Computer Associates Moves On Linux

Computer Associates, Inc. (NYSE: CA) issued a barrage of Linux-related announcements from its CA World 1999 conference in New Orleans this week, including the release of the MasterIT e-commerce/Web Management solution.

The MasterIT product will manage Linux machines running on supported Web servers, including Apache and Netscape. According to a company statement, "the introduction of MasterIT on Linux further extends CA's commitment to the burgeoning Linux software community."

A Particularly Strong Platform For E-Commerce

"Corporate IT departments are already using Linux to run many of their e-business functions, and this trend is only going to increase," stated Yogesh Gupta, senior vice president of product strategy for Computer Associates. "CA is supporting this trend by delivering solutions that both run on the Linux platform and effectively manage Linux-based resources."

"Linux has emerged as a particularly strong platform for Web-based commerce and other Internet-oriented enterprises," commented Paul Mason, vice president of infrastructure research for International Data Corp. (IDC). "By addressing these companies' Web management requirements with a Linux-based product, CA has positioned itself as a key supplier for E-business management."

Computer Associates and Caldera Push Corporate IT Adoption of Linux

Computer Associates and Caldera Systems, Inc. recently announced a strategic partnership intended to help fuel the continued corporate IT adoption of the Linux operating system (OS).

At the center of the announced partnership is Computer Associate's Unicenter TNG enterprise management solution. Under terms of the partnership, Computer Associates will develop versions of Unicenter TNG, including the Unicenter TNG Framework, to support Caldera's OpenLinux package.

In a joint statement, Computer Associates and Caldera stated that they would each distribute copies of Unicenter TNG for Linux, engage in mutual promotional and marketing activities and make the bundled offering available through their respective Web sites.

"The support of Linux by an industry leader like Computer Associates underscores the legitimacy of Linux for business and will enhance the growth of OpenLinux," commented Ransom Love, president and CEO of Caldera. "CA's porting of Unicenter TNG and Unicenter TNG Framework to support Caldera's OpenLinux allows us to add significant value to our global enterprise customers."

About Computer Associates and Linux

Computer Associates has also entered into similar strategic relationships -- regarding the Unicenter TNG -- with Linux vendors Red Hat, SuSE and TurboLinux.

"CA has clearly embraced Linux as a corporate computing platform and is providing customers with the tools they need to effectively deploy Linux in the context of a well-managed enterprise environment," said Colin Mahony, a Yankee Group analyst. "Vendor commitments like these will be critical in determining the success of Linux within the enterprise."

Linux is an OS based on Unix that was created in 1991 by Linus Torvalds-- hence its name -- as an alternative to Windows. Fine-tuned by a legion of programmers and hackers, Linux has a primary advantage over a certain OS market dominator recently engaged in an anti-trust lawsuit with the US government-- it runs on open-source code, and is distributed freely.