CA reaches deeper into hosting

Computer Associates (CA) is increasing its hosted presence through a partnership with Digex. On Tuesday the companies announced an agreement where Digex will provide hosting for CA customers at its nationwide data centre network. (CA also works with hosting company Exodus Communications.)

Jim Holt, senior vice president of CA's services division, said Digex will provide managed servers at its data centres, and CA employees and technologies will be used. In addition, Digex has agreed to deploy Unicenter TNG, CA's flagship enterprise management product, throughout its organisation.

The deal comes as CA moves toward a full ASP (application service provider) model of delivering Web-hosted applications. CA's InterBiz group, which offers financial and other applications, is developing the Web-based apps.

CA's previous steps in ASP offerings have been taken overseas. It recently announced it was founding a joint venture with Cable & Wireless HKT to create an ASP in the Asia Pacific region. That company, yet to be named, will be based in Hong Kong and will offer Web-based business applications to small and medium-sized corporates. CA will provide the applications, while Cable & Wireless will provide the broadband network.

Each company will invest $8m (£4.9m) in the new venture, which will start in Hong Kong, expand to Greater China in 2001 and the entire Asia Pacific region within three years.

CA has a similar ASP venture with The Acer Group, the world's third largest PC maker, based in Taiwan.

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