Milestones

Following is a list of some of the most important milestones in the life of Critical as well as the several prizes and distinctions the company was awarded since its foundation in 1998:

2008

• Critical announces it has been working with AgustaWestland, one of the world's leading helicopter manufacturers
• Critical's financial figures show a 60% increase in 2007's turnover

2007

• Critical’s decisive role for Schengen Space enlargement
• Critical lists for the 4th year in a row in Europe’s Top500 fast growing companies ranking, sponsored by Business Week.
• Critical's spin-off company, Critical Links, establishes its headquarter in the US
• Critical supports the development of a mine counter measures unmanned vehicle for the UK MoD
• Critical Software S.A. opens Romanian Subsidiary
• Critical Software is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
• Critical platform used in the Portuguese pregnancy interruption referendum
• Critical Software and Instituto de Telecomunicações will develop an innovative technology that allows the detection and classification of vessels based on a new generation of high resolution satellite images.
• Critical Software developed a Solution for the Regional Elections in Madeira
• Critical Software Platform Supports eGovernment
• Critical Software grows 42% in 2006

2006

• Gonçalo Quadros, Critical’s CEO is the «Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2006»
• Critical Software develops a platform that allows the enlargement of the Shengen Space
• Critical lists as 209th in Europe’s Top500 fast growing companies ranking. It is the 3rd time that Critical is listed in this ranking. The company climbed 81 positions when compared to 2005.
• Critical Software was selected as the technological partner of the semiconductors company Infineon, for the development and maintenance of a wide assembly of critical applications of decision support.
• Software opens a new branch office in Oporto. With this new office Critical significantly enhances its presence in the Northern region of Portugal.
• Software Achieves CMMI™-SE/SW Level 3. Critical Software becomes the only Portuguese company to obtain such a prestigious quality certification.

2005

• Critical Software SA achieves NATO AQAP 2110 and AQAP 150 certification
• edgeBOX wins 2005 IEC Infovision Award for the best Broadband Appliance
• Critical Links, a wholly owned subsidiary of Critical Software, launched worldwide the award-winning edgeBOX 4.0, an innovative and cost-effective networking device providing complete converged voice and data network services for SME’s and Branch Offices.
• Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates visits Critical Software headquarters
• Critical was selected as one of the Portuguese SME's distinguished by its innovative activity and attitude in the 2nd National Meeting of Innovation COTEC (Portuguese Business Association of Innovation)
• Critical Software launches EdgeBox: network-in-a-box appliance for SME’s
• Critical Software was distinguished with an honorable mention by COTEC Portugal (Portuguese Business Association of Innovation) due to its innovative ctivity and attitude http://www.cotec.pt/ Critical is classified as one of the Europe’s 500 fastest growing companies

2004

• Opens Critical Software Technologies Ltd, based in London, UK
• Critical is classified as one of the Europe’s 500 fastest growing companies
• Is certified by the Portuguese Brands Programme of the Portuguese Bureau for Internationalization (ICEP)
• The Transportation Information System (developed by Critical for the GEP) receives the first award of the Fernandes Costa Prize
• Hosted and organized the 4th International SPICE Conference on Process Assessment and Improvement
• Moves to new headquarters in Coimbra, Parque Industrial de Taveiro
• Is the first Iberian company to receive the Quality ISO 9001:2000 TickIT Certification
• Appoints an UK representative

2003

• The President of Portugal, Dr. Jorge Sampaio, visits Critical's headquarters
• Kick-off of ISO 9001:2000 Tick-IT certification program
• Critical releases WMPI II™, first commercial MPI v2 for windows clusters
• Critical opens new offices in Lisbon, Portugal
• Critical was selected as case-study by the Portuguese Investment Agency

2002

• Critical Grows to a total of 65 employees
• Sales in the international market larger than domestic market
• Critical releases CoreCompetence™ in partnership with CEGOC
• Critical moves to new headquarters in Coimbra, Banhos Secos
• Kick-off of ISO15504 (SPICE) improvement process
• Selected by ESA for its Industry Portal as case-study of European SME working on the space sector

2001

• PME Excelência 2001 (IAPMEI) - distinction awarded by the Portuguese Government to SME's with outstanding financial, economic, and management profiles (only 4 IT companies in Portugal were awarded in 2000)
• Critical closed first contracts in Mozambique / telecom
• Critical was selected as case-study of success by ICEP, the international commerce promotion office, to promote Portuguese industry overseas

2000

• Critical closes first contracts in the European space sector
• Critical launches stock acquisition plan for key employees
• Selected as case study by the Portuguese Government to promote the launching of the operation program for Information Society (a total of five companies were selected).

1999

• Critical grows to a total of 20 employees
• Critical closed first contracts in Angola / telecom
• Critical closed first contract with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Critical opens subsidiary in San Jose, California, US
• Critical releases first commercial implementation of Xception™
• IT Enterprise Award, NETIE, distinction in the category "Innovation"

1998

• Critical was awarded Best Business Plan Award overall & innovation from ANJE
• Critical closed its first customer contract with Soporcel S.A.
• The company was founded and started operations at the IPN incubator
• Critical was awarded Best Business Plan overall IPN/Andersen Consulting Award