Microsoft has suffered well-publicised losses to Novell SUSE Linux in the Norwegian city of Bergen and other local governments dotted across the globe, in what Novell staffers hope is the start of sales momentum for its enterprise Linux edition.
This is a significant win in a fiercely contested market area. Both companies are stepping up their efforts in advancing cost and functionality benefits in their sales pitches and increasing company resources to win the crucial battle for government hearts and minds.
At BrainShare Europe this week, Novell`s chairman and CEO Jack Messman makes no bones about singling out government as among the company`s most important markets. Novell`s solutions are in the areas of government portals, data and application integration, secure infrastructure access and a flexible core operating foundation.
Between the lines
These solutions are, however, no different from what Novell would pitch at any large enterprise, and government is not a unique customer type, but chosen for reasons that involve Microsoft, among others.
Stafford Masie, local MD, speaks of "a few well-chosen bullets" to be fired through select partners, chosen in areas where Novell can fight its adversary in that company`s perceived areas of weakness - such as cost.
Joe Forgione, Novell VP, admits there is no difference in the solution sets applicable to government and large enterprise, but qualifies by saying it may place more emphasis on some solution needs than others.
Rather, Novell`s heightened global focus, which entails devoting a cross-functional global team and partner network to it, has more to do with a variety of factors, including its old foe and the fact that SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 gets to show off in large organisations like government.
Wendy Steinle, a member of the government solutions sales team, admits that governments are good references in the areas of scalability (more processors and unique users per server now that SUSE is based on the 2.6 kernel). But she insists that governments are different, in their strict security requirements (SUSE has EAL 3+ certification), expansiveness, distributed nature and wide variety of constituents.
But in other ways, she says, governments are the same as any other organisation. "Who manages more identities than governments?"
Novell`s abovementioned solution areas focus on automating certain government processes, such as information and application forms, which frees departments up for more important work.
Citizens that are known in consistent identities across government can update personal details such as addresses via the government portal, and self-provision services like applying for electricity, phones or even commercial services, if merchants are included in the portal`s trusted circle.
The base solution set is what Novell refers to as "secure identity management", underpinned by a flexible core such as Novell Linux, NetWare or a combination in the upcoming Open Enterprise Server. Given the openness of Novell`s technologies today, its services and applications are available on any platform, which is a plus for federated government departments with budget constraints.
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