Astaro Journal

SALT LAKE CITY, BrainShare(R) 2005, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Novell today announced Market Start, a new initiative to provide open source software companies access to Novell's worldwide distribution channels and global support infrastructure. The program will open Novell's go-to-market capabilities to Linux and open source application partners, dramatically expanding their market reach. As a result, customers can benefit from a broader selection of innovative, open source solutions, backed by enterprise-class support from Novell.

"Software vendors like us can benefit immensely from the market presence and resources of Novell," said Jan Hichert, CEO of Astaro, a developer of security software for Linux. "The biggest challenge to success in the software business can be building distribution and support for global 2000 customers. With the Novell Market Start program, innovative software vendors can become global virtually overnight."

With Novell's support through Market Start, independent software vendors (ISVs) of open source software will be able to focus primarily on product innovation and on providing compelling products for customers. Novell will provide access to its global go-to-market infrastructure. In turn, customers will benefit from a richer selection of software solutions and can have more confidence in those solutions through Novell product testing and verification, marketing analysis, support, and access via Novell's extensive channel network.

"Early stage software companies developing open source applications struggle with many of the core operational necessities of sales, marketing and support," said Angie Anderson, general manager of the Novell Market Start program. "With Market Start, open source software companies get to market faster, and customers benefit more quickly from the enormous amount of innovation occurring in the open source community. It's a win-win."

More information on Novell(R) Market Start and details on how to apply for the program can be found at http://www.novell.com/linux/marketstart.

About Novell

Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services to over 50,000 customers in 43 countries. With more than 20 years of experience in data center, workgroup and desktop solutions, Novell's 6,000 employees, 5,000 partners and support centers around the world are meeting customer requirements for identity-driven computing and Linux solutions. By providing enterprise-class software and support for commercial and open source software, Novell delivers increased operating flexibility and choice at a lower total cost of ownership. More information about Novell can be found at http://www.novell.com/.

NOTE: Novell is a registered trademark and BrainShare is a registered service mark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Kevan Barney of Novell, Inc., +1-801-861-2931, or
kbarney@novell.com

Web site: http://www.novell.com/

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