Founded in 1997 in France, Atos is a global leader in digital transformation, providing IT services, cybersecurity, cloud, and high-performance computing. It operates in over 70 countries and serves various industries, including financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing.
In 2014, the group turnover amounted to 10 billion euros. In 2008 and 2013, it was 5.6 billion euros 8.6 billion accordingly, an increase of 55%.
Due to acquisitions, the number of employees of the group grew from 51,000 employees in 2008, to 77,000 in 2013 and 86,000 employees a year later.
Atos provides a broad range of consulting and systems integration services, including Big Data and Data Security services. Atos customers come from various industries, such as transport, health, finance, telecom, media, defense industry and public services. Atos is the official Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Atos operates under several brands: Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid Bull, Canopy, and Wordline.
The Group’s revenues come from outsourcing services (50%), system integration services (35%) and transactional services (12%).
Geographically, 18.9% of Atos operations are located the United Kingdom and Ireland, 17.5% in Germany, 14.5% in France, 11.5% in the Benelux countries and 6.6% in North America.
Atos Consulting provides consulting services, helping its customers to increase profitability by intelligent use of technology, innovations, and cloud-based solutions.
Another department of Atos provides mainly SAP-based systems integration services that are aimed to improve the customer’s governance and project management efficiency.
The largest business for Atos Group is outsourcing. The Group provides genuine services through its subsidiary Canopy, specialized in Cloud computing. The Group’s Adaptive Workplace solution allows outsourcing of customer’s data centers.
Wordline is a largest company in Europe and the world providing billing solutions and services. The company provices B2B and B2C solutions in following three domains: “Merchant Services & Terminals”, “e-Mobility & Transactional Services” and “Financial Processing & Software Licensing”. In 2013, this department of Atos employed 7,300 people and generated revenues of 1.1 billion euros.
History
Atos was founded in 2000 as a result of a merger of Atos and Origin. The group provides a broad range of IT and engineering services. Atos was formed in 1996 through a merger of two French IT companies Axime and Sligos. Origin was formed as a result of a merger between a Dutch-based BSO/Origin and Philips C&P. In 2000, these two groups merged into one franco-netherlandish corporation named Atos-Origin. Two years later, the group acquired KPMG Consulting -a company based in UK and Netherland – and integrated it into Atos Consulting department. In 2004, another company joined the Atos Group: Schlumberger Sema. As a result, Atos Origin Group employed about 26500 people and generated 3 billion Euro of annual revenue. And the company continued to grow: in 2011, Atos acquired SIS and became a partner of Siemens Group. Siemens IT Solutions and Services is a group of companies in charge of all IT operations in Siemens Group with more than 32,000 employees. This merger was inititated by Thierry Breton, who headed Atos Origin since 2009. Few years later, Atos Origin acquired Bull, the company where Thierry Breton served as a CEO between 1993 and 1997. Acccording to Thierry Bretin, this merger is an important step to reinforce position of Atos in Europe as a Cloud, Big Data and Cyber Security services provider. Atos aspires to become the largest player in IT industry in Europe by 2016. In December 2014, Atos acquired Xerox’s IT Outsourcing business for 855 million euros, becoming a major player in reprographic industry.
Since 2015, Atos has undergone significant changes. In 2021, it acquired U.S.-based cybersecurity firm Paladion to strengthen its cybersecurity offerings and extended its focus on cloud services and digital security. However, Atos has faced financial and strategic challenges, with leadership changes and a significant stock drop in 2022, attributed partly to missteps in U.S. operations and delayed financial audits. Recently, the company announced plans to split into two entities: Eviden, focusing on digital, cloud, and cybersecurity, and Tech Foundations, managing legacy IT services. This restructuring aims to restore profitability and market confidence.
Atos recently faced critical issues with financial performance and internal management, leading to significant stock declines and restructuring decisions. Challenges in U.S. operations, accounting discrepancies, and leadership turnover have contributed to instability. In response, Atos plans to split into two entities to streamline operations and regain investor confidence.
Jean Pierre Mustier was appointed CEO of Atos in July 2023, after initially joining as chairman in October 2023. A former banking executive known for his turnaround skills, Mustier’s nomination came during a pivotal restructuring phase for Atos, which involved splitting into two distinct entities: Eviden, focusing on digital and cybersecurity, and Tech Foundations, handling legacy IT services. His leadership aimed to stabilize Atos amid ongoing financial challenges, yet his tenure was short-lived as Atos later appointed Philippe Salle to continue the transformation plan and restore financial stability
As of October 2024, Atos is undergoing a significant restructuring process to manage its financial difficulties and high debt. Yves Bernaert, initially appointed CEO in 2023, helped establish a two-entity structure: Eviden, focusing on digital services, cloud, and AI, and Tech Foundations, managing legacy IT services. However, due to continuing challenges, Atos recently announced that Philippe Salle, experienced in turning around struggling firms, will take over as CEO in February 2025. Salle’s leadership aims to address Atos’s debt crisis and stabilize its business operations through strategic restructuring and investment efforts.
Key facts
Atos was founded in 2000 in France through a merger of Atos and Origin. The company is headquartered in Bezons, Ile de France, and employs about approximately 91,611 people, a decrease from 95,140 employees at the end of 2023. This decline reflects ongoing restructuring efforts, including the operational split into two entities, Eviden and Tech Foundations. This separation aims to streamline Atos’s operations amid financial challenges and adapt to shifts in demand across its markets, such as healthcare and the public sector. Despite workforce reductions, Atos has continued to make strategic hires to support its digital and cloud-focused divisions, especially within Eviden, which emphasizes high-growth areas like cybersecurity and AI
