Computer Associates International Inc. Tuesday unveiled a new 40-person team to help support network managers at large cable and network service providers looking to manage their networks with software.

One function of the new team is to ensure that CA"s service provider customers get the full benefits from the eHealth and Spectrum products CA acquired recently through the takeover of Concord Communications and that company"s Aprisma subsidiary, said Louis Blatt, the director of the new division.

CA CEO John Swainson announced the support team in Boston at a meeting with customers that use eHealth and Spectrum. One of those customers, T-Com -- a division of Deutsche Telekom -- has used Spectrum for the past five years to help manage the routers, switches and servers in its network operations center in Bremen, Germany, said Markus Rolfes, manager of the network operations center.

Rolfes said he met with Swainson at the conference and was assured that Spectrum will be fully supported by CA and that his Spectrum support team will remain intact. "He respects that we were successful with that (Spectrum) team and won"t change anything," Rolfes said.

In coming years, Rolfes said he hopes CA can add capabilities to keep Spectrum updated by offering management of various Digital Subscriber Line components in addition to larger switching and routing components.

Blatt said CA intends to continue using the Spectrum name. The product is used by 23 of the 24 largest service providers globally, he said.