Johannesburg, 14 Apr 2005
Novell has been named as the South African Receiver of Revenue`s open source solution provider.
Last month, SARS called for submissions from open source solution providers for end-to-end enterprise-level Linux system software.
In response to ITWeb`s query, SARS CIO Ken Jarvis confirmed today that Novell had been selected as the supplier. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
"Our first migration will be SAP onto SuSE Linux, running on an Intel platform, which will be live by the end of June," Jarvis said.
Jarvis described the migration as "a big step, one which we are very excited about".
It is ITWeb`s understanding that this is one of the first SAP open source implementations in the country, possibly the first.
When asked what SARS`s next step might be, Jarvis hinted that a migration of PeopleSoft onto a similar environment could be on the cards, provided the SAP move is successful.
He was unable to comment on SARS`s plans regarding desktops, although he did say SARS is exploring possibilities.
Speaking about the significance of the tender, Jarvis says it shows that open source is gaining ground, but that people are "still going about it cautiously".
"We think there is space for all players. We at SARS still have strong strategies that involve Microsoft, and so on," he says.
Related story:
SARS wants open source
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