Journey back in time with us and discover entertaining highlights and surprising fun facts from more than 25 years of adesso!
1997
<enter> adesso founded as “The Process Company”
1997 was an eventful year in many ways: The world got to know Dolly, the first cloned sheep. Pathfinder landed on Mars. At CeBIT, Kodak unveiled the first megapixel digital camera. And adesso was born! In May of that year, Volker Gruhn and Rainer Rudolf founded adesso GmbH. Headquartered at a tech park in Dortmund, Germany, Gruhn and Rudolf referred to their new business as “The Process Company”. Its focus? Process optimisation and object-oriented software development. Its first client? Cologne’s very own Versdata GmbH.
A start has been made!
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1998
adesso enters into orbit: welcome to the world of insurance
People need insurance – and insurance needs new technology. Or at least so we thought. As it turns out, we were right. We landed our first major project in the insurance industry at Zürich Agrippina, today known as Zurich. Our mission was to develop the first enterprise resource management system for a German insurance company based on Java, a new technology at the time. Despite being a technological gamble that many people had reservations about, adesso took on a pioneering role. In the end, the venture marked a milestone in the company’s development.
1999
Our lucky number: adesso’s first lottery project and a foray into the industry that made us a global player
Our first lottery project didn’t take us far from Dortmund at all. WestLotto, in Münster, was looking for an IT consultancy firm that was experienced in database development, IT strategies, online lotteries and multi-channel sales. The project required us to do strategic thinking about something called “the Web”, a relatively new technology for the lottery sector at the time. For WestLotto and adesso, the project marked the start of a long-lasting collaboration which continues to this day.
Since then, we have created websites, developed mobile services, consolidated databases and established new technologies. Subsequent lottery projects gave us the chance to travel far, from Casablanca to Rome to Copenhagen – and even as far away as Trinidad & Tobago and Israel. Back in Germany, adesso provides services to 15 of the 16 state-run lotteries.
2000
We made it there: the adesso team starts at the New York City Marathon
Taking part in sporting activities has long been a tradition at adesso. Our dedication to staying fit knows no borders. 2000 marked the first time a team from adesso travelled to the New York City Marathon – and it was by no means the last.
In 2016, an internal competition was held to select another team to travel to the US once again. In fact, some of the runners in this team had also crossed the finishing line back in 2000!2001
Our digital heart: adesso lays the foundation for its commitment to the healthcare sector
The BITMARCK Group has been adesso’s largest customer for many years, bound by over two decades of partnership. Our collaboration on the development and launch of the iskv_21c information system for German statutory health insurers marked our involvement in one of the largest software development projects in Germany. It also gave us an opportunity to enter the healthcare market – another core industry for us.
2003
The dot-com bubble bursts – but the team sticks together
2003 was a reminder that the path to success isn’t always easy going. With growth targets being reviewed and abandoned, preserving the substance of adesso became the most important task for the management team. Yet it was also a reminder that our team spirit is solid! That year’s annual workshop in Suhl (the geographical centre of Germany!) was a perfect example: all of the organisation and financing was handled by our own employees – over 200 were already on board in 2003!
2007
Lift-off: IPO and new horizons on the capital market
adesso goes public! Investors who bought stock in the company 15 years ago when adesso was first listed have since been able to enjoy a jump in the share price of around 3,000% – a success for both our shareholders and us! Financial year 2021 was adesso’s most successful one to date, resulting in higher dividends for investors as well.
2007
“Grüezi”, “Servus” and “Merhaba”: adesso founds its first foreign subsidiaries
Cheese fondue, sachertorte, kebab... Was our decision about where to set up our subsidiaries swayed in any way by culinary delights? Or did it have something to do with our internationalisation strategy? Back in 2007, we certainly knew that the Swiss market was perfect for our portfolio. So adesso Schweiz AG was born! Two years later, once things were up and running there, we found ourselves fancying a bit of Wiener schnitzel – and adesso Austria GmbH joined the market. We rounded the expansion off with a touch of sweetness from some baklava and launched adesso in Turkey in 2013.
2008
Level up! We expand our portfolio to include Microsoft technology
Microsoft meets adesso – standard solutions meet industry expertise. We have always believed that software should be tailored to the individual needs of companies, users and project goals alike. With this in mind, we set out to incorporate Microsoft solutions into our adesso portfolio. And, over 500 Microsoft projects later, our belief has proved to be right!
2008
Connect four! adesso makes money moves in banking
With sweeping market changes and regulatory requirements keeping financial institutions and service providers on their toes, the entire banking industry was in a state of radical flux. And, faced with a raft of major projects in a sector that was still new to us, we too found ourselves with our hands full of challenges and surprises. Through it all, we managed to bridge the gap between technology and expertise by creating sustainable, long-term solutions for our customers in turbulent times – allowing us to take a giant step on our way to gaining a foothold in the banking world.
