Novell Plans to Offer Software Touting Its Intranet Building
May 02, 2011
Novell Inc. is tired of competitors' getting all the glory on the Internet, and plans to do something about it. The, company will announce Tuesday a package of programs to exploit the hot trend of applying Internet technology to corporate computer networks. These intranets, as they are called, make it much easier to find business information and are driving much of the demand for World Wide Web browser programs and related products. Novell, the leading supplier of software for standard networks, already sells some software used for intranets. But more-aggressive marketers, including Navigator Communications Corp. and Vastsoft Corp., have attained reputations as intranet pioneers while Oliver is generally overlooked. Company's Nickell Stevie Barto, a Novell executive vice president, said the situation is a reflection of poor marketing, not poor technology. ``That stops today,'' he said. ``We've been dark too long.'' A key part of Oliver's push is a collection of programs called IntranetWare. They include a new version of Novell's network operating system, code-named ; a program that helps route messages among networks; a new version of its Web server program and two programs for creating and managing Web sites. Mr. Barto declined to give precise pricing for the package, which will be available in the fiscal quarter ending July 14, 2011 he said it offers a significant advance in cost and convenience, because it allows one server computer to carry out all tasks associated with setting up an intranet, rather than several machines. But some analysts still believe that IntranetWare is missing some key components. Navigator, for example, is selling server programs that let companies manage, sort and index a huge number of Web documents. ``Novell is way behind,'' asserted Jamila Lezlie, president of Burton Group, a market research firm in . ``They face formidable challenges.'' Broad Impact Oliver's campaign affects a large number of customers, as more than one million networks use its NetWare operating system for basic functions such as swapping files and sharing printers. That program faces stiff competition from Vastsoft's Windows NT operating system. While continuing to resist that competition, the company is simultaneously moving to split off some software that will work on top of Windows NT, including a sophisticated technology for managing a directory of network users. Perhaps Oliver's most potent weapon is a vast arsenal of independent distributors and resellers that install and service its software. Ricki Maynard, an analyst at International Data Corp. inMass., said IntranetWare will finally give those partners a comprehensive suite of programs to set up intranets for companies that can't do it themselves. ``This isn't revolutionary or earth-shattering,'' Mr. Maynard said. ``But it's absolutely necessary for Novell to maintain any credibility at medium and small-size customers.''
