December 20th, 2006
Microsoft: Pact with Novell is just swell (really it is)
The Microsoft-Novell Linux pact is going swimmingly. And you thought it was fluff. Just ask Microsoft and Novell how things are going.
Those two crazy kids have three big companies–Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and AIG Technologies, a part of insurer AIG–taking advantage of the interoperability between Microsoft and Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise.
In a press release today, the two parties were glowing:
Under three separate customer agreements, Microsoft will deliver to each company SUSE Linux Enterprise subscription certificates, allowing these customers to take advantage of the Microsoft and Novell agreement. Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and AIG Technologies, which is a member company of American International Group Inc., highlighted the benefits of interoperability, the patent cooperation agreement and the road map for bidirectional virtualization solutions as the deciding factors in their choice.
Wow. That's great. OK maybe I'm a bit cynical and should stop bashing this Microsoft-Novell love affair. BUT the two sides–especially Microsoft–sure seem to be working hard to make this partnership look good.
Now to be sure, mixed source environments are the future–and the three CIOs in Microsoft's press release agree–but time will be ultimate measure of whether the Novell-Microsoft pact has legs.
How exactly are CIOs using the technologies of Novell and Microsoft? How has this interoperability helped matters? What's the return? At this juncture, three financial services titans–and the financial services industry typically leads in IT–have a Linux subscription certificate from Microsoft. Without some IT meat around those certificates it's a little early to declare the Microsoft and Novell deal a success.
Post script: While folks may be skeptical about Microsoft and Novell's partnership, they do seem to be saying a little more than Oracle about its Red Hat support efforts. On Oracle's earnings conference call, president Charles Phillips only said the following on Red Hat support:
"Just an update on a couple of other announcements you might be interested in. Obviously we made a big announcement at Open World around Unbreakable Linux, our support offering. In the first 30 days, we had 9,000 downloads of Unbreakable Linux from our website and hundreds of customers connecting their servers to our network."
Gee Chuck, thanks for the color.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 12/20/06
