CA and IBM collaborate to deliver e-business OS/390 solutions for the millennium

Computer Associates International, Inc. (CA) has announced a joint effort with IBM to deliver and market mission-critical e-business solutions for companies seeking to improve their IT infrastructures. By combining the strengths of IBM`s S/390 Multiprise 3000 Server and OS/390 operating system technologies with CA`s IT solutions, the companies present a cost-effective approach to supporting the growth of clients` applications on the IBM S/390 enterprise server platform.

This announcement maximises the impact of clients` investments in their e-business resources by aligning the respective pricing models for CA software licensed in conjunction with IBM`s Multiprise 3000 e-business servers - a new family of S/390 servers designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises grow existing applications and add new workloads while reducing the cost of doing business.

The companies also established a new distribution plan designed to provide immediate benefits for CA`s and IBM`s mutual clients. Through IBM`s certified distributors and CA field alignment, the companies are able to deliver combined, tailored, function-rich solutions comprised of IBM Multiprise 3000 systems and CA offerings. The alignment of IBM business partners for joint sales at the field level will provide organisations with the e-business solutions they require and demand.

"Integration and cooperation are two of the fundamental components of e-business," said CA Chairman and CEO Charles B. Wang. "This latest collaboration with IBM bolsters our ability to deliver the proven architectures and solutions our clients need to conduct business-critical electronic commerce. By aligning our `go-to-market` delivery models, we will be able to work closely with our mutual channel partners to bring the most advanced e-business solutions to the rapidly growing small and midrange marketplace."

CA and IBM intend to cooperate and align their respective distribution and licensing approaches that will allow them to create custom packages that contain interchangeable and interoperable components. Each company will also certify and pre-test the packaged components before on-site implementation. Thus, CA and IBM will be able to deliver solid and comprehensive solutions that take technological and support considerations into account, ultimately leading to greater customer satisfaction.

"We are pleased to be working closely with CA to deploy S/390 Web-enabled e-business solutions for our mutual clients," said David Carlucci, General Manager, IBM`s S/390 division. "As a result, our customers will realize quicker implementations through tested and proven solution packaging."

CA will work with clients interested in migrating from VSE environments to OS/390 enterprise servers. CA also plans to dramatically increase its investments in OS/390-related products, education programmes, consulting and other services in support of IBM`s Multiprise 3000 series.

For more than 20 years, CA and IBM have been working together to build solutions that address the needs of their mutual clients. CA`s strategic enterprise management solutions provide seamless integration with IBM`s powerful OS/390 transaction processing environment, enabling enterprises to take greater advantage of robust Web-enabled technologies. CA`s industry-leading Unicenter TNG Framework fully integrates all the powerful high-availability and scalability capabilities that have helped make OS/390 a mission-critical e-business platform for e-business servers.