CA adds utility-like mainframe pricing

Computer Associates International revamped its mainframe software licensing to introduce a usage-based model, bringing it closer in line with an industry move toward utility computing.

The management software company on Thursday detailed its Measured Workload Pricing plan, a way to charge customers based on the amount of mainframe processing used, rather than the machine's total capacity. The licensing mechanism draws on a reporting tool from IBM's zSeries mainframes, which measures processor utilization. Customers pay a base amount and then are charged on a pre-determined scale as processor usage rises. CA is offering the pricing system to existing customers across 20 product areas.