Cullinet
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Predecessor | Cullinane Corporation |
| Founded | 1968 in Arlington, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder | John Cullinane, Larry English |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Fate | Acquired by Computer Associates |
| Headquarters | Westwood, Massachusetts , United States |
| Products | IDMS, Goldengate, EDP Auditor, CIMS, Enterprise Generator |
Cullinet was a software company recognized for its database management system IDMS and the comprehensive software suite Goldengate. In 1989, it became part of Computer Associates through acquisition. The firm was established by John Cullinane and Larry English in Arlington, Massachusetts, later relocating its headquarters to 400 Blue Hill Drive, Westwood, Massachusetts.
Early years
Originating in 1968 as Cullinane Corporation, the company was a pioneer in marketing pre-packaged software to mainframe users, an innovative approach at a time when most organizations depended primarily on internally developed applications or software bundled with hardware. Rather than creating original products from scratch, Cullinane worked closely with IT divisions of large corporations, particularly banks, to pinpoint internal tools with potential for commercialization. Many of these applications, however, were too niche for broad licensing.
Initially, the company produced a source code management tool named PLUS (Program Library Update System), which competed against Pansophic's Panvalet and UCC's UCC-1. The original PLUS version utilized magnetic tape storage and was less competitive compared to disk-based alternatives. A later iteration, PLUS-DA (Direct Access), which employed disk storage, failed to achieve significant market acceptance.
Cullinet’s breakthrough product was Culprit, an internally developed report writer created by Gil Curtis and Anna Marie Thron. Although it entered the market after Informatics' Mark IV, Culprit attracted considerable attention. Financially, the company improved markedly after repositioning Culprit as EDP Auditor, aimed at the growing field of electronic data processing audits. This version offered predefined reports and specialized services that allowed auditors to operate independently from IT departments—a crucial advantage that led to widespread corporate adoption.
The popularity of EDP Auditor spurred a competitive environment where MIS departments frequently adopted the software themselves to keep up with auditors, thereby driving Cullinet’s expansion and strengthening its market position.
1970s
During the early 1970s, Cullinane Database Systems was commissioned to adapt Honeywell’s Integrated Data Store (IDS) database system for IBM mainframes. Originally developed by General Electric, IDS was converted for IBM platforms under the guidance of John Cullinane, Jim Baker, and Tom Meurer in 1973. Executives including Andrew Filipowski and Robert Goldman joined the team, contributing to IDMS becoming a leading mainframe database solution competing with products such as Cincom's Total and IBM's IMS. In 1976, International Computers Limited (ICL) acquired the source code and adapted it for their mainframe systems; these versions found extensive use among major UK and international clients.
John Cullinane served as a mentor to future software industry leaders like Filipowski (founder of Platinum Technology) and Goldman (CEO of several public software companies). Prior to its initial public offering in 1978, the company changed its name to Cullinane Database Systems, Inc., later rebranding as Cullinet Software in 1983 to reflect its networking emphasis and leadership transition under Bob Goldman. Greylock Partners made an early investment in 1977, marking its first commitment to a software firm and laying the foundation for its software technology portfolio.
Cullinet's IPO marked the first successful public offering of a pure software products company and was also the first software firm taken public by Hambrecht & Quist. The company reached a valuation exceeding one billion dollars and became the first software enterprise to advertise during the Super Bowl. In 1982, Cullinet was listed on the New York Stock Exchange—the first software company to achieve this—and subsequently joined the S&P 500 Index. Shortly after going public, IBM introduced its 4300 series claiming incompatibility with IDMS; Cullinet promptly addressed this with a minor technical adjustment and capitalized on its Integrated Data Dictionary feature to reclaim market share, boosting its competitive win rate from 20% up to 80%.
Beginning in 1979, Cullinet expanded beyond database sales by incorporating financial and manufacturing applications alongside IDMS. It acquired McCormack & Dodge’s financial software and Rath & Strong’s material requirements planning system, rewriting both using IDMS technology to develop CIMS (Cullinet Integrated Manufacturing System), positioning itself as an early rival in the ERP market. The firm also purchased Computer Pictures, whose TrendSpotter decision support system was integrated with IDMS; this effort eventually led to the creation of Goldengate, a PC product similar in style to Lotus Symphony.
Goldengate formed part of Cullinet’s ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful ICMS (Information Center Management System), launched in 1983 amid an extensive marketing campaign promoting IDMS/R. ICMS aimed at facilitating data transfer between mainframes and personal computers but struggled due to increasing competition and system complexity. Although Cullinet possessed technology that later inspired Powersoft’s PowerBuilder, it failed to produce effective PC-based tools for IDMS. Goldengate’s design prior to Windows compatibility resulted in high costs caused by varying PC hardware configurations—challenges shared by contemporaries like Ovation Technologies when competing against Microsoft’s office suites.
1980s
In 1983, after dedicating 25 years to the software industry, John Cullinane transferred control of Cullinet to Bob Goldman. Confronted with various challenges, Cullinane appointed David Chapman, an experienced executive from IBM and Data General, as CEO. At that point, Cullinet possessed $50 million in cash reserves. Chapman embarked on an assertive acquisition campaign to tackle difficulties related to open architecture and relational database technologies—areas where competitors such as IBM had made significant advances.
From 1986 to 1987, Chapman redirected the company's efforts toward high-performance minicomputers, notably Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAX series. During this period, Cullinet purchased multiple VAX-associated firms, including one known for its relational DBMS; however, by then the company’s cash reserves were largely exhausted.
In 1988, John Cullinane resumed his role as chairman and CEO, dismissed Chapman, and realigned the product strategy by introducing Enterprise Generator to address open architecture challenges. This strategic adjustment led to a return to profitability by the fourth quarter and facilitated discussions with Charles Wang of Computer Associates.
The following year, in 1989, Charles Wang acquired Cullinet for $330 million in stock. This transaction proved financially rewarding for investors and John Cullinane alike, as shares in CA rose substantially throughout the 1990s. CA Technologies (formerly known as CA, Inc.) continued to develop and support the CA IDMS relational database system across a wide range of platforms including IBM z/OS, z/VSE, z/VM, Fujitsu Siemens BS2000/OSD, Linux, UNIX, and Windows.
Products
- IDMS
- A CODASYL network database management system initially created at B.F. Goodrich. Marketing rights were secured by John Cullinane in the early 1970s. Although legacy IDMS systems remain in use today, only a small number of customers have transitioned to its successor.
- IDMS/R
- Launched circa 1984 as an enhanced version of IDMS featuring added relational capabilities.
IDMS/SQL
- This distinct database engine was developed in California by Dr. Kapali Eswaran, formerly involved with IBM’s System R project. It was designed specifically for the Digital VAX platform. Eswaran’s company, Esvel, was acquired by Cullinet in July 1987; subsequently, the product was rebranded as IDMS/R. The original fourth-generation language (4GL) was replaced with one from Cancor, a Canadian company purchased in January 1987.
- IDMS-DC
- A teleprocessing system analogous to IBM’s CICS. Its source code raised copyright issues from IBM due to module prefixes "RH," which referred to authors Nick Rini and Don Heitzmann—both employees of Cullinet.
- ADS/Online
- A COBOL-like fourth-generation language derived from IDMS-DC and originally named "AIDS." It competed effectively with CICS and was later modified to operate within CICS itself; it gained adoption by nearly 1,500 organizations.
- ADS/Batch
- A batch-processing mainframe adaptation of ADS/Online that experienced limited customer uptake.