Novell`s Masie to focus on Linux, upliftment

By Rodney Weidemann for Novell

Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2003

Stafford Masie, Novell SA`s new country manager, believes SA is a country with massive potential, saying he has big plans for the company and is really excited about the possibilities for the organisation`s Linux strategy.

As of the beginning of the month, Masie took over the running of the operation from Richard Beytagh, who was in charge of Novell for the past 10 years, and he says these are "big shoes to fill, as Richard did a great job here".

He began his career at Telkom, before moving to Dimension Data. Masie gained further experience operating his own integration business for a period, before joining Novell around seven years ago.

"I have pretty much gotten to know all aspects of the sales cycle, thanks to the various positions I have held, so I feel I now understand how a customer thinks, but am also aware of what partners expect, and so on," he says.

"I spent the past five years or so as a corporate business strategist in the US, where I worked with big hardware and software customers, and was heavily involved in developing Novell`s Linux strategy, including the acquisition of Ximian, so hopefully I can bring those experiences to bear in this new job."

Massive opportunity

He believes we live in the greatest country in the world, and he jumped at the chance to return when the opportunity arose.

"I believe there is a massive opportunity in SA for growth and development, so I do not want to see Novell SA being just a dot on the map anymore; I believe we can be a leader in the field.

"We live in a developing country and we are developing some great technologies out here, so I think that my timing is ideal, as we`re now in the process of emerging from the dot-com slump and heading into an exciting new era," says Masie.

The two areas he intends focusing on are the channel - he aims to create a better infrastructure to service Novell`s channel partners - and he wants the company to join the current momentum in SA around empowerment.

"I`m also aiming to expand and grow our Linux strategy, to work with our customers in this regard and hopefully also get some of our former ones returning to the fold," he says.

"As a tax-paying citizen, I feel it is my duty to try and help government spend our tax dollars wisely, and to that end, I cannot understand why the government should pay a licence tax to a company when they can get what they need for free, thanks to the Linux option."

Masie says Novell will focus on desktop Linux, as there seems to be a lot of money spent on desktops in corporations and yet a large percentage of the desktop functionality goes unused.

"People like call centre agents, for example, don`t really need huge functionality, so a lot of what they have on their PCs goes unused. With Linux, which is cheaper, we can set up the functionalities that they need."

He believes the company has a whole suite of advantages over its competitors.

"We have good people, a strong strategy, the right technology, a deep commitment to the SA market, numerous channel programmes and of course our strong customer relations."

He says that on a professional level, he hopes to see Novell`s local revenue grow by around two-and-a-half to three times, inside the next five years.

Social responsibility

"On a personal level, I want to take a look at the neighbourhood I grew up in and try to unearth the gems that exist there. I know there are other company MDs just waiting to be discovered and encouraged, and I want to put something back into the community.

"I believe that youngsters, especially from disadvantaged areas, need to see examples that are from their own neighbourhood. I`d like to consider myself something of a role model to them and hopefully I`ll be able to inspire them to achieve everything they are capable of."

He is planning upliftment programmes in disadvantaged areas, which will involve visiting schools and giving talks with the aim of motivating children to succeed.

"I want to communicate to those who are considered disadvantaged that you can still become the MD of a software company, for example, because anything is possible, as long as you remain focused on your goals," says Masie.

His final word on Novell: "We have a suite of technology solutions that are best-of-breed and which give the customer - from a licensing perspective - far greater negotiating power with that company in Redmond, because now they actually have choices."