Leading Software Group Honors Novell Linux and Management Solutions

WALTHAM, Mass., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novell's Linux* and enterprise management services took home top honors for Best Open Source Solution and Best Asset Management Solution at the 2007 CODiE awards, the annual program led by the Software Industry and Information Association (SIIA) to recognize innovation in the software industry. SUSE(R) Linux Enterprise Desktop from Novell(R) won in the open source category, while Novell ZENworks(R) 7.5 Asset Management beat out the competition in the asset management category. The dual win reinforces both the breadth and depth of Novell's offerings, giving customers confidence they're getting the best foundation for enterprise Linux deployment and the enterprise management services they need to lower costs, reduce complexity and mitigate risk.

"The CODiEs are highly competitive, and Novell is pleased for the recognition of both our Linux and our enterprise management services that these wins convey," said Jeff Jaffe, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Novell. "The CODiEs are peer recognition -- winners are selected by vote of the members of the SIIA -- so it's particularly gratifying to us to see our dual strategy around Linux and management increasingly endorsed by the industry. This year's CODiE wins extend Novell's proud tradition of technical excellence -- we continue to give customers the technology they need to succeed."

The CODiE awards, now in their 22nd year, recognize excellence in software, content and education platforms, applications and services. This year, nearly 1,200 solutions were nominated across all CODiE categories. Finalists in each category were selected by panels composed of software and information industry trade press, mainstream technology writers, analysts, consultants and subject-matter experts. The winners were then chosen by vote of SIIA member companies.

The Best Asset Management Solution category, won by Novell ZENworks 7.5 Asset Management, honors the software solution that best audits and manages software assets. This award includes all solutions designed to audit software assets across a network environment. Inventorying assets across all leading platforms, Novell ZENworks Asset Management is an ITIL**-based solution that is a key component of Novell's offerings to help customers manage mixed source environments running Linux, Windows*, UNIX* and other platforms.

The Best Open Source Solution category, won by SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, honors the best software solution developed from source code in either the public domain or licensed according to an open source license, including operating systems, databases, applications and infrastructure. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, already a winner of "Best of Show" and "Best Desktop Solution" at LinuxWorld San Francisco in August 2007, is a key component of Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise desktop-to-data center strategy that makes managing and supporting Linux across the enterprise easier and more cost effective.

SIIA President Ken Wasch said, "I applaud all the companies selected as winners or finalists in this year's CODiE Awards. The software and information industry continues to move at a break-neck pace. New technology and business model innovations are constantly emerging and taking root. Being recognized by your peers for getting to and staying at the head of the pack in such a dynamic environment is a major accomplishment, and it is one of the reasons why the CODiE Awards hold such a special place in our industry."

For more information about the CODiE awards, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2007 .

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers infrastructure software for the Open Enterprise. Novell is a leader in enterprise-wide operating systems based on Linux and open source and provides the enterprise management services required to operate mixed IT environments. Novell helps customers minimize cost, complexity and risk, allowing them to focus on innovation and growth. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com .

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

**Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a framework that outlines best practice IT service management procedures.