Novell offers IBM mainframe customers flexible way to extend Linux to eServer architectures

Issued by Emerging Media Communications for Novell
Johannesburg, 21 Jul 2005

Novell has announced a SUSE Linux pricing package that will simplify Linux procurement and licence management for IBM mainframe customers seeking to flexibly extend the use of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 across additional eServer architectures.

Novell`s SEAL (Strategic Enterprise Agreement for Linux) package for IBM customers will offer discounts of up to 50% off the list price of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 and bring customers a more flexible way to buy and manage licences. Customers will be entitled to buy licences in bulk and then redeploy those licences as their business and technological needs evolve, without incurring any additional cost.

For example, a customer whose computing needs to evolve from high volumes of batch processing - typically run on zSeries or xSeries platforms - to more complex computing transactions running on the POWER-based eServer pSeries platform, could switch licences from the former platforms to the latter without suffering financially or having to renegotiate licences.

Customers expanding their use of Linux on the mainframe or migrating from Unix and Windows to SUSE Linux on any eServer platform will be eligible for a sliding scale of long-term contract discounts which increase with the number of new Linux workloads. Qualifying workloads include any eServer systems, irrespective of architecture.

Qualifying customers can change their Linux workloads from one architecture to another, so long as the total workload volume stays within the initial order amount. This element of the offer will simplify procurement terms for many customers considerably.

"Customers are telling us that time is up for Unix and Windows," said Johan Rosius, VP Alliances EMEA at Novell. "Customers want more choice, more flexibility and the ability to migrate to and from any architecture. They also want to migrate and consolidate onto and from any platform they choose. Linux is uniquely able to meet those goals and this SUSE Linux pricing and licensing package should smooth what many IBM customers will regard as an inevitable migration to Linux."

Novell

Novell, Inc (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services to over 50 000 customers in 43 countries. With more than 20 years of experience in data centre, workgroup and desktop solutions, Novell`s 6 000 employees, 5 000 partners and support centres around the world are meeting customer requirements for identity-driven computing and Linux solutions.

By providing enterprise-class software and support for commercial and open source software, Novell delivers increased operating flexibility and choice at a lower total cost of ownership. More information about Novell can be found at http://www.novell.com.

Novell is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc in the United States and other countries. SUSE is a trademark of SUSE Linux Products GmbH, a Novell business. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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