ISLANDIA, N.Y., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CA, Inc. (Nasdaq: CA) today announced that it has acquired privately-held Oblicore, a leading provider of Service Level Management (SLM) software for enterprises and service providers. Oblicore supports and strengthens CA's ability to set, measure and optimize service levels to meet business expectations across enterprise and cloud environments. Oblicore's solutions also extend CA's capabilities in cloud vendor management and assurance of cloud service quality. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Oblicore's customers include AT&T, ABN AMRO, British Telecom, Cable & Wireless, France Telecom, ING, Lufthansa Systems, Siemens Medical Solutions, and T-Systems. With Oblicore solutions, these organizations are better equipped to design, monitor and manage service level agreements across their IT service portfolio in business terms.

"Oblicore's business-centric approach gives enterprises and service providers better understanding and control over the quality and value of their IT service portfolio," said Ajei Gopal, executive vice president of CA's Products and Technology Group. "With Oblicore and the recent acquisitions of NetQoS and Cassatt, CA is leaping ahead in our ability to help customers optimize IT for better business results and capitalize on the emerging cloud computing opportunity."

As a long-time CA partner, Oblicore has field-proven integrations with CA solutions including CA Spectrum Infrastructure Manager, CA Service Desk Manager, CA Wily Introscope, CA eHealth and CA Clarity PPM. Oblicore is designed for open connectivity to virtually any data source, with integrations to business systems and application and infrastructure monitoring tools from Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, IBM, HP, BMC and other providers.

"Our success with mutual CA and Oblicore customers shows that together we can help close the gap between business and IT by establishing and measuring service expectations," said Eric Converse, CEO, Oblicore. "Service Level Management is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry. Delivering Oblicore's solutions through CA's thousands of expert sales, services and support professionals will allow us to bring the benefits of SLM to both CA's vast network of existing customers and a growing global market of new ones."

Extending Business-Centric IT Service Management to the Cloud

Oblicore's top-down methodology for SLM begins with contracts that use business language and metrics. These contracts easily integrate with technical data sources for continuous service performance measurement against contract terms and conditions. The resulting transparency and control allow customers to better manage expectations between IT and the business, as well as contracts with external service providers. The use of service contracts to manage service delivery becomes even more important as enterprises leverage cloud services. Lack of direct management control makes these contracts the primary assurance mechanism. Oblicore will play a significant role in helping enterprises assure the quality of cloud services.

"EMA believes cloud computing trends will further increase the demand for service-based management including service level and service value management. Customers are demanding solutions like Oblicore that can offer business-oriented service management including details related to the service contract, collaboration during the negotiation process, and analytics to represent service delivery results in a dashboard format," said Lisa Erickson-Harris, EMA research director. "Oblicore's strengths are well-suited to bridge the IT/business gap by capitalizing on existing management data, business-driven service definition and analytics to demonstrate service delivery results at each service lifecycle phase."

CIOs can also quantify the overall value of their service portfolio by combining Oblicore's measure of service quality with metrics on service cost, consumption and business objective alignment from CA Service Catalog, CA Service Accounting and CA Clarity PPM.

Oblicore solutions will be available directly from CA and through approved channel partners.

Thomas Weisel Partners LLC acted as financial advisor to Oblicore on the transaction.

About Oblicore

Oblicore is a leading provider of Service Level Management software. The flagship product, Oblicore Guarantee(TM), automates, activates, and accelerates the monitoring, reporting, and management of all service portfolio and service delivery for enterprises and service providers. An enabler of business management, Oblicore Guarantee(TM) allows organizations to understand the performance implications of service catalog items and service level agreements--in real time--for penalties, rewards, and new opportunities.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090402/NYTH500LOGO )

About CA

CA (NASDAQ: CA), the world's leading independent IT management software company, helps customers optimize IT for better business results. CA's Enterprise IT Management solutions for mainframe and distributed computing enable Lean IT--empowering organizations to more effectively govern, manage and secure their IT operations. For more information, visit www.ca.com.

Connect with CA

    --  CA Social Media Page
    --  CA Newsletters
    --  CA Press Releases
    --  CA Podcasts

Trademarks

Copyright © 2010 CA. All Rights Reserved. One CA Plaza, Islandia, N.Y. 11749. All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

Certain statements in this communication (such as statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) constitute "forward-looking statements" that are based upon the beliefs of, and assumptions made by, CA's management, as well as information currently available to management. These forward-looking statements reflect CA's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: global economic factors or political events beyond CA's control; general economic conditions, including concerns regarding a global recession and credit constraints, or unfavorable economic conditions in a particular region, industry or business sector; impact of revenue recognition accounting policies on operating results; failure to expand channel partner programs; ability to adequately manage and evolve financial reporting and managerial systems and processes; ability to successfully integrate acquired companies and products into existing businesses; competition in product and service offerings and pricing; ability to retain and attract qualified key personnel; rapid technological and market changes; dependence on third party operating systems and software; use of software from open source code sources; discovery of errors in CA's software and potential product liability claims; significant amounts of debt and possible future credit rating changes; the failure to protect CA's intellectual property rights and source code; the timing of orders from customers and channel partners; reliance upon large transactions with customers; sales to government customers; breaches of CA's software products and CA's and customers' data centers and IT environments; lack of market growth in key product areas; use of third party microcode; third party claims of intellectual property infringement or royalty payments; fluctuations in foreign currencies; failure to successfully execute restructuring plans and related sales model changes; successful outsourcing of various functions to third parties; potential tax liabilities; and these factors and the other factors described more fully in CA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CA assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.



    Press Contacts

    Crystal King
    Public Relations
    CA, Inc.
    Phone: (508) 628-8575
    crystal.king@ca.com

    Kelsey R. Doherty
    Investor Relations
    CA, Inc.
    Phone: (212) 415-6844
    Kelsey.Doherty@ca.com

SOURCE CA