The Largest Tech Companies in Florida

Key Points:

• The largest tech company founded in Florida is Tech Data Corporation, located in Clearwater. The company would eventually become a direct distributor of a variety of electronic components for personal computers.
• The largest privately owned tech companies in Florida include Sykes Enterprises and Tyco Integrated Security.
• The biggest publicly traded tech companies in Florida are L3Harris and Roper Technologies Inc.

Florida is world famous for great weather, gorgeous beaches, and a variety of great amusement parks. Although it may not be as well known, Florida is also one of the fastest-growing spots for tech startups and software developers. Tech companies have been growing rapidly for years throughout Florida. For both private and public tech companies, local technology is thriving from the panhandle down to Miami. The following are some of the largest tech companies in Florida.

The Largest Tech Companies in Florida by Revenue

The Largest Tech Companies in Florida by Employees

The Largest Tech Companies in Florida By Market Cap

Which Tech Companies were Founded in Florida?

Tech Data Corporation

Tech Data Corporation specializes in a variety of industries including computer hardware and software, electronics, distribution, retail, and IT consulting. Richard T. Hume has been CEO since June 6, 2018. He oversees a company that has approximately 14,000 employees and a revenue of 37 billion.

Tech Data Corporation features a wide range of services, products, and logistics capabilities that enable technology producers to deploy IT solutions. Some of these manufacturers include Apple, Dell, IBM, Google, Cisco, Sony, Lenovo, and VMware. The company is considered one of the largest global distributors of IT services and products. The company was listed as No. 83 in Fortune 500 in 2018.

History Of Tech Data Corporation

Tech Data Corporation was started in Clearwater, Florida in 1974. The company would eventually become a direct distributor of a variety of electronic components in 1984 for personal computers.

It grew into a multinational company that is now one of the largest global distributors of IT services and products. Their clients have included Apple, Microsoft, and Google. During the past 20 years, Tech Data Corporation grew the company by expanding into Europe, Mexico, and Canada. This was done primarily by acquiring 18 businesses.

In August 2015, Tech Data was ranked one of the world’s best cloud service providers by Talkin’ Cloud. By the second quarter of 2015, Tech Data had record earnings with an 8 percent increase in sales and a net income increase of 22.4 percent.

Founding of Tech Data Corporation

Tech Data Corporation was founded in 1974 by Edward C. Raymund. The company was started in Clearwater to resell data processing supplies that are used for mini and mainframe computers as well as maintenance.

The company merged with its competitor, Synnex to create TD Synnex. TD Synnex is the major owner with a 55 percent share. The combination of these two companies made the new organization one of the largest IT distributors.

Tech Data stated that Apollo Global Management would acquire their company in November 2019. The deal was finalized for about $6 billion on June 30, 2020. Synnex then acquired 55 percent of Tech Data for $7.2 billion plus debt on March 22, 2021.

What are the Biggest Tech Companies Located in Florida?

The criteria for the biggest tech companies are revenue and number of employees.

Jabil Inc.

Jabil Inc. is a manufacturing services organization that has its headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. They have approximately 100 plants in at least 30 countries and approximately 260,000 employees. The company is currently being led by CEO Mark T. Mondello.

Jabil has customers in a variety of industries such as defense, aerospace, computing, life sciences, clean technology, consumer products, healthcare, and telecommunications. Jabil has grown through the years through several acquisitions and has expanded into several countries. The following are some of their acquisitions.

• Get Manufacturing in 1999 – This acquisition enabled Jabil to expand its business into China.
• Intel plant in 2001 – Jabil acquired an Intel plant in Malaysia. In the agreement, Jabil was to supply Intel with parts for three years.
• Lucent Technologies in 2002 – Jabil purchased most of Lucent Technologies in Shanghai for $75 million. They agreed to supply Lucent with a variety of communication components, including optical switching, for three years.
• Varian Inc. in 2005 – Jabil purchased the contract manufacturing portion of the company for about $195 million.
• Taiwan Green Point Enterprises in 2006 – Jabil acquired Green Point that specialized in parts for portable electronic products, including cell phones.
• Telmar Network Technology in 2011 – They purchased Telmar Network Technology, a global provider of reverse logistics.
• Nypro in 2013 – Nypro is a company that produces plastic products for healthcare purposes.
• Shemer Group in 2015 – This was an Israeli company that specialized in providing contract manufacturing for capital equipment manufacturers in high-tech.

History of Jabil Inc.

Jabil Inc. started in 1966. By the 1980s, they were making parts for personal computer companies such as Dell. In 1993 Jabil Inc. went public. They were trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol JBL in 1998.

In 2001 they were added to the S&P 500 Index. They moved from the S&P 500 to the S&P MidCap 400 in 2014. In March 2013, Mark Mondello was named CEO. Jabil announced in 2017 that they would close their first European plant in Livingston, UK before the end of the year.

Founding of Jabil Inc.

Jabil Inc. was founded in 1966. The name Jabil came from the combination of the founders’ first names. William (Bill) E. Morean and James Golden founded the business and together named their new company “Jabil”. The company was incorporated in 1969 in Detroit, Michigan. One of the first products they manufactured was PCBs.

