About
Thomas M. Nies
The longest-serving CEO in the computer industry
We have always defined our success by the success of our clients. – Tom Nies
When Tom Nies decided he wanted to sell software, he never thought he’d have to help start an industry. But with very few software companies in the country, and none in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio it was, according to Nies, “the only way to have a job in a field I wanted to work in.”
What Nies, who had been a leading IBM sales representative, didn’t realize at the time, was that he was also founding the then-radical idea of selling computer software as a product rather than including software “for free” with the hardware. In those early days, Cincom was one of the first to promote the concept of a database management system. Today, there are thousands of database products, but when Cincom introduced it’s first product, TOTAL™, it was a revolutionary event. TOTAL™ became one of the best-selling mainframe software products ever.
Under Nies’ guidance, Cincom organized the first national system software user conference, became the first U.S. software firm to establish international offices, and pioneered a variety of emerging new software technologies. More Cincom firsts.
Since its founding in 1968, Cincom has matured into one of the largest international, independent software companies in the world. Cincom’s client base spans communications, financial services, education, government, manufacturing, retail, healthcare and insurance. Cincom is one of the most experienced software companies in the world, with 40 offices on five continents.
In 1984, Nies, the longest actively serving CEO in the computer industry, was recognized by President Ronald Reagan as “the epitome of the entrepreneurial spirit of American business.” In 1992, British Prime Minister Edward Heath honored Nies for Cincom’s role in helping to bring the software industry to England. In 1995, he was profiled by the Smithsonian Institute as one of the “pioneers of the software industry,” alongside other industry giants such as Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Larry Ellison (Oracle). In 2004, Ernst & Young inducted Nies into its Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. In 2005, along with the CEO of Adobe, Nies won the International Stevie Award for Best Executive in the International Business Awards, “the business world’s own Oscars,” according to the New York Post. In 2005, Nies also received the University of Cincinnati Lifetime Achievement award and in 2006, was named as one of the Top Ten IT Visionaries by START-IT magazine.
Nies holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in finance. He has served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, one of 12 regional reserve banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., comprise the Federal Reserve System.
Under Nies’ leadership, Cincom has expanded from pioneering database technology into providing complete solutions for data management, marketing, sales and customer service, business process improvement, manufacturing, outsourcing and hosting. Today, thousands of clients around the world rely on Cincom’s four decades of experience to provide innovative solutions to simplify some of their toughest and most complex business problems.
