Quoting:Cowie identified four key infrastructure areas: communications, network core, delivery, infrastructure and systems. Four key vendors were identified to supply these components: Telstra for communications, Novell for the network core, Citrix Systems for delivery, and IBM for infrastructure.

Quoting:Citrix Systems, for one, was informed that it would have to work in its Windows-based product with the Linux-based Novell product portfolio.

Quoting:The switch was flipped on Global One on 1 July this year, on budget and six months earlier than initially expected. Since then, the company has enjoyed a robust infrastructure that has centralised user authentication and desktop delivery, using Citrix Presentation Server to give employees access to their own desktops no matter where they travel.

Quoting:Within a year, Cowie believes the company's entire network core will be running under Linux, as alternatives to the few Windows-only servers are steadily identified and implemented.