CA unveils new identity

CA has amended its brand identity on day one of its worldwide conference in Las Vegas, in part to more clearly identify what it is the company does.

The company has rebranded as CA Technologies today after gathering "insights" from about 700 customers and partners.

"We faced too many questions around 'what is it that you do?'," the company's executive vice president of growth and emerging markets, John Ruthven, said.

"The addition of the word 'technologies' helps people understand we're a technology company right from the front and that that's the business we're in."

CA's chief executive Bill McCracken joked later in his keynote: "Frankly I got tired of googling 'CA' and getting 'California'. So we'll see what we'll get with 'CA Technologies'."

Ruthven, whose role includes "growing CA's business in Australia", used a briefing earlier today to outline CA's plans to grow emerging markets in Asia Pacific, particularly India and China.

He conceded some "missteps" in markets such as China in the past, but said the company now "recognised we will have to make a longer-term investment to sow the seeds of growth in these markets."

That would include a 25 percent increase in sales staff in emerging markets, up to 650 people. Ruthven said Australia already had "more than adequate resourcing".

"The ultimate objective is to grow our market share," Ruthven said. "We want to take share as well as [grow] organic share."

Ruthven was appearing ahead of the official opening of CA World 2010 in Las Vegas. New chief executive Bill McCracken is expected to address the 7,000 attendees later today.