Johannesburg, 04 Feb 2004
Novell has announced the completion of its acquisition of SuSE Linux, a combination that brings global technical support, consulting and training services and industry-leading networking and security to Linux, and provides a compelling alternative for companies wishing to leverage the many benefits of open source.
Novell now offers a full range of enterprise solutions on the Linux platform, from the server to the desktop. The closing of the $210 million cash deal also opens the door for completion of the $50 million investment of IBM in Novell announced on 4 November last year.
"Combining Novell`s global presence and deep knowledge of enterprise software with SuSE Linux`s powerful technology makes Novell one of the strongest options for enterprise Linux literally overnight," says Stafford Masie, Novell SA country manager. "Novell`s customers have long asked us to back Linux with our great networking software and technical support system. Now we`re going even further - offering one of the top Linux distributions on the market. Customers interested in deploying Linux - whether in the data centre or on the desktop - can now turn to Novell to get what they need."
SuSE Linux becomes a product business unit within Novell with its sales and marketing handled by Novell`s existing geographic business units and SuSE Linux`s current sales and marketing staff. While SuSE Linux will retain its structure within Novell, its acquisition, like that of open source company Ximian in August 2003, is aimed at promoting Linux adoption and integration broadly across Novell`s product lines. SuSE Linux engineers will work closely with Novell`s product teams to ensure they maximise their respective synergies in joint development efforts. "We`re making a commitment to open source, not to a product we`re selling," says Stafford. "With SuSE Linux and Ximian, we gain some of the best open source developers in the market, and we want to leverage those capabilities in our development efforts across the entire product line."
"2004 will be the year of Linux," says Richard Seibt, the former CEO of SuSE Linux who will join Novell and continue to manage SuSE Linux as president. "Novell`s global sales and support channels provide tremendous new avenues to get Linux to market. Leveraging open source in your enterprise just got a whole lot easier."
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