CA and IBM spruced up their respective cloud computing portfolios Tuesday with solutions spanning the data center and software asset management and development.

CA acquired certain assets of Cassatt, the brainchild of former BEA CEO Bill Coleman, for an undisclosed amount. Cassatt specializes in cloud computing software that makes data centers more efficient. The assets CA acquired, including several Cassatt patents, enable data center automation and policy-based optimization, according to the company.

“Cassatt has long been a champion for using a cloud-style architecture to manage data centers like a ‘compute utility,’” says Cassatt CEO Coleman.

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The Cassatt technology will fit in with CA’s infrastructure management solutions that help reduce complexity in data center environments based now on sophisticated composite applications running in the cloud, according to CA. CA will also incorporate Cassatt’s analysis and optimization capabilities into another business-driven automation solution to allow managed service providers to use cloud computing to drive efficiencies on- and off-premises, in private data centers, and in utility data centers.

For its part, IBM at its Rational Software conference unveiled a number of services and products designed to run on top of its Jazz technology platform that help customers align their business strategies with their software investments. The goal is to provide visibility into ongoing software projects to make sure they are delivering ROI and cutting costs. Several of Big Blue’s software delivery product previewed at the event were run in a cloud environment.

The announcements included:

•    IBM Rational Insight, a new investment and project management solution.
•    A beta program for IBM Rational Focal Point for Project Management, a new solution to reduce delays and mistakes that can prevent software from meeting business needs.
•    New enhancements and integrations to IBM Rational Focal Point for Product and Portfolio Management, IBM Rational Requirements Composer, IBM Rational Team Concert, and IBM Rational System Architect.

From a solution provider perspective, IBM is touting the extensibility of the Rational products and services, which allows partners in the Ready for Rational program to build third-party solutions on top of the platform, the company said.