Speaking to 6,100 conference attendees, Novell's chief executive opened BrainShare 2005 by stressing the one-time networking software giant's rebirth as the leading proponent of the freely distributed operating system.
If 2004 was the year Novell pushed its Linux and associated applications into the corporate computer server space long dominated by Microsoft's Windows, 2005 will see the Utah-born company make further inroads onto the world's individual personal computers, Messman said.
"Last year [at BrainShare] I told you 2004 would be the year Linux would go mainstream on the enterprise server, and that business users would begin the transition to Linux desktops. Both of these predictions have come true," he said.
Quoting an IDC Research study, Messman said revenue from servers running Linux had risen more than 38 percent from 2003-2004.
More than 3 million servers currently run Linux worldwide, and the darling of the "open source" software movement is powering more than 10 million PCs.
"There's no doubt Linux has become a strategic business platform," Messman added.
The CEO praised Novell's growing family of Linux-based applications and development partnerships as ensuring a future for its version of the operating system suite that is "open, secure and global.
"We have a truly global ecosystem, unmatched by other Linux vendors, with offices in 43 countries and over 5,000 technology, services and training partners delivering support for Novell's customers worldwide," Messman said. "We give our customers real choice."
As he kicked off 4 1/2 days of workshops, software showcases, training and Novell certification courses at the downtown Salt Palace Convention Center, Messman also unveiled a bevy of new products.
In particular, he touted
ZENworks 7 as the first systems management suite to allow customers to manage Windows workstations on a SuSE Linux server, and he unveiled the new Novell Linux Small Business Suite as a full-featured "networking and collaboration environment."
And, noting "Novell walks the talk," Messman noted the company - which switched its headquarters from Provo to Waltham, Mass., last year - was in the process of changing all 6,000-plus of its corporate desktops from Windows to Linux.
Novell also announced Monday two new initiatives to boost its global partnership efforts. The first, the Novell Market Start program is meant to open the company's global distribution and support channels to open source software vendors (ISVs); the second, the Novell Validated Configuration program, aims to reduce risk and ease deployment for customers in complex Linux network environments.
bmims@sltrib.com
