Mission Critical Software

About Mission Critical Software

Mission Critical Software Inc. was a Houston, Texas-based enterprise software company specializing in systems administration and operations management for Windows NT and Windows 2000 server environments. Founded in July 1996, the company developed and marketed the OnePoint product suite — a modular platform designed to centralize and automate the management of large, complex Windows-based networks for both corporate IT departments and internet infrastructure operators. The OnePoint suite encompassed multiple products addressing different facets of enterprise network management, including directory administration, domain migration, event monitoring, file system security, and operations management. Key modules included OnePoint Administrator, OnePoint Event Manager, OnePoint Operations Manager, and Domain Migrator. A notable milestone came in 1999 when Microsoft licensed the Domain Migrator technology for bundling with Windows 2000 Server, validating the product's strategic importance in the enterprise migration market. The company's customer base spanned large enterprises and Fortune 1000 firms, including Anheuser-Busch, BP Amoco, Compaq, Dow Chemical, and Microsoft itself. By mid-1999, more than 600 organizations used its products. Mission Critical Software went public on NASDAQ (ticker: MCSW) in August 1999 and reported approximately $73 million in revenues for the twelve months leading up to its 2000 merger. In February 2000, the company announced a $1.42 billion stock-swap merger with Santa Clara-based NetIQ Corp., with the combined entity retaining the NetIQ name and headquartering in Santa Clara.