CA Puts Spotlight On Storage And SecurityCA Puts Spotlight On Storage And Security

Computer Associates is shaking up its sales and consulting operations to better respond to fast-growing markets as it prepares to deliver more automatic systems-management software.

In conjunction with a keynote by CEO Sanjay Kumar at the NetWorld+Interop conference April 29, CA is expected to disclose plans to release software from its Unicenter division designed to discover relationships between computers, business applications, and directories, then store that information in a relational database. The information can be used for dynamic provisioning, a starting point for managing IT in a way that's pegged to companies' demand for computing power. It's a response to similar initiatives from IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft, according to people familiar with CA's plans.

The company said last week it would lay off 450 business consultants even as it prepares to hire consultants with expertise in security and storage management. The cuts will cost CA $15 million. "It tells me they have a skill-set problem," Meta Group analyst Corey Ferengul says. Storage-management software contributed 20% of CA's revenue during its third quarter, ended Dec. 31, and security products were 13% of revenue. CA also will combine pre- and post-sales technical-support divisions into a single group of 3,000 workers.

CA has to convince customers it can manage systems to respond to business changes. Competitor IBM this week will deliver test software for analyzing information about system performance and redirecting resources. Microsoft this month plans to deliver in Windows Server 2003 software for developing apps that have performance keyed to IT policies.

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