Dax Data partners with Novell SA

Local Macromedia solutions distributor, Dax Data, and information solutions company, Novell SA, have teamed up to provide enterprise solutions to the SME and corporate markets that are supported on the Linux platform.

With the acquisition of software and services giant, SuSE, and Ximian, an enterprise desktop solution for open source, Novell has now a global presence and knowledge of enterprise software with open source technology, and makes the company one of the strongest fully suited players in enterprise Linux.

"South African companies that want to deploy Linux, whether in the data centre or on the desktop, can now turn to Novell to get what they need be it technical support, consulting, training, networking and security," says Stafford Masie, MD at Novell SA.

"We have signed up third-party vendors such as Macromedia, and together with our local sales and support channels, we will provide tremendous new avenues to get Linux to market. The real value of open source is the myriad of services that form part of it and the flexibility it presents to customers."

Jeremy Matthews, MD of Dax Data, says they will be working with Novell to leverage off each other`s skill sets, products and joint marketing initiatives to create an eco-system of open source support that addresses business enterprise needs.

"Locally, we are pushing to provide affordable solutions with a set of partners using technology that is professionally supported on the Linux platform. This deal does just that. There is significant Macromedia technology support for the open source platform and we expect this partnership with Novell SA will yield many opportunities for business growth, particularly in the corporate marketplace," says Matthews.

For SUSE Linux customers deploying J2EE applications, Macromedia`s Java application server, Macromedia JRun 4, provides a fast, reliable J2EE 1.3 certified platform and includes built in clustering technology, Web services support and Macromedia Flash integration.

ColdFusion MX, a rapid server-scripting environment supported on the Java platform, is used for creating rich Internet applications and offers a superior alternative to scripting technologies such as PHP and JSP. The ease and speed of development that ColdFusion provides significantly reduces time to market for Linux hosted Web applications.

Released late last year, Flash Communication Server MX 1.5 is the latest Macromedia product to support the Linux platform. Built for delivering streaming media, rich media messaging, and real-time collaboration, Flash Communication Server provides a single environment for building custom communication solutions that integrate with existing sites and applications. Applications developed with Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX are deployed to the Macromedia Flash Player, which means they will be viewable by the widest possible audience.

"This partnership is strategic for us as we are now able to service companies looking to deploy Web applications for streaming media solutions from a Linux mid-tier platform," says Matthews.

"Our collaboration with Novell will instil confidence in our current and future customers that Linux, as a business solution, is a viable alternative that will drive down the cost of ownership on technology that is readily available and supportable," he says.