM plc also won the contract for KS3 ICT
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
tests. These were innovative on-line tests which provided a virtual PC office environment for students. Very late in the day, the government scrapped the tests.
29-Sept-2011 Guardian News reports "Education group RM slumps by a quarter after profit warning and 600 job cuts" based on Company Announcement..
UK Operations
RM classifies its UK business into three market areas which each have their own broad focus:Learning Technologies
The main IT division of RM that deals with technology infrastructure, software and services - including learning platforms, interactive classroom equipment, computer systems, connectivity, networking software, school management software and support services.Educational Resources
The division that focuses on curriculum products designed to make classroom learning fun, motivational and effective. In order to grow this element of their business RM has made a number of acquisitions in recent years which include:- DACTA Ltd - the sole pan-European distributor for LEGO Education and TOLO Education products and distributes BRIO Education in Central and Southern Europe.
- ISIS Concepts Ltd - a UK furniture manufacturer.
- RM Lightbox - Softease, 3T and part of RM Education combined to form one of the largest educational software businesses in the UK.
- Pisces Art - a classroom art resource provider
- SpaceKraft Ltd - Developer and manufacturer of a range of sensory products
- TTS Group Ltd - supplier of special-purpose educational and classroom resource.
Assessment and Data
Deals with the process management and outsourcing for testing and qualifications; data analysis services for teachers, education managers and policy makers. Notable clients include Cambridge Assessment and the International Baccalaureate.International Operations
In the last decade RM has expanded its educational solutions overseas, with International revenues accounting for 12% of the total group's revenue Their products have also been recognised in international markets with RM Easiteach 3.5 being announced as a 2010 CODiE Award Finalist for Best Education Technology Solution for Productivity/Creativity in the USA.USA
RM Educational Software, Inc. was initially established in 2005 to provide schools and districts in North America with many of the UK software products. In 2008 this scope grew when RM purchased and integrated the US interactive classroom provider Computrac.Asia-Pacific
RM Asia-Pacific emerged in the Australian marketplace in 1997, opening a Perth office in February 1999 after being awarded the SIS contract for the Department of Education and Training Western Australia (then named EDWA).Since then, the company has flourished and now employs 50 staff across offices in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Wellington (NZ), servicing more than 4,000 schools across Australasia and in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei.
Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA)
In 2009 RM announced that it was expanding its business into the MENASA region with offices based in Dubai. The company stated that this would be a joint venture:"RM MENASA will, through subsidiaries licensed to trade in each country, provide educational ICT products and services to schools in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA). It will be the exclusive distributor of RM's learning technologies products in the MENASA region."
Products
RM was the first significant supplier of LAN computer networks in the UK and, working with ZilogZilog
Zilog, Inc., previously known as ZiLOG , is a manufacturer of 8-bit and 24-bit microcontrollers, and is most famous for its Intel 8080-compatible Z80 series.-History:...
, developed Z-Net, a low-cost network technology that was widely used in UK schools particularly the RM Nimbus
RM Nimbus
The RM Nimbus was a 16-bit microcomputer produced by Research Machines Limited in Oxford, England, during the mid 1980s....
model. Z-Net was subsequently replaced by what later became the industry standard, Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
. RM cooperated with Microsoft in the production of early networking software. Various generations of RM’s networking products – all of which have been built on standard Microsoft networking software – are currently in use, the most recent version is called Community Connect 4, released in June 2008..
RM not only provides networking solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s but offers a range of computer hardware. Most RM computers are assembled at their factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, but they also sell on laptops, interactive whiteboards and peripherals, some re-branded as RM.
Early products such as the RM 280Z, RM 380Z and Link 480Z
LINK 480Z
The LINK 480Z was an 8-bit microcomputer produced by Research Machines Limited in Oxford, England, during the early 1980s.The 480Z used a Z80 microprocessor with up to 256 KB of bank-switched RAM...
were based on the Zilog Z80A processor.
The Group switched to Intel processors with the launch of the 80186 based Nimbus PC-186 in 1984. While not 100% IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, the Nimbus PC-186 ran MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and was a very early example of a computer designed to support Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, in fact Windows 1. Since 1986, with the introduction of the Nimbus AX and VX models, all RM computers have been fully IBM compatible.
RM also offers a range of software, such the Kaleidos VLE
Virtual learning environment
Defined largely by usage, the term virtual learning environment has most, if not all, of the following salient properties:* It is Web-based* It uses Web 2.0 tools for rich 2-way interaction* It includes a content management system...
, MathsAlive, DiscoverAlive, Living Library and SuccessMaker. They also bundle popular software titles from other software companies to allow teachers and network administrators to install the titles more easily. In 2005 RM was awarded the contract for Glow. (formally known as Scottish Schools Digital Network (SSDN) National Intranet project). Under the five year, £37.5 million project, all 32 Local Authorities, over 3000 schools and over 800,000 education users plus parents will have access to Glow. Glow has indicated that it will not reprocure the existing service after the end of the current contract in September 2012.
RM Asus Netbook
In October 2007 RM started selling the RM Asus Minibook in the UK. As indicated by the name it is a re-branded AsusASUS
ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated is a multinational computer technology and consumer electronics product manufacturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Its product range includes motherboards, desktops, laptops, monitors, tablet PCs, servers and mobile phones...
computer.
Staff
In 2010 RM was awarded the title of Top IT Employer at the 2010 Top Employers United Kingdom awards, run annually by the CRF Institute. RM scored a five star rating across all five categories which consist of pay and benefit, career development, training and development, working conditions and company culture. The award was also won by RM in 2008 and 2009.See also
- John LeighfieldJohn LeighfieldJohn P. Leighfield CBE is a British IT industry businessman and chairman of RM plc.John Leighfield was born in Oxford, England, and was a pupil at Magdalen College School...
, Non-executive Chairman - Mike TomlinsonMike TomlinsonSir Michael John Tomlinson CBE is the chair of the Working Group for 14–19 Reform which has been commissioned by the British Government to look into reform of the syllabus and qualifications structure for 14–19 year-olds in the English education system.-Early life:He passed the eleven plus...
, Non-executive Director