Competitive Update - Volume 2, Number 2

This document is a September 1982 issue of "Competitive Update," an internal publication for Digital Equipment Corporation employees. The issue provides competitive analysis, sales tactics, and functional comparisons primarily focused on competing against IBM and Wang in the office automation market.

Key sections of the document include:

• IBM Analysis: A functional comparison of IBM’s PROFS (Professional Office System) against Digital’s ALL-IN-1. It highlights Digital's strengths, such as user-friendly interfaces, better editing capabilities, and automatic meeting scheduling, while pointing out limitations in IBM's PROFS (e.g., reliance on VM/370, lack of true full-screen editing, and expensive terminal/software requirements).
• Wang Analysis: An assessment of Wang’s office automation products, specifically comparing the VS ALLIANCE software against Digital’s ALL-IN-1. The report details Wang's competitive tactics, suggests counter-strategies for Digital sales staff, and provides cost-per-terminal comparisons for various configurations.
• Commercial Marketing Analysis: An evaluation of the IBM Series/1 minicomputer, noting its technical deficiencies (such as the lack of dynamic memory allocation and multi-tasking) and positioning it as a lower-tier machine compared to Digital’s VAX family.
• Market Intelligence: Financial analysis of IBM’s first-half 1982 performance, notes on IBM's booth at the National Computer Conference (NCC), and details regarding new product announcements from Wang (such as the VS25 and VS45).