CA looks to partners for enterprise push

Computer Associates (CA) has announced a partner recruitment drive following its recent annual partner meet in Las Vegas.

The company is looking to build its standing in the enterprise space with the search for specialist partners in areas like storage, security and network management.

With the recent local launch of its telco and service providers division the vendor is also seeking partners to help in the delivery of managed IT and IP-based services.

According to A/NZ channels and alliances director, Vicki Bain, high-end partners in particular would allow CA to realise its enterprise information technology management vision.

“At the moment there is a select group of partners who have our enterprise offering, but we need specialised partners to take it to a far wider audience,” she said.

“On the telco side it’s about us understanding whether organisations prefer to use an influencer like a BearingPoint or PwC as opposed to a procurement partner like a Software Spectrum."

To encourage such specialists to come aboard CA would extend free training under its certification program, launched in July, to new partners, Bain said.

This would be expanded early next year with a formal curriculum planned for partners to build out their skill-sets.

“This approach is a big change for CA,” she said. “We want to show partners we are serious about them and their training.”

CA was also on the hunt for partners serving the ISP market to help it explore OEMing opportunities, Bain said.

"There are 4- to 500 ISPs in Australia, so there is an opportunity for partners to go and sell security products to them," she said.

According to Bain, the company’s decision to focus on enterprise IT management solutions was likely to have flow-on effects elsewhere in the business.

“What you will probably find is that CA backs out of markets where we are not a strong number one or two and focus on areas where we are,” she said

“We do have solutions for the mid-market and for consumer but we will continue to go where our strengths are.”