Information Systems Security Assurance Management at Municipal Software Solutions, Inc.

Case Introduction

Municipal Software Solutions, Inc., or MSS, is a small, privately held software firm located in Cleveland, OH that supplies tailor made financial and personnel management software for large and small municipal governments in the US and Canada. MSS, Inc. is the acknowledged leader in the municipal software market. Through hard work, price competition, and a superior product, competitors have been reduced from a field of many down to a field with only two strong contenders for dominance. MSS is currently in the lead in terms of market share in the US within this niche industry. MSS revenues range from $2 million to $4 million annually, and the company employs a staff of 21. The firm has evolved over a twenty five year time period from its original inception as a systems consulting business, to a hardware solutions provider, to a LAN networking firm in the early ‘90s, but has settled into the specialized municipal market software engineering role for well over a decade. This case discusses the firm’s business strategy, their operations and organizational structure.