ROLM Corporation

ROLM Corporation was a technology company founded in Silicon Valley in 1969. The company first produced rugged mil-spec (military specification) computers which used Data General software. The company divisionalized in 1978 becoming Rolm Mil-Spec Computers and Rolm Telecom. The Telecom division spent much of the considerable profit realized by the Mil-Spec Computer division over the ensuing 1980s trying to penetrate the convoluted phone interconnect business. In 1984 IBM partnered with (and later acquired) ROLM Communications in Santa Clara.