About this book:

*CA, Inc.: The Story of an American Company* charts the remarkable four-decade journey of Computer Associates International, from its humble 1976 origins as a startup capitalizing on IBM's software "unbundling" to its acquisition by Broadcom in 2018. This compelling narrative details how co-founders Charles Wang and Russell Artzt built a global software empire, initially by providing indispensable mainframe utilities like CA SORT. The book delves into CA's defining and often controversial "buy-and-build" acquisition strategy, which saw the company rapidly expand its portfolio through hundreds of mergers, including landmark deals like Legent, Cheyenne, and Platinum, catapulting it to over a billion dollars in revenue and making it a dominant force in enterprise software.

Beyond its aggressive growth, the book explores CA's surprising adaptability, detailing its evolution from a mainframe-centric vendor to a player in distributed computing, and later, a champion of cloud, Agile, and DevOps. It candidly addresses the challenges of rapid expansion, including the company's internal culture and strained customer relations. Most critically, it provides an in-depth account of the devastating accounting scandal of the early 2000s, which led to executive convictions and forced a fundamental corporate overhaul, including a major rebranding to CA, Inc., as the company sought to rebuild trust and redefine its ethical compass. The story culminates with CA Technologies' strategic reinvention in the "application economy" and its ultimate sale to Broadcom, cementing its complex, yet impactful, legacy in the history of technology.

What You'll Find Inside:

• **Pioneering Software Growth:** Discover how CA, Inc. started as an independent software vendor, capitalizing on IBM's unbundling of software to become a global enterprise software leader, initially dominating the mainframe market with products like CA SORT.
• **Mastering Acquisition Strategy:** Explore CA's aggressive 'buy-and-build' model, which involved hundreds of acquisitions, including major deals like Legent, Cheyenne, and Platinum, rapidly expanding its product portfolio and market share across different computing eras.
• **Evolution of IT Management:** Learn about the development and continuous adaptation of flagship products like Unicenter, demonstrating CA's ability to innovate and provide comprehensive systems management solutions from mainframes to distributed networks and, eventually, cloud environments.
• **Navigating Crisis and Transformation:** Understand the significant accounting scandal of the early 2000s, its impact on leadership and reputation, and the subsequent efforts to rebuild trust, implement governance reforms, and strategically rebrand as CA, Inc. to signal a new direction.
• **Adapting to Modern Computing:** Witness CA's strategic pivot in the 21st century towards cloud computing, Agile development, and DevOps through targeted acquisitions and product enhancements, showcasing its commitment to remaining relevant in the 'application economy' before its acquisition by Broadcom.

Who's It For:

This book is for technology enthusiasts, business leaders, and students of corporate history interested in the evolution of the software industry, particularly enterprise software. It offers valuable insights for those studying mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, and the challenges of adapting to rapid technological shifts. Anyone seeking to understand the rise, controversies, and ultimate transformation of a major American tech company will find this comprehensive narrative compelling.