Cron: CA In Command Of IT Management

Computer Associates International Interim CEO Ken Cron said Sunday that if past patterns play out, CA will be "ideally positioned" to become the dominant provider of management software.

Backing that prediction are a number of factors, including the continued application of 20 percent of CA's annual revenue to research and development in the area of IT management, Cron said during the opening keynote at CA World in Las Vegas.

During his speech, one peppered liberally with video testimonials from customers and employees, Cron also reiterated CA's renewed commitment to the channel, citing it as the company's top goal this year. Among other things, Cron said CA will add specific brand managers to help partners better understand and sell integrated technology from third-party vendors, a move key to ramping up multivendor solution sales.

"The channel will be our No. 1 priority," he said.

Cron said other goals for CA this year include making advances in the management of on-demand computing and ensuring a complete, open and integrated product line. In addition, he said CA's mission to move further along the path of multivendor product integration should lead to better utilization of server and storage resources, as well as help tame the fragmentation caused by the deployment of disparate infrastructure tools such as antivirus and security access devices.

"A fragmented IT environment cannot work," Cron said. "IT management software is an IT guy's secret weapon. It's a cost-effective way to leverage your resources."

Cron also briefly touched on recent changes to CA's management structure, which resulted from a still pending investigation by federal officials into past CA accounting practices. However, Cron preferred to look forward at the opportunities ahead for CA. "CA World 2004 marks the beginning of a new chapter in this company," he said.

Ron Rouhof, senior consultant for Software Quality Systems, a CA partner in Zaltbommel, Netherlands, said he thought Cron's vision of CA's future as an even more pervasive IT software management company was sincere and could be executed in a timely schedule, even given the fact that possible repercussions from the pending federal investigations still loom.

Former CA CEO Sanjay Kumar also stands to play a part in the company's management software vision. In his new role as chief software architect, Kumar will help translate customer and partner technology needs into features in CA's management suite (see story).