CA plans to build on the $650m (£380m) that it invests in research and development each year with the creation of CA Labs.

The research division will investigate technological advancements that are expected to affect businesses of the future.

Dr Gabriel Silberman, who played a key role in establishing IBM’s Centre of Excellence laboratories, has joined CA to head the division, which will work with academia to carry out advanced research into systems and security management.

The organisation will draw on the company’s 750 developers based in the US and at its Indian research centre in Hyderabad, according to CA chief technology officer Yogesh Gupta.

Primary areas of focus will include research into managing and securing mobile technology, network convergence and service-oriented architecture, he said.
‘Ninety-nine per cent of what we do focuses on building products for what businesses need today,’ said Gupta.

‘But the question is: what challenges do these businesses face five years from now?’

Compared with IBM and HP’s research division, CA Labs will have a fairly small internal team of 40 people worldwide, but will carry out most of its research through investment in academic research.

‘We are already working with universities in the US, UK, Israel, India and Australia. We will fund research projects, assistantships and aid professors in their work,’ said Gupta.

‘It will act as a catalyst and when ideas develop we can move them into our emerging technologies division.’

Speaking to Computing at the CA World user conference in Las Vegas last week, Gupta said firms will see a change in technology over the next 10 years, with people becoming much more reliant on miniaturised portable devices, radio frequency identification and embedded computing.

But increased connectivity of devices both within and between organisations will create new management and security challenges for the business, he said.