NewsMicrosoft and Novell Alliance Embraced by Wal-Mart
01/23/07 - PRNewswire
REDMOND, Washington and WALTHAM, Massachusetts, January 23 /PRNewswire/ --
- World's leading retailer cites interoperability, intellectual property
assurance and joint technical support as factors that will enable it to do
more with less.
Microsoft Corp and Novell Inc today announced that Wal-Mart Stores Inc,
the world's largest retailer, became the latest customer to take advantage of
the benefits of the new collaboration on interoperability between
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and Linux(R).(i) Under the agreement, Microsoft will
deliver SUSE(R) Linux Enterprise Server subscription certificates to Wal-Mart
for use in Wal-Mart's IT infrastructure. The engagement among the three
companies opens a host of other potential opportunities for both Microsoft
and Novell to provide Wal-Mart with additional software resources and
support, building on future joint research and developments in virtualisation
and interoperability.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Wal-Mart, already a significant user of Microsoft products, is pleased
that the collaboration will improve interoperability among various systems.
"We have wanted information technology vendors to deliver true
interoperability and IP assurance between multiple platforms for some time
now, and we are pleased that Microsoft and Novell are committed to fulfilling
that need," said Nancy Stewart, senior vice president and chief technology
officer of Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart is known around the world for its innovative
use of technology. Selecting Microsoft and Novell is another step in that
strategy. The net result is a win for us and, more importantly, for our
customers."
"Customers tell us every day that they need to operate a cost-effective
IT organisation and leverage the most they can out of their investments,"
said Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Novell. "Through our relationship
with Microsoft, we've created new opportunities for enterprise
interoperability and virtualisation that ultimately result in real savings
for our customers. We are delighted that Wal-Mart has chosen SUSE Linux
Enterprise, and we look forward to collaborating with them for many years."
By working together with Microsoft and Novell, Wal-Mart gains the ability
to manage Windows and Linux by extending its existing Microsoft management
tool set and authentication platform: Systems Management Server, Active
Directory(R) and Microsoft Operations Manager. Wal-Mart can also move to
lower-cost commodity server hardware while simultaneously improving the
customer experience.
"Customers tell us that they need interoperability and that they want
their technology vendors to manage the underlying intellectual property
issues in software," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "We are delivering
this to Wal-Mart and giving them peace of mind so they can focus on their
business and build for the future."
The Microsoft-Novell Agreement
On 2 Nov 2006, Novell and Microsoft announced a series of agreements to
jointly build, market and support new solutions to improve interoperability,
deliver powerful new virtualisation capabilities, make Microsoft and Novell
products work better together, and give customers peace of mind that both
companies stand behind the products they deliver. As part of this five-year
agreement, Microsoft agreed to use, resell or distribute certificates that
customers redeem to receive SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscriptions for
upgrades, updates and technical support from Novell.
Since the announcement, more than 35,000 new certificates for three-year
priority support subscriptions to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server have been
activated under the Microsoft and Novell collaboration agreement.
More information about the Microsoft and Novell agreement, including
other customer announcements, can be found at
http://www.novell.com/linux/microsoft and
http://www.microsoft.com/interop/msnovellcollab/default.mspx .
About Novell
Novell, Inc (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers infrastructure software for the Open
Enterprise. We are a leader in enterprise-wide operating systems based on
Linux and open source and the security and systems management services
required to operate mixed IT environments. We help our customers minimise
cost, complexity and risk, allowing them to focus on innovation and growth.
For more information, visit http://www.novell.com .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise
their full potential.
About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft
employs more than 12,000 people in over 55 subsidiaries, delivering products
and services in more than 139 countries and territories.
This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp
disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material
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contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the
use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as
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NOTE: Microsoft, Microsoft Dynamics, Outlook and BizTalk are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp in the US and/or other
countries.
(i) Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.novell.com