By holding its annual user conference in Las Vegas, Computer Associates (CA) - one of the world's largest computer companies, with an extraordinarily turbulent recent history - risks offering a business metaphor that is worryingly easy.
Betting the company? Risking the future? Gambling with customer commitment in a bad economy, or investor trust?
But chief executive Mr Sanjay Kumar - appointed chairman as well last November, when it became clear that investors wanted CA founder and chairman Mr Charles Wang out - is sanguine. Yes, the company has had problems in the past (the likeable Mr Kumar is refreshingly straightforward in acknowledging this, although smoothly adept at refocusing discussion to a more positive spin on CA's future).
But in choosing Las Vegas for its big event, CA didn't dwell on what awkward journalists might do with the Sin City link. CA chose Las Vegas because Las Vegas is fun, Mr Kumar says, during an interview. However, he's a bit of a mild gambling man himself - "blackjack and craps", he says. And he's not averse to certain kinds of risk when it comes to the company.
"I'm willing to take risks. Informed risks," says the Sri Lankan, who joined CA in 1987 when the company acquired database company UCCEL, which he worked for. He rapidly rose through CA's ranks to succeed Mr Wang as chief executive in 2000.
Some might feel that CA, which makes software that manages large corporate computer systems and networks, took inconsiderate risks in the past. Accused of treating customers and employees poorly, and of disguising falling sales through questionable "new economy" accounting practices used by many dotcoms, CA faced a hostile bid via a proxy battle from Texas financier Mr Sam Wyly in 2000.
The bid, which ultimately failed, was supported by the cautious and powerful pension fund manager the California Public Employee Retirement System. Mr Wyly ultimately, and controversially, received a $10 million (€8.94 million) pay-off. Many analysts felt the tussle brought needed change to the company by forcing new financial transparency and business practices.
Those new business practices are, for Mr Kumar, one of the biggest risks he has taken with the company, since he drove that change. "We knew we would be criticised and we knew our results would look upside down for the next few years," he says.
CA's big shift was to move away from long-term licensing of software products - five years was often the norm in the past - and to allow some contracts to run by the month. Revenue is booked monthly, with deferred income from long-term contracts accounted for as deferred revenue, rather than as upfront revenue.
CA also files its accounts the same day they are announced to the market, not several weeks later, the norm for most companies. He describes this as a "flexible, powerful, one-of-a-kind business mode which totally, coincidentally, happened to match what people were looking for" after recent financial scandals.
And he acknowledges that his company has image issues about its financial dealings, but he phrases that acknowledgement carefully. "I think every company has done some things right and every company has done some things they'd like to redo."
He turns back to his theme of improved corporate governance, which he also highlights in his keynote speech. He is of the opinion that companies have a "moral obligation to stand up and take a position" before customers and shareholders, he says.
Looking at the technology sector, he believes the industry will remain volatile, with further consolidation on the cards. He's big on consolidation, emphasising the need for it in his keynote speech and in interviews.
"We've been a believer for a long time that consolidation is good for this industry," he says, adding that technology is no different in its growth pangs from the airline, automotive and telecoms industries, all of which have been slowly boiled down to fewer players. "The mid-tier in this industry has to disappear. There are too many players and too many products."
CA has been an active participant in that consolidation, spinning off some subsidiaries and, throughout the past decade, acquiring numerous companies to give it a broad portfolio in systems and storage management software, security products, databases and application development. Services are a growth area for the firm, and Mr Kumar "wouldn't rule out non-organic growth in that area".
He is proud of his role as a "bureaucracy-buster", he says. " I worry about the company getting so big that it loses the ability to be a fun company."
