Concord Communications called its software Network Health, and it worked like a regular checkup for a corporate network. In 1997 those networks were growing large and complex, and the people who ran them had little insight into how well they worked. Network Health gathered data from routers, switches, and servers. It turned that data into clear reports on traffic, errors, and capacity. Managers could see trouble coming and plan upgrades. The Massachusetts company went public in October 1997.

Reports Anyone Could Read

The bet was that networks had become critical to business, and that managers would pay for clear measures of their health. Concord's software worked with equipment from many vendors. It produced reports that non-specialists could read. It sold to large companies, and to service providers that needed to prove they met their promises to customers. It sold licenses and support, and its customers renewed year after year.

Empire, Aprisma, Then CA

Concord priced its offering at $14 a share in October 1997. The offering gave it the money to grow during the boom years. It bought Empire Technologies and Aprisma to widen its products. Concord stayed a steady software maker that sold to network managers and kept its focus on a single problem it understood well. Computer Associates acquired Concord in 2005, and its tools became part of CA's network management line.

Cover: View of the Battle Ground at Concord, Massachusetts, Fitz Henry Lane. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for Concord battleground (the town of Concord).