2009
adesso expands its horizons by supporting the public sector on its path to the digital world
With apps replacing application forms, and platforms taking the place of paperwork, many public authorities were starting to explore the possibilities presented by the digital future. They also discovered that adesso has some smart solutions for a wide range of needs, leading the Federal Statistical Office to task us with enhancing the IT concept for the EU-wide “Census 2011” – and persuading the Procurement Office to hire us to support and improve the central “eVergabe” contracting platform. For us, these projects and many others were important milestones in adesso’s expansion into the core industry of public administration.
2011
Building greatness step by step: the foundation for our modular in|sure solution is laid
When Barmenia Lebensversicherung engaged adesso to create a portfolio management system for life insurance, the mission was clear: create a solution like no other. For us, the project marked the start of our own progression towards becoming a provider of standard software. Insurance is in our genes. So it made sense for us to pour our expertise into a product solution for this industry and launch it in the years that followed. That solution was in|sure Ecosphere, our software family for the insurance industry!
2012
Join the RevoluITon: adesso turns the IT world upside down
Sometimes it’s necessary to take a radical new view of things. The world of IT is no different. That was exactly the mission behind the New School of IT. We paved the way for self-reliant IT with a mastery of three major technology trends: mobility of business processes and customers, agility in the development of IT systems and flexibility of IT infrastructures.
2013
Hats off! The first adessi successfully complete our adesso academy training programme
Back in 2011, we launched our first in-house training programme for the next generation of managers, with a focus on management skills, blue-sky thinking and networking. At the adesso academy, we make sure everyone is fit to take on project management roles. Our approach seeks to go beyond mere professional skills. Raft building or high wire adventure courses are used to improve team-building, and soft skills are a firm fixture on the agenda. A total of 19 adessi successfully completed the first academy in 2013 following a course lasting one and a half years. To date, more than 60 new managers have been trained – and they won’t be the last.
2014
New Home of IT: moving into our new headquarters
Sometimes moving to a new home is the best thing to do, particularly when space becomes tight. After two years of construction, we were thrilled to finally be able to relocate to our new headquarters. Meanwhile, our other locations were also growing and filling in spots on the adesso map that were still blank at the time, with new offices in Nuremberg, Hanover and Essen bringing us closer to our customers and emerging IT talent. By 2024, the number of adesso offices in Germany will grow to 33. Home is where the heart is!
At the house-warming, Rüdiger Striemer handed over the symbolic key to the “New Home of IT” to the next generation of IT experts: our trainees. Once the formalities were over, the evening celebrations included specialities from the Ruhr region. The event was a success and showed us that the new premises were also perfect for celebrations!
2015
Connecting and rethinking mobility: adesso sharpens its automotive profile with a new business area
Being successful in the automotive sector is often a question of platforms, ecosystems and networks – areas of IT that adesso excels in. So we pooled together our capabilities in the automotive industry to form the new Automotive & Transportation division. Our portfolio ranges from solutions for customer acquisition and loyalty to the optimisation of industry-specific processes and mobile applications. Toll Collect, BMW, Bosch, Daimler, MAN and Schaeffler are just a few of the big names already on board.
2016
A Great Place to Work: adesso is Germany’s best employer in the ICT sector
In the Great Place to Work competition, we earned a spot at the top of the leader board for companies of our size. Based on an extensive audit and an anonymous employee survey, we scored highly in the categories team spirit, fairness and respect. Given how very proud we were to receive this confirmation of our exceptionally good working atmosphere, we gave everyone an opportunity to share the joy of this tremendous achievement.
Of course, the 1st place was also duly toasted!2017
Turning 20 with “The Essence of Software Engineering”
We celebrated our 20th anniversary the way any IT fan would: by inviting some of the leading experts in software engineering to a conference. Titled “The Essence of Software Engineering”, the event took place at the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex. Seven experts talked to 250 attendees about topics such as “What is software?” and “Death to all methods”. There were no party bags at the end, but participants did receive a conference pack containing articles by the speakers. And we made sure to commemorate this milestone anniversary in style.
2018
At home in Dortmund and in Europe – laying the foundation to become an SE
In 2018, our craving for international specialities still very much intact, adesso found itself in the mood for paella. To satisfy its appetite, the company set up an adesso branch in Barcelona, thereby continuing its internationalisation efforts. However, the new branch was inspired by more than just the desire for culinary delights: in 2016, a study found that Spain was the fourteenth largest country in the world with a high demand for IT services. But why stop there? Only a year later, adesso Hungary and adesso Netherlands were born. With its business expanding across borders, adesso decided to take the next logical step and prepare for its conversion into a Societas Europaea (SE) for even more complete internationalisation.
2019
Artificial intelligence requires human intelligence – and more women in IT!
Rarely has an IT topic divided opinions as much as artificial intelligence (AI). Will the machines take over? Will they stop when they beat us at games and chess, or will they start composing music and writing novels as well? We take a more pragmatic view of AI, seeing it as another tool for us to use for our customers where suitable. In our “Artificial intelligence changes the perspective” campaign, we examined what companies could achieve with AI, and what our contribution might be. Two other very special projects were also in the making: our She for IT initiative, which was designed to empower and promote women in IT, and our extensive family[4]adessi programme, which was aimed at making our company more family friendly and helping employees find the right work-life balance.
