MKS
From The Waterloo Way Wiki
MKS is a software and service solution company that was founded in 1984 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The company specializes in application lifecycle
management to support IT change management. The software emphasizes the management of new software integration across the company while supporting
collaboration among departments, partners, customers to provide creative feedback and streamline the entire creation process of applications. The solution
ensures user productivity, facilitates rapid delivery, issue management, process standardization, and provides real time metrics, trends, and reports. In
1997, the company went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange (Symbol : MKX). The company currently has offices in Canada, USA, Singapore, Australia, Germany,
UK, and Japan.
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History
Mortice Kern Systems was the initial name for the company and was founded by four University of Waterloo students, Randall Howard, Alex White, Trevor
Thompson and Steve Izma. The first initial product from the newly formed company was called the MKS toolkit which allowed for Unix applications to be run in
a Windows environment. A few years after, MKS decided to shift its focus into the software configuration management market with the development of a new
program that manages version control, MKS Source Integrity. Following the success of their entry into the software configuration management market they
decided to focus most of their R&D into MKS Source Integrity making it easy for large enterprises to adapt the product. This product transformed over time
to being mainly focused on enterprises and became a multi-tiered software configuration and management system. It was rebranded as MKS Integrity and became
the flaghship product for the company. The features set of the product has expanded so much over the years that it has evolved into an Application Lifecycle
Management solution that manages everything from the conception of a new IT solution to testing to integration of the product.
Business Solutions
MKS offers a range of software products and solutions from interoperability to Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions. ALM is the continuous
process of various steps and phases of a software applications lifespan starting from definition to deployment and maintenance. What sets MKS apart from
other ALM support companies is its ability to offer an entire ALM solution as opposed to single facet solutions that do not cover the entire ALM process.
MKS Toolkit
MKS’s first large commercial product was the MKS Toolkit. This software package offered various libraries and porting solutions to allow Unix based application to work with the Microsoft Windows operating system. With the MKS Toolkit the hassles inherent with mixing operating system platforms are eliminated with virtually seamless cross-platform integration. This allows firms to take advantage of all platforms and cross their functionality flawlessly; from Unix bash scripting and automation on Microsoft Windows to running virtual X servers on Microsoft Windows. The toolkit also alleviates the stresses of switching form 32-bit platforms to 64-bit platforms.
Application Lifecycle Management
MKS’s first ALM solution was MKS Source Integrity released in 1992. After 5 years of success MKS began development on a larger, more scalable enterprise version of the MKS Source Integrity system simply called MKS Integrity. This Java based system offers a single platform that integrates all organizational groups, processes, data, and materials to streamline the application lifecycle. From conception to development to management functions such as metrics and reports MKS Integrity simplifies the entire process. Furthermore, compliance with CMMI, Sarbanes-Oxley, and ISO certifications is fully integrated into the software solution. A full list of software solutions and products is available at MKS
Awards and Accolades
1993 - MKS Toolkit won the coveted Jolt Award
1994 - Selected for Productivity Awards
1995 - MKS Source Integrity was selected for a Productivity Award
1996 - Selected for Productivity Awards
2000 - CodeRover Browser, now within MKS Code Integrity Enterprise, won a Productivity Award for the first time.
March 31, 2003 - MKS Integrity Manager™ and MKS Source Integrity® Enterprise Edition (the MKS Integrity Solution®), was awarded Software Development magazine's Productivity Award in the Project Management category at the 13th annual Jolt Product Excellence and Productivity Awards.
Date Unknown - MKS Inc. was named a Best Employer in Software Development Magazine’s Third Annual Reader's Choice Awards.
References
MKS: Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), MKS.Com. 08 Oct. 2007.
UNIX on Windows, Windows X Server, UNIX Porting:. MKS. 8 Oct. 2007 .
