CA Outlines Unicenter Efforts

Work on a more channel-friendly version of Unicenter is still in the early stages, Cron said.

Unicenter is CA's flagship cross-platform IT management solution. The Unicenter upgrade planned for next summer represents one of the largest engineering projects the Islandia, N.Y.-based vendor has ever done, Cron said.

Cron did not detail the new feature set of the improved Unicenter product. But he did say it is CA's intent to deliver an integrated suite of software that enables simplified management of mixed-vendor IT systems, storage and security. Cron added that part of CA's vision is to include in its products the ability to extend such an IT management platform outward to grid computing platforms and server farms that would provide any and all necessary compute power like a utility.

CA's ambitions in the IT management space, and its desire to significantly increase its indirect sales revenue, were central themes during its CA World partner conference in May.

During the CA World show, executives pledged to take Unicenter further into the channel. That effort though has only just begun, Cron said.

"To be very frank, we are just starting," Cron said. "We have had a lot of success at our customer interaction center in Tampa, Fla., where we are looking at Unicenter on a single disk. To break through to the next level we really need to create a customized offering. What resellers can expect from us is this: We are actively working on creating that integrated software solution package for them to sell."

Meanwhile, Arrow Electronics North American Computer Products (NACP) group has been authorized to sell Unicenter solutions. Plans also call for Arrow's SBM and Support Net divisions to carry CA's Unicenter Desktop Management Bundle and Unicenter Desktop DNA products.

Cron reiterated a commitment made by CA executives in May to increase CA's indirect sales revenue to about 30 percent.

"About 90 percent of our revenues go direct," he said. "Only 10 percent of our revenues are indirect. Think of the opportunity for the company. If you take a $3 billion-plus company and you have a third of your revenues in the channel, you have now grown that business by a billion dollars. There's a big revenue opportunity."

CA just reached a $225 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, which had charged CA with fraudulent accounting practices.

Cron said resellers and customers doing business with CA would not be effected by a requirement outlined in the settlement that provides for federal oversight of CA's business practice over the next 18 months.

CA's board is expected to make a decision on a permanent CEO within the next 30 to 45 days, said Cron, who is a candidate for the job.

SCOTT CAMPBELL contributed to this report.