Redactron delivered usable Data Secretary word-processing systems, marking commercial deployment of one of the first computerized standalone word processors.
By September 1971, Evelyn Berezin's company Redactron Corporation had delivered usable units of the Data Secretary, widely regarded as one of the first computerized, standalone word processors sold commercially. According to Berezin's own oral history, this marked the moment her invention moved from prototype to practical, working product in the hands of business customers.
The Data Secretary allowed users to type, store, edit, and revise text electronically—eliminating the need to retype entire documents for minor corrections, a revolutionary efficiency gain for offices dominated by typewriters and carbon paper. It was also notable as one of the earliest consumer products to incorporate a microprocessor, placing Berezin's invention at the leading edge of the microelectronics revolution.
This achievement represents the culmination of nearly two decades of Berezin's patent work in data processing, information transfer, and signal generation. As a woman founder and chief executive in the deeply male-dominated computer hardware industry of the early 1970s, Berezin faced significant skepticism and structural barriers, yet succeeded in bringing a transformative product to market. The Data Secretary fundamentally reshaped office work, paving the way for the word-processing software and personal computer revolution that followed later in the decade, and it remains one of the most historically significant achievements by a woman in the history of computing.