In an announcement today, the partnership, part of Islandia, N.Y.-based CA's "CA Together IT" philanthropy program, will make a number of CA software applications available to the BGCA's Atlanta headquarters and to each of the group's 3,900 community-based locations where underpriviledged children participate in after-school programs, homework workshops and other structured activities.
"This is a huge deal for us," said Bill Regehr, senior vice president of information technology for the non-profit BGCA. "The member clubs are excited to get the help. The phones are just ringing off the hook."
For the local clubs, the CA software and services will provide student computer labs with technology to better protect children as they explore the Internet and do homework online, he said. The labs have about 56,000 computers nationwide, including about 40,000 used by children and another 16,000 used by staff members, Regehr said. The individual lab locations don't have their own IT staffs, and keeping systems running properly is often a challenge.
"It's a sizable inventory and CA has really stepped up...," he said.
CA will also provide money for the BGCA to hire an IT security engineer for the group's IT systems, he said. All of the software will be distributable online from the group's Atlanta headquarters to its local offices. The group also plans to hire a software delivery coordinator to run the distribution efforts.
Anne Marie Agnelli, a CA spokeswoman, said the donations are being made to help the non-profit group improve its IT infrastructure, which it hasn't been able to do on its own due to the costs involved. The work is already under way, Agnelli said.
In addition to antivirus and antispam software, CA will provide the BGCA locations with its Unicenter Desktop Management Suite, Unicenter Service Desk Plus, E-Trust Security Command Center, E-Trust Vulnerability Manager and its BrightStor Data Availability Suite, including recovery and backup management.
"This is really about improving the efficiency and security of the Boys Clubs & Girls Clubs," Agnelli said.
The local BGCA clubhouses offer programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, according to the group.