CA Cancels CA WorldCA Cancels CA World

After a year blighted by federal investigations, an executive overhaul, and a net loss on the balance sheet, Computer Associates has decided to scrap its annual customer conference in 2005 and beginning planning for 2006.

In an E-mail Monday to past CA World attendees, Joan Blackwood, senior VP of marketing for CA, said the company wants additional time "to transform CA World into a true industry thought leader" and "better showcase our many strong partner relationships."

Blackwood said the company will increase the number of smaller events it holds in 2005, including hosting more IT issue- and business-solution-focused conferences, executive-level meetings, and user-group functions.

CA has been operating without a permanent CEO since earlier this year when chairman and CEO Sanjay Kumar was forced to step down amid a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into accounting practices at the company in 2000 and 2001. Kumar at first took a position as chief software architect, but later resigned from the company altogether.

Board member Lewis Ranieri was named chairman, and board member Kenneth Cron was named interim CEO. In October, CA said the board's search committee expected to name a new CEO in 30 to 45 days. According to VARBusiness, information's sister publication, sources close to the company say CA has tapped IBM veteran John Swainson to be its next CEO.