VMS Software

What VMS Software does

VMS Software, Inc. is a privately-held Massachusetts corporation founded in 2014 to assume stewardship of the OpenVMS operating system after Hewlett Packard Enterprise exited the market. The company develops, distributes, and supports OpenVMS — a mission-critical enterprise OS with 99.999% uptime capability and documented server uptimes spanning decades — now ported to x86-64 hardware and cloud platforms including AWS. Its product portfolio spans the core OS (OpenVMS V9.2-3), cluster-aware monitoring (VMSSPI), development environments (VMS IDE, VMS/XDE), web interfaces (WebUI), transaction processing middleware (ACMS), and an expanding set of integration and migration tools (WSIT, ACMSDI Gateway, PAMS API replacement, PostgreSQL client, FreeTDS, Skunk/Punk SQL bridges).

The company monetizes through a mix of software licensing, tiered support and maintenance subscriptions, and a full suite of professional services covering Alpha/Integrity-to-x86 migration, cloud migration, Rdb-to-PostgreSQL modernization, ongoing managed services, and training (including biannual courses and Bootcamp events in Boston and Malmö). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting OpenVMS customers with mission-critical applications in nuclear power, manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare, supplemented by event-driven acquisition through Bootcamps, webinars, a community forum, wiki documentation, and an ISV Partner and Ambassador channel program. A free Community License Program serves over 1,000 members, providing a developer and talent pipeline.

The firm operates as a 100% remote organization since 2020, with employees distributed across U.S. states and a core population in a no-income-tax jurisdiction adjacent to its original Burlington, Massachusetts headquarters. Leadership comprises CEO Kevin Shaw, Director of Strategy Chris Brown (an 11-year DEC/Compaq/HP OpenVMS group veteran), Director of Application Services Brett Cameron, and VP of People Strategy Nicole Hart. The company holds exclusive rights to develop and distribute OpenVMS on x86-64, which underpins its competitive position as the sole commercial vendor serving the legacy OpenVMS installed base.

Name

VMS Software

Legal name

VMS Software, Inc.

Website

https://vmssoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

VMS Software, Inc. is the sole commercial steward of the OpenVMS operating system, founded in 2014 after HPE's exit. It develops, licenses, and supports OpenVMS on x86-64 and cloud, and provides migration, modernization, and managed services to enterprises running mission-critical legacy applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Enterprise Operating Systems

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Cloud Compute & Virtualization Stack (HCI/VMs/Kubernetes) (HDABAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

General-Purpose Compute (VMs & Bare Metal IaaS) (HDABAAAA)

Keywords

• OpenVMS operating system
• Enterprise OS platform
• Legacy system migration
• Mission-critical software
• X86 virtualization

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: OpenVMS software licensing including operating system, development tools, and layered products
2. Support and Maintenance: Tiered support offerings for OpenVMS including standard and extended engineering support
3. Professional Services - Migration: Migration services including migration to x86-64, cloud migration, and migration from Rdb database to PostgreSQL
4. Application Services: Application modernization, porting, and maintenance services for OpenVMS applications including porting from Alpha/Integrity to x86-64
5. Managed Services: Ongoing system management and monitoring services for OpenVMS environments
6. Training Services: Training courses for OpenVMS including biannual training and French language courses

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VMS Software develops, licenses, and supports the OpenVMS operating system (current release V9.2-3) on x86-64 hardware and cloud platforms, and sells a portfolio of layered products including VMSSPI monitoring, VMS IDE, WebUI, VMS/XDE, ACMS, and integration toolkits (WSIT, PAMS API replacement, PostgreSQL Client API, Apache Qpid Proton, FreeTDS, Skunk, Punk). The company also delivers professional services for migration from Alpha/Integrity to x86-64, application modernization, managed operations, and training, targeting organizations with mission-critical legacy OpenVMS applications.

