Computer Associates and 3Com announce collaboration for network management integration

Industry leaders 3Com and Computer Associates International have announced the intent to deliver integrated network management solutions to their mutual customers. The integration will enable enterprise customers to leverage the end-to-end management delivered by CA`s Unicenter TNG enterprise management solution and its NetworkIT Pro standalone network monitoring software with 3Com`s Transcend Network Control Services. Customers will achieve faster troubleshooting, increased network uptime, greater staff efficiency and proactive policy-based management as a result of the integration.

CA and 3Com will focus on two areas of collaboration: first, the Unicenter TNG Switch Management Option will discover, recognize and map 3Com network devices out-of-the-box, such as the CoreBuilder 9000 and CoreBuilder 3500 and SuperStack II 1100 and SuperStack II 3300 product families; second, the companies will deliver tight integration between NetworkIT Pro and Transcend Network Control Services.

The Unicenter TNG Switch Management Option enables network managers to comprehensively manage logical network connectivity as well as physical network connections, in their switched network environments. With the Switch Management Option, network managers will be able to view and manage Layer-3 and Layer-2 network connectivity maps and use CA`s intuitive point-and-click interface in a business context, to configure 3Com switch-based connections.

"Highly available network switches such as 3Com`s CoreBuilder family are becoming increasingly important in corporate infrastructures to address flexibility and bandwidth requirements," says Andrea Lodolo, CA Africa`s technical director for Global Technology Delivery Services. "By using the Unicenter TNG switch Management Option, network administrators can manage their switches seamlessly with the rest of their technical infrastructures."

Integration between NetworkIT Pro and Transcend Network Control Services will enable 3Com customers to manage their network technologies in the context of a total enterprise management solution. The integrated solution will provide proactive management for 3Com devices in a business context. The solution will leverage Transcend`s comprehensive management capabilities of 3Com devices and the Unicenter TNG Open APIs, Business Process Views, Common Object Repository and Policy-Based Management.

"The combination of Transcend Network Control Services and CA`s Unicenter TNG allows customers to more effectively manage their technology resources and infrastructure," says Kathy Rocha, vice president and general manager of 3Com`s Network Management Division. "This integration brings tremendous benefits to customers who are striving to lower their cost of ownership while simultaneously enhancing their competitive advantage through the use of technology."

This extension of the partnership between CA and 3Com is the latest in a series of initiatives by the companies to provide global management solutions and mutual customers are greeting this collaboration enthusiastically.