Technical solutions spur continued success of joint effort to advance cross-platform interoperability and deliver IP peace of mind.
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In just the past six months, the two companies have signed more than 100 new customers, which is double the rate in the first two years of their relationship. In total, since their
"In today's economic environment, when customers are looking to derive the greatest value from their IT investments, we are seeing an increased rate of demand for the interoperability solutions and IP peace of mind benefits provided by our collaboration," said
"The relationship has substantially benefited Microsoft's Linux integration story and has driven Linux revenue for Novell," said analyst
Customer Uptake of Novell's Expanded Support for Linux Distributions
Microsoft and Novell have made a number of investments to help customers derive the greatest possible value from their IT investments, including Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Subscription with Expanded Support. This package provides technical support for customers' existing Linux deployments -- including Red Hat Enterprise Linux -- while the organization transitions to Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, gaining significant cost savings and enabling the benefits of interoperability. There has been strong initial customer interest in the program since it launched in
"At 2e2, we deliver mission-critical managed outsource services, data management, software consulting and unified communications solutions to large enterprise customers that demand quality," said
"Solutions like Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Subscription with Expanded Support allow customers to standardize and consolidate on a single, enterprise-grade Linux environment," said
Market Growth in
A specific area of focus for Novell and Microsoft has been in
"The interoperability and intellectual property peace of mind supplied by Novell and Microsoft are valuable and significant," said
Novell and Microsoft have signed on more than 30 new Chinese subscribers over the past year, and similar interest is spreading quickly within the neighboring markets as well, with more than 20 new subscribers in
"We believe that this collaboration will produce tangible cost-reduction benefits to every customer that is considering a dual-platform strategy based on Microsoft Windows Server and a single widely available Linux server distribution," said
Delivery of Real-World Interoperability Solutions
The business and legal aspects of the Novell-Microsoft agreement opened the door for the two companies to work together to develop technical interoperability solutions. Now, more than ever, these solutions offer significant value for customers running both Microsoft Windows Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.
"The primary impetus for our joint Interoperability Lab was to increase the value we can deliver to customers," said
The Interoperability Lab has already tackled projects spanning a wide range of customer-focused interoperability concerns, and continues to make progress through programs encompassing virtualization, systems management, server workload validation and rich media support. One such example is the development of Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Management Pack for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager, which, when it is released later this month, will extend the monitoring capabilities within Microsoft System Center Operations Manager R2 across seven SUSE Linux Enterprise services and enable customers to monitor both their Linux and Windows system environments through one console.
"The early spirit of cooperation that Microsoft and Novell have taken with the Interoperability Lab since its inception has helped it to evolve into an intermediary point for our two companies, and has also influenced additional programs and projects," said
More details about these technical programs and solution demonstrations can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Jun09/06-11NovellMsftInterop.mspx. Additional information about the Microsoft and Novell agreement, customer migrations, and the work being performed within their joint Interoperability Lab can also be found at http://www.moreinterop.com.
About Novell
Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers the best engineered, most interoperable Linux platform and a portfolio of integrated IT management software that helps customers around the world reduce cost, complexity and risk. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell harmoniously integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Novell and SUSE are registered trademarks of Novell Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Microsoft and Novell Collaboration Partial New Customer List Since November 2008 June 10, 2009
-- Boise Inc. -- Idaho Power -- Honeywell Aerospace -- Procter & Gamble (P&G) -- SC Johnson -- Sony Pictures Entertainment -- St. Jude Medical Center
-- China Everbright Bank -- Chinese People's Armed Police Force -- China Telecom Group Guangdong Corp. -- Guangdong Mobile Communication Co. Ltd. -- Guangzhou Yigao Technology Co. Ltd. -- People's Insurance Company of China Group -- State Administration of Foreign Exchange -- State Grid -- Tianjin Dawning Computer Industry Ltd. -- Unitech Printed Circuit Board Corp. -- WEBS TV Inc. -- Zhejiang Huzhou Electric Power Bureau -- Zhejiang Taizhou Electric Power Bureau -- Zhejiang Wenzhou Electric Power Bureau -- Zhejiang Quzhou Electric Power Bureau -- Zhejiang Ningbo Electric Power Bureau
Other APAC Region
-- Ardentec Corporation Taiwan -- CECI Engineering Consultants Inc., Taiwan -- The Dairy Farm Company Ltd. -- Fuji Technology (Asia) Co. Ltd. -- KT Corp. -- Macronix International Co. Ltd. -- National Open University -- Seoul National University and Healthcare and Insurance Partners -- Unitech Printed Circuit Board Corp
-- Abertis (Spain) -- Ansaldo Energia (Italy) -- Consejeria de Educacion y Ciencia Del Principado de Asturias (Spain) -- Estradas de Portugal S.A. (Portugal) -- La Poste (France) -- SkyTV (Italy) -- 2e2 (U.K.)
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.