* Novell wins distribution deals for SuSE with IBM, HP and Siemens
Novell continued to make Linux news last week, as it did some wheeling and dealing with several business partners to boost its SuSE Linux product reach.
At its annual BrainShare conference, Novell announced that it signed agreements with IBM and HP to put the SuSE Linux operating system into new hardware platforms from the two PC and server vendors. A deal with Siemens’ enterprise-integration arm should boost SuSE’s visibility among European customers, as well.
The IBM deal allows Big Blue to pre-load SuSE on all of its server lines, from Intel-based boxes to Power-based servers, mainframes and blades. Although SuSE had previously been certified to run on all IBM hardware platforms, the software could only be shipped on a CD along with the hardware from IBM. The new agreement should save some hassle for users who want IBM/SuSE boxes ready to roll. Along with the distribution agreement, IBM also agreed to make a $50 million investment in Novell.
On the desktop front, Novell also announced that SuSE will become HP’s standard Linux desktop operating system across the hardware vendor’s line of business desktops and notebooks by year-end. SuSE was widely available on HP servers before, but not on PCs and laptops. HP also sells Mandrake- and TurboLinux-based PCs on a limited basis.
While forging friendships with U.S.-based hardware vendors, Novell was also making Linux alliances in Europe with Siemens Business Services, the $6 billion IT services arm of Siemens. The Munich-based subsidiary will become a “premier partner” for reselling SuSE software to customers. This gives Siemens Business Services access to support and product development staff at SuSE.