2020
Pandemic and blackyellow times: winners of the crisis, but gripped by the football virus
During the coronavirus pandemic, it became clear that “IT was the glue keeping businesses together”, as Supervisory Board Chairman Volker Gruhn put it. We supported our customers during the sudden transition to working from home. adesso quickly delivered solutions and services for digital customer contact, cloud solutions or business continuity management. On top of that, we continued to grow, both in terms of staff numbers and organisational structure, allowing us to emerge from the crisis as winners.
We also won the Great Place to Work® competition – for the third time in the ITC sector. But why stop there? With our sights set on being number one across all sectors, we were named Germany’s best employer overall.
As the new sponsor of the Borussia Dortmund Youth Sector, we passed on our will to win to the club’s young players. The partnership places the adesso logo on the team’s shirts while giving both sides an opportunity to exchange ideas and promote the next generation of talent. Beyond the fact that we are both based in Dortmund and share a commitment to team spirit, it is this dedication to giving the next generation the attention it deserves that unites adesso and Borussia Dortmund.
2021
Spreading its wings: adesso continues expanding new business fields
There are a few fundamental pearls of wisdom that adesso lives by. One is the familiar expression “good common sense”, with which we approach projects and the structure of our organisation. Another is our “domain expertise” mantra. A lot of companies make software. But we want to develop software that excites our customers – software that makes life easier for employees, streamlines processes and conserves resources. The only way for us to do so is to truly understand the industries of our customers and get to know all of their special characteristics and complexities. Insurers and carmakers are not driven by the same concerns. A bank’s agenda is very different to that of a public authority. Our positioning in alignment with individual sectors is what sets us apart. Our ninth and latest industry is retail.
Along with specific solutions, each industry requires technology that spans multiple fields – something we have no shortage of. Microsoft, SAP and Salesforce are separate adesso divisions, as are Data & Analytics and Digital Experience.
2022
We are promoted to the SDAX league and expand our team with our Nordic combination!
2022 got off to a running start. In March 2022, adesso moved up the ladder to join the next tier of the German stock market: the SDAX® small caps index.
The year has also seen us make a few additions to our team in Scandinavia. adesso Finland has now been joined by adesso Denmark and adesso Sweden, bringing the total number of adesso subsidiaries in Europe to 12 (including Germany).
With our sporting juices flowing, we have organised our first international corporate run –along with one or two anniversary celebrations – to mark our 25th anniversary.
2022 got off to a running start. In March 2022, adesso moved up the ladder to join the next tier of the German stock market: the SDAX® small caps index.
The year has also seen us make a few additions to our team in Scandinavia. adesso Finland has now been joined by adesso Denmark and adesso Sweden, bringing the total number of adesso subsidiaries in Europe to 12 (including Germany).
With our sporting juices flowing, we have organised our first international corporate run –along with one or two anniversary celebrations – to mark our 25th anniversary.
2023
Actual growth, artificial intelligence
No other technology topic has moved our customers and us as much in 2023 as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). ChatGPT was the big bang, and since then one revelation has followed the next. Applications can see, hear, speak, paint, translate, write, analyze, simulate, recognize, predict, plan and optimize. Right in the middle of it all: adesso. With its own business unit, partnerships with all major providers, investments in start-ups and countless projects.
Our development in 2023 shows how impressive growth can arise from technologies such as GenAI: We have achieved sales of more than one billion euros, welcomed our 10,000th adessi and opened three new national subsidiaries in Italy, India and the UK. Can we do more?
Sure, because the world is not enough: our expertise was on board the MAPHEUS-14 project of the German Aerospace Center. We equipped the sounding rocket with an experiment for post-quantum cryptography. One small step for man, one giant leap for adesso.
Grow together
At first glance - how could it be any different for an IT partner? - topics such as processes or programming play a role for us. We talk about cloud concepts or AI applications. SAP platforms or Microsoft solutions. But at its core, it's about something else. Because behind our projects are not technologies, but people. People who want to drive things forward, who want to shape things. Our customers.
And they need someone they can trust at their side.
This is where our experts step in. They have the necessary industry experience and specialist knowledge to handle all the important tasks: from strategic consulting to developing solutions and operations.
What else they offer is more elusive, but at least as crucial to our joint success. At adesso, the mantra of “common sense” has prevailed: a feel for what is feasible, a focus on what is necessary, a desire to implement.
Since adesso was founded, we have seen countless technologies come and go. No one can predict what influence the topics of our time, whether GenAI or quantum computing, will have on business and projects. But regardless of the tasks that lie ahead, trust and understanding remain the foundations of successful collaboration.
And neither can be digitized.
What else they offer is more elusive, but at least as crucial to our joint success. At adesso, the mantra of “common sense” has prevailed: a feel for what is feasible, a focus on what is necessary, a desire to implement.
Since adesso was founded, we have seen countless technologies come and go. No one can predict what influence the topics of our time, whether GenAI or quantum computing, will have on business and projects. But regardless of the tasks that lie ahead, trust and understanding remain the foundations of successful collaboration.
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