Irwin Magnetic Systems

Irwin Magnetic Systems was a computer storage manufacturer founded in 1979 and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At its height, the company employed 600 people in Ann Arbor. The company's primary product line was magnetic tape data storage systems, particularly the proprietary AccuTrak format. This format was widely adopted by Compaq, HP and other OEM manufacturers, and was also incorporated into IBM Personal System 2 (PS2) personal computers as an option. In 1989, the company was acquired by Cipher Data Products, which was in turn acquired by Archive Corporation a year later. Archive maintained Irwin as an independent brand for a while after the acquisition.