Jabil has received several awards through the years for its community engagement and sound business practices. The company received the Mexican government’s National Quality Award in 2006. This is an award to recognize quality management practices. In 2016, Jabil Singapore won the ASQ ITEA Silver Award. In the same year, they received the First Place Winner for the Institute of Industrial Engineers Annual Lean Best Practice Award.

FIS

FIS is known as a prominent FinTech (financial technology) company. They provide a wide variety of financial services and products. They specialize in developing solutions for merchants, banks, and capital markets. FIS was the biggest processing and payment organization in the world in 2019. Gary Adam Norcross is the current CEO.

History of FIS

FIS was embroiled in a controversy in July 2007. Certegy Check Services, which is a part of the FIS organization, made a statement that an employee had stolen 2.3 million records containing consumer bank accounts, credit cards, and other personal information. Later, this number was raised to 8.5 million records. A month later, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Certegy Check Services and their parent company FIS for a privacy breach.

In August 2011, another part of the FIS company was the victim of a complex cyberattack. The segment of FIS, eFunds Prepaid Solutions, had hackers take approximately $13 million from ATMs using prepaid cards they had stolen from a client of FIS.

FIS acquired SunGard in 2015. SunGard helped bring FIS into markets that included new financial technology services. FIS acquired Worldpay in 2019. Worldpay was a leader in the field of e-commerce and payments.

Through acquisitions and external growth, FIS has globally become one of the top technology providers in the fields of merchant industries, capital markets, and retail banking.

Founding of FIS

FIS was founded as Systematics™ in 1968. They were later bought by ALLTEL Information Services and then later acquired by Fidelity National Financial® in 2003. The company was then renamed Fidelity Information Services (FIS).

FIS grew through the years by acquiring several fintech firms. This included Certegy® in 2006 and eFunds® in 2007. Eventually, FIS earned a place on the Fortune 500 list and became one of the largest tech providers in the world to the financial sector.

What are the Largest Private Tech Companies in Florida?

Sykes Enterprises

Sykes has locations in over 23 countries as well as an at-home workforce that continues to grow. The company provides support in at least forty different languages. Customers can also choose a variety of delivery channels from self-service content and chat to social media and email.

Sykes Enterprises, Inc. is a multinational private company with headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Sykes offers business process outsourcing services, technical support, customer service, and IT consulting. Sykes has acquired several companies during the last thirty years.

• 1992 – Jones Technologies, Inc, located in Sterling, Colorado
• 1996 – Datasvar Support AB and Diagsoft Inc.
• 1997 – McQueen International Limited and Telcare
• 2006 – Apex America
• 2010 – ICT Group
• 2012 – Alpine Access
• 2015 – Qelp
• 2016 – Clearlink
• 2018 – Symphony Ventures
• 2020 – Taylor Media Corp. (This was Sykes’s last acquisition before Sitel Group acquired the company in 2021.)

History of Sykes Enterprises

Sykes Enterprises was founded in 1977 and was initially in Charlotte, North Carolina. During that time the company was forming contracts with a variety of large corporations that included providing design and engineering services.

Sykes Enterprises places a strong emphasis on delivering connections between well-known brands and consumers through assisting Global 2000 organizations. Sykes offers customer relationship management consulting as well as outsourcing agents for technical support.

Since 1993, Sykes has made several acquisitions that have transformed the company. They now focus on three areas. These include Telehealth, Assistance Services, and Contact Center Services. They have grown and spread into Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America as well as throughout North America.

Founding of Sykes Enterprises

Sykes was founded by John H. Sykes in 1977 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The goal of the company was to offer design and engineering services to large organizations. A few of Syke’s initial clients have included AT&T, IBM, and Texas Instruments.

The company had 20 offices and approximately 1,000 employees by 1990. They entered the customer service business in 1992 when they purchased Jones Technologies. Jones was a call center organization that was based in Sterling, Colorado.

In 1993 they moved their corporate headquarters to Tampa, Florida from Charlotte. In 1996, it became a publicly traded company. David Grimes was president in 1998. This only lasted three months, however, and Sykes was again CEO and president. John Sykes’s son, Charles Sykes, became the CEO in 2004.

A subsidiary of Sitel Group acquired Sykes’s outstanding shares in June 2021. This included a cash transaction with a value of about $2.2 billion.

Tyco Integrated Security

Located in Boca Raton, Florida, Tyco Integrated Security is a company that specializes in electronic security products and services. This particular business is part of their parent company Tyco International. The company has approximately 200 offices in North America with its headquarters located in Boca Raton.

History of Tyco Integrated Security

Tyco Integrated Security’s parent company, Tyco International, is a security systems company that is incorporated in Ireland. Tyco International has been composed of two major business areas: fire protection and security solutions.

The Tyco company merged through a reverse takeover with a company called ADT Limited in July 1997. After the merger, Tyco International Ltd became a subsidiary of ADT Limited and at the same time, ADT changed its name to Tyco International. ADT Security Services became a new subsidiary as a result of this merger.

