History
Heinz Bons and Rudolf van Megen started the business in 1982. Today, Rudolf van Megen is still a member of the Management Board as CEO. The idea behind the Company originated after Heinz Bons and Rudolf van Megen started investigating methods for the improvement of software quality whilst still at university. In 1977, the research gained the financial backing of both the German Federal Ministry of Research and Technology as well as Siemens AG.
Their investigations initially focused on the high level of defects in software products, in comparison with non software products. They concluded that the high number of failures of software which had mostly not been detected was, in principle and among other reasons, due to a failure to adopt a systematic approach to software testing. Initial research lead to the development of the first process for systematic software testing in cooperation with several clients in the German IT software industry. After their initial five years researching software testing, Heinz Bons, Rudolf van Megen, Carl van Megen and Josef Peters founded the company in March 1982.
| 1982 | Heinz Bons and Rudolf van Megen establish the SQS Gesellschaft für Software-Qualitätssicherung mbH in Cologne. |
| 1983 | Public authorities are frontline SQS customers. |
| 1988 | Trading companies harness SQS expertise. |
| 1989 | SQS grows dramatically with banks and insurance companies. |
| 1990 | The tool SQS TEST® is launched. |
| 1991 | The young industry telecommunications takes off and improves its software processes with the aid of SQS. |
| 1997 | Holding an interest in DTK strengthens services for the industry in the area of Embedded Systems. |
| 1998 | First foreign company with the Spanish SQS S.A. |
| 2000 | SQS renames itself Software Quality Systems AG. The national Austrian company is established. |
| 2001 | SQS reinforces its European market lead through majority holdings in what is now SQS Niederlande, the British SIM Group and by establishing a national Portuguese company. |
| 2002 | Expansion of the business in Switzerland by establishing SQS Software Quality Systems (Switzerland) as well as the national Portuguese company as SQS Portugal Lda. |
| 2004 | SQS becomes CMMI Transition Partner to the SEI, and the Spanish holding is converted into a partnership with SQS S.A.. |
| 2005 | SQS becomes the first German technology company to list on London's Aim (Alternative Investment Market). |
| 2006 | SQS acquires 100% of the shares of Cresta Group Limited, this creates the largest independent pureplay software testing and quality management consulting practice in the UK. |
| 2007 | SQS celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding at a festive gala held at the Gürzenich event centre in Cologne. |
| 2008 | SQS establishes SQS Egypt in Cairo. |
