The establishment of Computer Business Centres Ltd as a management buyout from Unisys Corp of the old Burroughs Unix systems marketing operation (CI No 634) has caused concern and anger amongst members of the Association of Burroughs Computer Users, ABCU. ABCU says that as yet the user base has not been advised but Unisys maintains that it has contacted all users by letter and intends to meet with most in order to explain the situation to them. The group is worried about the consequences if Computer Business Centres does not prove viable as a stand-alone company because although all hardware and software maintenance will still be handled by Unisys, all additional support expertise such as pre-sales and consultancy now no longer exists within Unisys, because these personnel will become the staff of the new company. Graham Margitson is sympathetic to the users’ concerns but is convinced that non-viabilty fears are groundless and adds that users will be dealing with the same people that they have always dealt with and therefore the ones who know the problems and requirements of individual sites. The warning from ABCU to Unisys is that the move may create a situation where users are less happy than they were, and that as many are now facing up to the fact that they must soon change their equipment, they may as a result leave the Unisys camp. According to Unisys the users that have given feedback on the move are completely satisfied.