Founding of Tyco Integrated Security

Tyco Integrated Security was officially founded in 2012 but had its beginnings rooted in the early commercial security industry, American District Telegraph, which eventually became ADT. This was back in 1874.

Tyco International, Ltd decided to split into three separate companies in September 2011. By the following year their three companies were the following:

• Flow Control business/Pentair
• ADT
• Tyco International, Ltd

What are the Largest Publicly Traded Companies in Florida?

L3Harris

L3Harris specializes in defense and communications. L3Harris provides information technology services, tactical radios, wireless equipment, C6ISR products and systems, electronics systems, avionics, and night vision equipment. They also provide spaceborne and terrestrial antennas for commercial, defense, and government use.

They are one of the largest defense contractors in the U.S., with a specialization in surveillance solutions, electronic warfare, and microwave weapons. The company is located in Melbourne and the current CEO is Christopher E. Kubasik. A few of the specific products the company provides include the following:

• StingRay phone trackers
• OpenSky system for wireless communication
• AVCATT mobile aviation simulator for training
• GPNVG-18 for night vision
• C-130J Super Hercules
• Products from the Aviation Communication & Surveillance System line

History of L3Harris

L3Harris was started in Niles, Ohio by Alfred S. Harris in 1895. It was originally called the Harris Automatic Press Company. For approximately 60 years, the company developed printing presses and lithographic processes.

The company merged with Radiation, Inc. in 1967. Radiation, Inc. was a developer of modern tech used in space as well as integrated circuits.

In 1997, L-3 Communications was created to have the ability to acquire particular business units from Lockheed Martin. These units had previously been a part of the Loral Corporation. By the end of 2016, L-3 Communications Holdings changed its name to L3 Technologies, Inc.

Founding of L3Harris

L3Harris was founded in 1895 by Alfred S. Harris. The present company was formed when Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies merged on June 29, 2019.

L3Harris is a tech company that provides information technology services, tactical radios, wireless equipment, C6ISR products and systems, electronics systems, avionics, and night vision equipment. They also provide spaceborne and terrestrial antennas for commercial, defense, and government use.

L3 and Harris announced a stock merger in October 2018. On June 29, 2019, the merger was official and L3 Harris Technologies, Inc. was a new company based in Melbourne. The CEO of the new company was William M. Brown, the former Harris CEO.

L3Harris reorganized in January 2022. This led to the elimination of the Aviation Systems business portion and then distribution of its divisions among the other Integrated Mission Systems, Communications Systems segments, and Space & Airborne Systems.

Roper Technologies Inc.

Roper Technologies Inc. is a conglomerate located in Sarasota, Florida. Laurence Neil Hunn is the current CEO.

Roper Technologies, Inc. was formerly Roper Industries, Inc. This industrial company specializes in several types of technology including RF technology, Industrial imaging, and Energy Controls and Systems.

History of Roper Technologies Inc.

Roper Technologies Inc. started in 1890. The company made several acquisitions starting in 1906 and continuing throughout the rest of the century.

• George Roper acquires Trahern Pump Co. in 1906.
• George Roper sells the stove business to Florence Stove Co. in 1957.
• Roper ventured into the outdoor lawn equipment market when they acquired David Bradley Manufacturing Works from Sears.
• Roper Pump Co. reorganized in 1981 to become Roper Industries.
• In 1988, the companies Whirlpool and General Electric began a battle to acquire Roper for its yard equipment and appliances.
• Electrolux bought Roper’s lawn and garden division in 1988.
• Since 2001, Roper made acquisitions in areas such as RFID (radio frequency identification) and laboratory and diagnostic software. As these changes occurred, Roper changed its name from Roper Industries Inc. to Roper Technologies, Inc.
• Roper made an agreement to acquire Vertafore in 2020. Vertafore is an insurance software producer.

Founding of Roper Technologies Inc.

Roper Technologies Inc. was founded in 1890 by George D. Roper. The company was a producer of pumps, home appliances, and a variety of industrial products.

What are the Forgotten Tech Companies in Florida?

The Harris Corporation

The Harris Corporation was a tech company that specialized in defense contracting and producing electronic systems, tactical radios, night vision equipment, and surveillance solutions.

History of Harris Corporation

Alfred S. Harris started the company in 1895. The company acquired Gates Radio in 1957. Gates Radio was a manufacturer of different types of electronics gear, including broadcast transmitters. During the same year, Harris also acquired Intertype Corporation, which was a foundry in New York. They acquired another New York company in 1959 that was called PRD Electronics. This was a microwave technology company.

Harris merged with Radiation Incorporated in 1967. This was a company that developed a variety of technologies that included integrated circuits and antennas. In 1969 they acquired both Farinon Electric Corporation and RF Communications.

Harris created the Harris Computer Systems Divisions after acquiring Datacraft Corporation in 1974. This division became an independent corporation in 1994 called Harris Computer Systems Corporation.

Founding of Harris Corporation

Alfred S. Harris from Niles, Ohio founded the Harris Automatic Press Company in 1895. The company merged with L3 Technologies in 2019 to create L3Harris Technologies. It had its headquarters in Melbourne, Florida, and was the largest private employer in the Brevard County area.

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