National CSS

National CSS, Inc.

Company type	Public (from 1970)
Industry	Time-sharing, software
Predecessor	Computer Software Systems
Founded	1966 (1966)
Founder	Bob Bernard
Defunct	1979 (1979)
Fate	Acquired by Dun & Bradstreet
Headquarters	Wilton, Connecticut , United States
Area served	United States, United Kingdom, international markets
Key people	Bob Bernard, Harold Feinleib, Robert E. Weissman
Products	VP/CSS operating system, NOMAD database management system
Parent	Dun & Bradstreet (from 1979)

National CSS, Inc. (NCSS) operated as a time-sharing company from the 1960s through the 1980s, until its acquisition by Dun & Bradstreet in 1979. Initially based in Norwalk, Connecticut, the company moved its headquarters to Wilton in 1978. NCSS maintained a network of sales offices, data centers, and development sites throughout the United States, alongside additional sales locations in the United Kingdom and other international markets.

Early history

Established in 1966 under the name Computer Software Systems by Bob Bernard, NCSS began investigating time-sharing services utilizing CP/CMS technology after bringing on Dick Orenstein, who had contributed to CTSS. The introduction of CP/CMS by IBM in 1968 provided the opportunity for NCSS to advance this concept. That same year, the company acquired an IBM System/360-67—a state-of-the-art system at the time—and commenced offering time-sharing services commercially by December 1968. To support growth initiatives, NCSS went public in 1970 and adopted the name "National CSS." Despite early obstacles, the firm experienced significant expansion during the mid-1970s.

Products

NCSS gained industry recognition primarily for two core offerings: the VP/CSS operating system and the NOMAD database management system.

• The VP/CSS operating system evolved over a decade or more from its CP/CMS origins. Initially deployed on the IBM System/360-67, it was subsequently adapted for IBM’s System/370 series following the integration of virtual memory capabilities in 1972. Through substantial internal development efforts, VP/CSS became the foundation for NCSS’s lucrative interactive time-sharing services launched in 1968. Its high performance and interactive programming tools attracted customers seeking alternatives to conventional batch processing methods, earning a reputation for scalability and efficiency.
• Under the leadership of Harold Feinleib, NOMAD capitalized on NCSS’s market presence by delivering an interactive database environment grounded in emerging relational database principles. This product catered to end-users requiring adaptable solutions for sales analytics and financial modeling—functions often inadequately supported by corporate ADP/MIS departments.

At its inception, NCSS focused on programmers who were accustomed to slow batch processing workflows involving punched cards. Feinleib observed that while internal COBOL programmers managed limited daily turnaround due to production demands, NCSS users could complete multiple interactive development cycles each day using IBM Selectric terminals coupled with symbolic debuggers—dramatically enhancing programming productivity.

As internal adoption of time-sharing grew within client organizations, NCSS shifted its emphasis toward empowering end-users to address information challenges independently from MIS departments. By the late 1970s, NOMAD became the primary driver of business growth due to its alignment with these users’ needs.

At the time of acquisition, NCSS was working on a next-generation technology that would merge advanced operating system and database features; however, this initiative was eventually discontinued. Instead, NOMAD was ported to IBM’s VM/370 platform as NOMAD2 in 1982 with support from key clients such as Bank of America, which led to the gradual retirement of VP/CSS.

Clients

NCSS secured significant contracts across various industries including major banking institutions, oil corporations, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, and numerous smaller enterprises. Its applications spanned database publishing, financial analysis and modeling, engineering tasks, sales analytics, bill-of-materials processing, statistical analysis including crosstabulation, mailing list management, patent administration, and interactive software development.

Connectivity

The majority of users connected to the NCSS system through dial-up terminals and modem devices, initially operating at speeds of 110 or 300 baud, with 1200 baud becoming prevalent by the mid-1970s. Certain clients opted for conditioned telephone lines to achieve faster data transmission rates.

A pioneering nationwide packet-switched network, largely based on DEC PDP-11 systems, linked modem pools to a range of up to twelve substantial IBM and Amdahl mainframe computers, while also interconnecting these mainframes.

NCSS was at the forefront of early adoption of technologies such as teleconferencing, messaging between users, client/server database operations (preceding commercial SQL implementations), and file sharing. The system featured an interprocess communication mechanism that allowed seamless read/write operations between remote programs using standard file I/O, facilitating data transfer across different mainframes without requiring software modifications.

Services

The time-sharing environment compelled providers to maintain reliable performance and strong support since customers could easily switch services if dissatisfied. Unlike hardware manufacturers or internal IT departments, NCSS prioritized delivering exceptional customer service.

Feinleib recalls a significant event at Bell Labs where NCSS experienced a hardware malfunction that prevented file backups. By candidly acknowledging the mistake and working closely with Bell Labs personnel to reconstruct data through keypunching printed records, NCSS gained their trust and expanded business with them. This episode highlighted the critical importance of vendor reliability in technology services.

NCSS established a comprehensive support and consulting division that circumvented traditional IT procurement channels by marketing directly to line managers who controlled discretionary budgets. This approach disrupted conventional technology hierarchies and empowered end users to independently address their information requirements. Such responsiveness enabled clients to outperform slower competitors.

These developments reshaped organizational structures throughout the 1980s and 1990s, encouraging technical teams to better align with corporate objectives and promoting user-centric methodologies such as rapid prototyping and joint application design. Providing end users with interactive computing access was a key factor in this transformation.

Eventually, these empowered users became early adopters of PC technology—a transition that contributed to the decline of the timesharing sector, which failed to adapt to this technological shift.

People

NCSS attracted a highly skilled technical workforce, including specialists from MIT and the CP/CMS community, who in turn attracted additional talented professionals. Apart from hardware manufacturers, NCSS was among the few organizations engaged in extensive in-house operating system development. Due to its modest size, prestigious clientele, and evolving application demands, employees frequently encountered a wide range of complex challenges. Alumni from NCSS during the late 1970s and early 1980s went on to establish numerous successful research and development teams and products through their independent innovation. Robert E. Weissman, who led NCSS during its acquisition by Dun & Bradstreet, subsequently became chairman of both Dun & Bradstreet and IMS Health following its spin-off.

Hacking

In a significant computer hacking episode covered by the New York Times on July 26, 1981, NCSS experienced a security breach when its master password list was accessed without authorization. This incident triggered an FBI inquiry that provided valuable insights for everyone involved. Although the intrusion was widespread, it did not result in any harmful consequences and was caused by a technician driven by curiosity who was probing the system. The occurrence exposed critical security weaknesses in an industry that had previously paid little attention to such threats, thereby increasing vigilance among NCSS, Dun & Bradstreet, their clients, law enforcement agencies, the media, and the general public.

See also

• CP/CMS
• History of CP/CMS

References

Notes

• : published by the vendor, but by a well-known and respected author.

External links

• Oral history interview with Bernard Goldstein, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Goldstein joined National CSS prior to its acquisition by Dun & Bradstreet.
• Oral History of Alan Rievman, Computer History Museum, who effectively acted as National CSS’s chief financial officer from its inception in 1968 through and beyond its 1979 acquisition by Dun & Bradstreet.