Novell's PerfectOffice Emerging As New Leader In Suite Market

PerfectOffice receives industry acclaim as best new suite

OREM, Utah -- January 31, 1995 -- Novell, Inc.'s newly released PerfectOffice is receiving widespread acclaim from industry reviewers and customers as the best new Windows suite. In numerous comparative reviews, PerfectOffice was chosen over Microsoft Office and Lotus SmartSuite for its superior integration, task automation and workgroup publishing. The reviews were targeted to a broad audience of readers including corporate IS managers, departmental buyers and PC end users.

PC Week gave PerfectOffice the only Analyst's Choice recommendation in a suite review in the January 16, 1995 issue. The review named it "the best choice for Windows-based corporate sites" and rated it above Microsoft Office and Lotus SmartSuite because of "a wider selection of applications, excellent help system, strong network services, well-integrated user interface, and better task automation across applications."

"PerfectOffice goes beyond some of the traditional suite criteria," said Mark Calkins, general manager of Novell's Business Applications Group. "We have changed the focus to be more task-oriented so users can concentrate on tasks rather than applications, and we have added more workgroup and network features for collaborative computing."

PC Magazine attested that PerfectOffice "leapfrogs the competition by placing its emphasis on tasks, not individual programs" in a First Look in the Feb. 21, 1995 issue. Cross-application macros give PerfectOffice "a strong task-oriented feel" as opposed to the program-centric orientation of other suites.

The January issue of PC World reported that PerfectOffice "offers the best integration yet, including a consistent interface, task automation, cross-application macros and scripts, and workgroup publishing." PC/Computing gave the product a 4.5 (out of five) star rating, the highest score in its suite review (November 1994) and called it "the best all-around suite for integration." The Nov. 14, 1994 issue of InfoWorld claimed that the product "has a definite shot at the office suite title."

In addition to comparisons in leading trade publications, PerfectOffice is winning many customer comparisons. PerfectOffice was preferred by 6 out of 10 attendees at a recent Software Suites SuperStars Forum sponsored by ASAP Software Express. Representatives from Novell, Microsoft and Lotus were invited to participate and highlight benefits of their respective suites. The Forums took place in four major U.S. cities: Phoenix, Arizona; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Tampa, Florida. In all four cities, PerfectOffice received at least 60 percent of the first-place votes for the best all-around suite. Forum attendees were particularly impressed with the innovations in ease of use, program integration and network capabilities of PerfectOffice.

Special Promotional Pricing

The suggested retail price of PerfectOffice Professional is $859 (US). The upgrade price is $359 (US) and users of competitive products can upgrade for $399 (US).

For more information about PerfectOffice 3.0 for Windows, customers can call (800) 451-5151.