Novell's Enterprise Strategy

	California Educational Data Processing Association
	The DataBus - Vol. 36, No. 5 August-September, 1996

Novell's Enterprise Strategy

Software: Vendor offers integrated solutions for networked environments.

Warren Williams,Grossmont Union High School District

The future of computing is in the network. But networks are evolving. Networks once just linked PC's to one another, creating isolated worlds. Today, there is an increasing need for those individual networks to communicate with one another - a need for a homogeneous way to connect heterogeneous worlds. As the only major software company singularly focused on network software, Novell sees today's networks - local-area networks, wide-area-networks and the Internet - combining into a single and managed Smart Global Network. Moving into everyday life, this Smart Global Network will change the way we all work, play, educate and govern ourselves.

Novell is the world's leading network software provider. Novell software provides the infrastructure for a networked world, enabling our customers to connect with other people and the information they need, anytime and anyplace. Novell partners with other technology and market leaders to help our customers make networks a part of their everyday lives.

Best known as the developer of NetWare, the world's leading network services platform, Novell today offers a wide range of distributed network, small network and Internet/intranet solutions. Novell created the LAN market by connecting PCs. Then Novell connected LANs to bring networking to the enterprise. Now, Novell is helping customers evolve enterprise networks into intranets that combine NetWare services with the Internet model of web browsers and servers.

Strategic Vision

Novell and its partners are leading the creation of a Smart Global Network interconnecting today's LANs, WANs, intranets, and the Internet into a single information resource for businesses and consumers. Novell is advancing this vision in three key marker areas:

Internet and intranet solutions that integrate business networks with Web technologies and the global Internet;
Distributed network services for connecting all people and systems, including both complete NetWare platforms and network software for non-NetWare platforms;
Small network solutions that bring leading network technology to businesses with 100 users or less.

Market Position

Novell is the world's market leader in network operating systems, holding a 63 per cent share of the market (source: IDC research). Novell is also a world leader in the industry-standard TCP/IP networking software used to connect diverse computers into enterprise networks and the Internet. Novell products connect over 55 million users and 100 million devices. Novell's mission is to enable 1 billion network connections by the year 2000.

Products / Organization

Internet/Intranet markets application-level products for the Internet and intranets, as well as technology to support managed Internet and commerce services through NetWare Connect Services (NCS). The unit is also advancing Novell's GroupWise family of groupware products for use with the Internet and is carrying forward Novell Embedded Systems Technology (NEST) as a high-performance solution for integrating power line and cable systems with the Internet.

Distributed Networks addresses the network solution needs of organizations connecting multiple LANs and business sites. Carrying forward Novell's leadership in distributed network solutions, this unit is focused on making Novell network services available across diverse computer platforms. The unit is responsible for the continued development of the core operating system platform, Novell's smart network services, integrated back-office solutions, and the initiative code-named Net2000 to provide developers with common interfaces to network services.

Small Networks is focused on integrated solutions designed to meet the special requirements of small to medium-sized businesses. Novell solutions deliver unique value to these customers through access to managed WAN and Internet service through NetWare Connect Services (NCS), out-sourcing of network management with Novell's ManageWise product, integration of NetWare with GroupWise network-based messaging, and more.

Group Operations provides coordination across the group in the areas of finance, product marketing, strategic industry relations and business planning, developer relations, process development, and management training.

Strategic Partnerships

Novell meets customer needs by working with other leaders in computing, telecommunications, and services to incorporate Novell products in complete network solutions. Novell partnerships include OEM licensing of Novell products and technology, cross-product integration and other efforts to develop and support multivendor network solutions.

Novell backs its products with the industry's most comprehensive worldwide education, developer, distribution, and technical support programs. This network of partners ensures that Novell customers worldwide have local access to Novell products, training and certified support specialists. Novell also works directly with hardware and software developers to support the development of products compatible with Novell environments, and to certify third-party products with the Novell Yes brand of compatibility.

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California Educational Data Processing Association

The DataBus - Vol. 36, No. 5 August-September, 1996