Novell is helping governments at all levels make the move to the Net. Already a major player in the government network arena, Novell has been tapped by a number of governments - local, state, and national - to help them develop new ways to securely and effectively deliver government services online.
In addition, government entities are using Novell Net service software to improve their internal operations, as well. The City of the Hague joins a growing list of government entities - the city of Toronto, Bracknell Forest Borough Council, the US Census Bureau, the UK Ministry of Defence, and more - which have chosen Novell to launch their e-government initiatives.
Like most organisations today, governments are looking to technology both to streamline internal processes and improve the delivery of information and services to their citizens.
This is happening at the local level for basic services like car registrations and driver licence renewals. At the state and national levels, governments are looking at ways to bring complex processes such as tax filing and procurement online. The strengths of Novell`s Net services software match well with government requirements across the board:
. Security/Privacy - Governments have access to personal data that must be protected.
. Reliability - Government systems can`t go down.
. Ease of use - Governments need to manage complex networks with limited resources.
. Scale - Governments have the largest customer base of any organisations.
. Legacy integration - Governments have vast technology investments on multiple platforms that they need to leverage.
Novell`s Net services software addresses these key government concerns and more. Based on the award-winning NDS eDirectory, Novell`s Net services software has been tested for years in critical production environments, and it is known for its proven reliability and security.
NDS eDirectory provides a single point of management for complex networks, and helps integrate legacy systems, saving human and financial IT resources.
Finally, eDirectory is the most scalable directory service on the market. A European government recently selected eDirectory for a 35 million-seat project, easily the largest directory deployment ever.
"Novell has long been a mainstay in government networks worldwide because of our proven security, reliability, and strong management tools," said Novell sales manager James Thomas. "Not surprisingly, many governments are turning to Novell to help them take the next step - opening up their networks to the public to deliver services more efficiently. Because Novell helps tie together the operating systems that exist in most governments today, we can save them significant amounts of money while also improving their ability to deliver."
Given the breadth of government activities across the globe, Novell Net services are being tapped in a variety of ways. Local governments in Bracknell Forest, England, and Toronto, Canada, have implemented programs leveraging Novell Net services both to manage their internal networks more efficiently and to create secure online access for citizen services, ranging from driver`s licence renewals to booking recreational facilities to tax payments.
The City of the Hague in the Netherlands has just made a similar decision to base its electronic outreach to its 450 000 citizens on Novell, beginning with an online process to handle property tax valuation. Using Novell`s eDirectory and iChain products to ensure citizens` secure access to the network, The Hague has also tapped Novell Consulting to deploy Novell`s DirXML integration software to tie together its Windows NT and IBM AS/400 servers, making managing the network easier.
"If someone feels the basis for the tax is incorrect, he or she can react online," explains Peter Vreugdenhil, head of property valuation for the Municipal Taxes Service of The Hague. "Previously they often had to take a half-day off work for a face-to-face meeting. We have achieved a greater degree of accountability and openness with its citizens. The large number of visits to the site proves that there definitely was a need."
At the national level, government agencies like the US Bureau of Census and the UK Ministry of Defence have tapped Novell to improve the way they do business. In 2000, The Census Bureau managed its 5 000 permanent employees and 7 000 Decennial employees in 554 offices throughout the country using Novell Net services, a critical job during the 2000 census. Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young has included Novell`s iChain security service as a part of a solution to help bring the UK Ministry of Defence`s procurement process online.
Novell is currently working with a number of state governments in the US on efforts to help build local online communities and address growing concerns about digital divide. Novell will announce innovative new projects in this arena in the coming months. Complementing its commitment to provide leading Net services solutions to public sector entities, Novell is engaged in the debate on important technology policy issues.
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Novell, Inc is a leading provider of Net services software that secures and powers all types of networks-intranets, the Internet and extranets; corporate and public; wired to wireless-as one Net, across leading operating systems.
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