Product overview

VMS Software provides the OpenVMS operating system and related software products and services. The portfolio centers on OpenVMS (now on x86-64) as the core platform, supplemented by monitoring tools (VMSSPI), development environments (VMS IDE, VMS/XDE), web interface solutions (WebUI), and transaction processing middleware (ACMS). Application integration products include WSIT for cross-platform integration, ACMSDI Gateway for client connectivity, and PAMS API for message queuing. Database connectivity is enabled through PostgreSQL Client API, FreeTDS, Skunk (RMS to SQL), and Punk (Rdb to SQL). Professional services cover migration (Alpha/Integrity to x86), application modernization, managed services, and training including bootcamp events. The company also offers a Community License Program for OpenVMS enthusiasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OpenVMS V9.2-3 Enterprise operating system supporting high-reliability, 99.999% uptime computing environments; latest version runs on x86-64 hardware and in cloud with virtualization capabilities.
• VMSSPI (VMS System Performance and Health Monitoring) Cluster-aware monitoring package with SYSTEM, PERFORMANCE, SECURITY, and METRICS modules for monitoring OpenVMS systems and sending alerts to enterprise monitoring tools including Dynatrace, Splunk, Datadog, PagerDuty, Slack, Prometheus, and Grafana.
• VMS IDE Integrated Development Environment for OpenVMS application development and coding.
• WebUI Web-based user interface solution for OpenVMS environments built on CivetWeb with Lua and JavaScript.
• VMS/XDE Development environment tools for OpenVMS application development.
• ACMS (Application Control and Management System) Transaction processing monitor originally developed by DEC for building and administering complex OpenVMS transaction processing systems, now available on OpenVMS x86-64.
• PAMS API (RabbitMQ-based Oracle MessageQ Replacement) RabbitMQ-based replacement for Oracle MessageQ PAMS API, enabling message queue functionality on OpenVMS with minimal code changes to existing applications.
• WSIT (Web Services Integration Toolkit) Extensible API-level integration technology for OpenVMS supporting Java, C#, Python, and JavaScript code generation with AMQP 0.9.1 protocol support for cross-platform integration.
• Apache Qpid Proton API for OpenVMS AMQP 1.0 messaging API ported to OpenVMS for communication with ActiveMQ, RabbitMQ (AMQP 1.0), and Azure Service Bus.
• Migration Services Professional services for migrating OpenVMS environments from Alpha/Integrity to x86-64, including application porting and modernization.
• Application Services Application modernization, porting, and maintenance services including legacy system integration, database migration, and microservices architecture adoption.
• Managed Services Ongoing system management and support services using VMSSPI for proactive monitoring and incident management.
• Training Services Training courses including OpenVMS bootcamp events held in Boston and Malmö, course catalog, biannual training programs, and French language courses.
• Community License Program Free community license program for OpenVMS enthusiasts and developers, succeeding the HPE Hobbyist program, with over 1000 members.
• Support and Maintenance Tiered support and maintenance offerings for OpenVMS including standard and extended engineering support tiers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.999% uptime capability (five nines availability)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DynatracecoreTechnology or IntegrationDynatrace integration for VMSSPI alerting - enables OpenVMS systems to send alerts to Dynatrace enterprise monitoring platform for comprehensive incident management across hybrid environments.
• DatadogcoreTechnology or IntegrationDatadog integration for VMSSPI alerting - supports receiving alert messages via email and provides metrics export capability for OpenVMS performance monitoring.
• SplunkcoreTechnology or IntegrationSplunk integration for VMSSPI - enables OpenVMS security and system events to be forwarded to Splunk for enterprise log analysis and security monitoring.
• PagerDutycoreTechnology or IntegrationPagerDuty integration for VMSSPI - enables OpenVMS alerts to trigger on-call notifications through PagerDuty incident management platform.
• RabbitMQ / CloudAMQPcoreTechnology or IntegrationRabbitMQ message broker used as foundation for Oracle MessageQ replacement solution (Otter) and ACMS demonstration applications. CloudAMQP provides hosted RabbitMQ on AWS for cloud deployments.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud infrastructure for OpenVMS deployments and hosts CloudAMQP RabbitMQ instances used in demonstration applications. OpenVMS runs on x86-64 in AWS cloud environment.
• Sector7coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSector7 is a migration partner that collaborated with VMS Software on the PostgreSQL client porting project for a major customer database migration from proprietary database to PostgreSQL on Linux.
• PostgreSQL Global Development GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationPostgreSQL client API was ported to VSI OpenVMS to enable connections from OpenVMS applications to PostgreSQL databases running on other platforms.
• FreeTDScoreTechnology or IntegrationOpen-source FreeTDS API used to replace deprecated Sybase client components for OpenVMS x86-64 migration projects, enabling communication with Sybase databases.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stromasys: Provides VAX/Alpha hardware emulation on x86 and Linux, enabling OpenVMS to run on emulated hardware. This is the closest comparable business model: enabling OpenVMS workload continuity through a different technical approach (emulation vs. native x86 port).
• Sine Nomine Associates: Provides OpenVMS consulting, support, and ports. Directly comparable as a niche services and engineering firm supporting the OpenVMS ecosystem with similar customer profiles and skill sets.

Broad incumbents

• Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): The former owner and developer of OpenVMS before exiting the market in 2014. As the broad incumbent that created and abandoned the platform, HPE is the historical anchor of comparability even though it no longer competes directly.
• OpenText (Micro Focus): Through the Micro Focus acquisition, OpenText supports and modernizes legacy enterprise software (COBOL, mainframe, etc.) — a directly comparable "own and maintain legacy mission-critical software" franchise at much larger scale.
• IBM: Owns and continues to develop proprietary enterprise operating systems (z/OS, AIX) and provides modernization services for mission-critical workloads. The broad incumbent counterpart in the mainframe/minicomputer space, with similar customer lock-in dynamics.
• Oracle: Holds adjacent legacy assets (Solaris, Rdb, MessageQ) referenced in VMS Software's own product roadmap as "products being replaced." Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping legacy enterprise software customers and competing migration destinations.
• Fujitsu: Long-standing provider of enterprise minicomputer and mainframe hardware/software (BS2000, etc.) with comparable mission-critical customer base and legacy continuation strategy. Comparable as a broad incumbent in adjacent legacy enterprise OS markets.

Emerging players

• Heirloom Computing: Specializes in COBOL and mainframe application modernization to Java and cloud. Comparable as an emerging player in legacy mission-critical application modernization with similar value proposition of preserving application investment.
• TmaxSoft: Provides mainframe rehosting and legacy operating-system alternatives (OpenFrame). Comparable as an emerging player offering an alternative platform for mission-critical legacy workloads rather than porting to standard infrastructure.
• Skytap (IBM): Cloud infrastructure purpose-built for hosting legacy workloads including OpenVMS. Comparable as a complementary/alternative path for customers deciding between native x86 port (VMS Software) and cloud-hosted legacy emulation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VMS Software