Visio Corporation

Visio_wordmark

Visio Corporation was a software company based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It was founded in 1990 by Jeremy Jaech, Ted Johnson, and Dave Walter. The company is best known for its diagramming application, Visio, which allows users to create a variety of diagrams, including flowcharts, organizational charts, and network diagrams.

History

Visio Corporation was originally named Axon Corporation when it was founded in 1990. The company changed its name to Shapeware Corporation in 1992 and finally to Visio Corporation in 1995. The company's flagship product, Visio, was first released in 1992. The software quickly gained popularity due to its ease of use and powerful features, which made it a preferred tool for business and technical diagramming.

In 1999, Visio Corporation was acquired by Microsoft for $1.5 billion in stock. Following the acquisition, Visio was integrated into the Microsoft Office suite of applications and rebranded as Microsoft Visio.

Products

The primary product of Visio Corporation was the Visio diagramming software. The software was designed to help users create a wide range of diagrams, including:

• Flowcharts
• Organizational charts
• Network diagrams
• Floor plans
• Business process modeling diagrams

Visio's intuitive interface and extensive library of shapes and templates made it a versatile tool for both business and technical users.

Acquisition by Microsoft

In January 2000, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Visio Corporation. The acquisition allowed Microsoft to expand its suite of productivity tools and integrate Visio's diagramming capabilities into its existing products. Following the acquisition, Visio was rebranded as Microsoft Visio and became part of the Microsoft Office family.

Legacy

Visio Corporation's impact on the software industry is significant, as its diagramming software set the standard for business and technical diagramming tools. Microsoft Visio continues to be a popular application for creating diagrams and is widely used in various industries, including information technology, engineering, and business management.

See also

• Microsoft Visio
• Microsoft Office
• Diagramming software
• Flowchart
• Organizational chart
• Network diagram