Top Italian insurer strengthens it infrastructure with CA`s Unicenter management solutions

Computer Associates International, Inc (CA) today announced that Vittoria Assicurazioni, one of Italy`s top insurance companies, has chosen CA`s acclaimed Unicenter solutions to monitor and manage its distributed IT environment. Strengthening its computing infrastructure with Unicenter has enabled Vittoria Assicurazioni to deploy new Web-based applications that provide significantly enhanced services to its independent sales agents and customers.

As part of its program of Internet-based business innovation, Vittoria Assicurazioni recently launched a strategic initiative to renovate its IT environment and strengthen relationships with almost 200 agencies that represent the company nationwide. The goal of the initiative was to give agents direct, 24x7 access to centrally located business systems via a Web-based interface and high-speed network connectivity.

To support this initiative, Vittoria Assicurazioni needed to effectively manage its enhanced e-business infrastructure. After examining the various management tools available, Vittoria Assicurazioni quickly concluded that only CA`s integrated Unicenter solutions offered the comprehensive monitoring and management functionality necessary to achieve the company`s full-time availability and performance objectives and maximise the administrative efficiency of its IT staff.

"Since we operate in a highly competitive business environment, we must be able to support our users around-the-clock while keeping our total cost of operations as low as possible," said Alberto Chizzoni, Vittoria Assicurazioni`s CTO. "From a single interface, CA`s integrated Unicenter solutions enable us to control and automate all of our key technology management processes across all of our heterogeneous platforms - allowing us to meet our e-business infrastructure management challenges quickly and easily."

Vittoria Assicurazioni is utilising CA`s Unicenter Network and Systems Management to ensure the health and availability of the various elements that comprise its IT infrastructure - including all of the network devices, applications and databases that directly impact the level of service provided to agents and customers. The company also relies on Unicenter Web Infrastructure Management to monitor and enhance the performance of its Web servers.

Additionally, Unicenter Asset Management and Unicenter Software Delivery are enabling systems administrators to automatically track the company`s IT assets and efficiently distribute application and operating system updates to specific machines across the network.

Vittoria Assicurazioni is also using Unicenter Remote Control to facilitate troubleshooting and restoration of devices anywhere on the network from the central Unicenter console, thereby speeding problem resolution and saving technicians considerable time and effort.

Chizzoni credits CA Services with providing excellent support during the early stages of the Unicenter deployment: "The support of CA Services consultants has been invaluable as we have completed all of our project milestones within a very aggressive schedule."

Based on the success of its Unicenter deployment, Vittoria Assicurazioni is moving ahead with the Web-enablement of additional business systems. The company is also planning to deploy CA`s eTrust security solutions to protect its increasingly open environment.

"Web-based computing can offer many significant business benefits which can evaporate quickly without the right underlying IT strategy," said Alfonso Nobilio, Country Manager, Computer Associates Italy. "By deploying CA`s Unicenter management solutions to ensure the stability of its e-business infrastructure, Vittoria Assicurazioni has built the strong foundation necessary for its continued success."