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CA WORLD 2007 - A review of proceedings

After spending two days at CARE* and then four days at CA World, I’m still trying to process all of the information I was fed. Both conferences were great, and I thought they were probably the best ones I have ever attended. (I have been to all but one CA World conference!)

The last CARE conference was too product-specific, disappointing in content and came at a time when CA was in a total state of disarray. There was a lot of tension in the room and an overall feeling of upheaval. After voicing our concerns to CA, I was pleasantly surprised to find they had really listened to us, and they had taken distinct measures in formulating the CARE agenda to meet our request for changes.

CA has a strong, new focus on the mainframe, and this theme was carried throughout the CARE and CA World conferences. It started with those of us at CARE being seated in the front of the room and being the focus of a few keynotes. I was invited to sit on a Product Line Community panel, and I was honored with an award for “Commitment and Contribution to the CA User Group Community”.

Additionally, the CADRE board members were once again invited to meet with John Swainson for an informal discussion. He gave us the opportunity to provide feedback and our personal observations on how CA is doing with mainframe products and their customer service. We were able to ask questions and interact with him in an intimate, unrehearsed setting. For me, the most significant piece of information Mr. Swainson gave us was that mainframe products provided 60% of CA’s revenue. This figure provided me with an affirmation of CA’s dedication to the mainframe and their ultimate responsibility to keep it viable and current.

CADRE hosted their first CA World reception following the CADRE business meeting on Monday night. It was a huge success, and it was a nice opportunity to mix with old friends and make new ones. Mr. Swainson and his wife even paid us a surprise visit and joined us for a drink and some appetizers, pictures and laughs.

The sessions were informative, well-attended, and once again we had more user sessions than CA sessions. We saw a lot of new faces in the audiences, and we even had inquiries about starting up new regional CADRE user groups.

CA is changing, and I feel it is for the better. I am looking forward to CA World 2008, November 16 – 20 in Las Vegas!

Sherry Bryan

CADRE International, Chair Emeritus

* CARE is a 2-day conference held exclusively for all user group presidents